Best certification for a Scrum master: what job ads name in each country
Take the Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) if you apply in the US: by how often job ads name it, it is the best certification for a Scrum master there, with the Professional Scrum Master (PSM) second. In October 2026, of 946 US Scrum-master ads (Adzuna), the CSM appeared in 22% and the PSM in 12%. Neither is required.
The CSM is Scrum Alliance's foundational-level credential: a 16-hour course followed by an online multiple-choice test. The PSM I is Scrum.org's first-level exam, which you can take without a class. The SAFe Scrum Master appeared in 22% of the ads for US Scrum masters in October 2026. Our count matches full phrases only, so ads that write just CSM or PSM are missed (what the count misses). Outside the US we cannot rank the two: the samples are small, and for France, Germany, Italy and Poland we counted only the English phrase scrum master certification.
- Your country: which certification is best for a Scrum master, by country
- Cost and exams: Scrum master certifications compared
- Beyond credentials: what Scrum-master ads ask for besides a certificate
- Whether to pay at all: do Scrum masters need certifications
- Product or project manager: best agile certification for your role
What do scrum master job ads ask for?
Instant answer from October 2026 job ads. No email needed.
Certificates named
Skills asked for
Source: Adzuna job ads, October 2026.
Show the numbers
| Item | Ads | Share of ads |
|---|---|---|
| Jira | 613 | 65% |
| Kanban | 304 | 32% |
| SAFe | 211 | 22% |
| CSM | 210 | 22% |
| PMI-ACP | 179 | 19% |
| Scrum Master | 150 | 16% |
| PSM | 112 | 12% |
On this page
- Which certification is best for a Scrum master, by country?
- What do Scrum-master job ads ask for besides a certificate?
- Do Scrum masters need certifications?
- Can anyone become a Scrum master?
- What is the best agile certification for product managers?
- Best certifications for Scrum masters: what Reddit posters say
- Each credential in one line
- What the count misses
- Related roles
- Sources
Which certification is best for a Scrum master, by country?
In the US, the CSM is the credential to get first, and the PSM I is the second choice. Elsewhere, including India, our counts are too small or too general to pick one.
We searched one month of Adzuna job ads for the title scrum master in each of the 10 countries we track and counted the ads that contain each phrase. Where a country has too few ads for a share, the certificate cells give the count of ads instead.
| Country | Scrum-master ads | CSM | PSM | General phrase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | 946 | 22% | 12% | 16% |
| UK | 67 | 9% | 3% | 16% |
| India | 193 | 32% | 10% | 16% |
| Brazil | 43 | 3 of 43 | 5 of 43 | 1 of 43 |
| Mexico | 16 | 0 of 16 | 0 of 16 | 0 of 16 |
| Spain | 42 | 6 of 42 | 2 of 42 | 4 of 42 |
| France | 232 | Not counted | Not counted | 1% |
| Germany | 116 | Not counted | Not counted | 2% |
| Italy | 20 | Not counted | Not counted | 1 of 20 |
| Poland | 47 | Not counted | Not counted | 7 of 47 |
Source: Adzuna API, job ads with the search title scrum master in all 10 countries, collected in October 2026 and matched by exact phrase: certified scrum master (CSM), professional scrum master (PSM) and scrum master certification. The last column is a separate phrase, not a total of the CSM and PSM columns. Analysis: CertWorthIt. How we count.
The countries fall into three groups. In the US, the sample gives a share for both the CSM and the PSM. In India, the UK, Brazil, Spain and Mexico, the samples are small: the UK shows CSM and PSM shares, but they rest on 6 and 2 ads. In France, Germany, Italy and Poland, we count only the general phrase.
Show the numbers
| Item | United States | France |
|---|---|---|
| SAFe | 22% | 0 ads |
| CSM | 22% | 0 ads |
| PMI-ACP | 19% | 0 ads |
| Scrum Master | 16% | 1% |
| PSM | 12% | 0 ads |
US: the CSM first, the PSM second
Of the 946 US Scrum-master ads we counted in October 2026 (Adzuna), 210 named the CSM and 112 named the PSM. One ad can name both, so the two counts overlap. If you apply for US Scrum-master jobs and want one credential, take the CSM, and consider the PSM I only for ads that accept either. Our page on the Certified ScrumMaster covers its course and test.
In India, the CSM appears in 32% of 193 Scrum-master ads and the PSM in 10% (October 2026, Adzuna). With 193 ads, the sample is small: read the Indian figures with care, as a direction and not an exact share. We do not rank the two for India. For the PSM I, see its own page.
The phrase scrum master certification appeared in 16% of the ads for US Scrum masters. It names no issuer, so an ad that contains it may accept the CSM, the PSM or another Scrum credential.
UK, Brazil, Spain and Mexico: too few ads to rank
No single certification leads in the UK, Brazil, Spain or Mexico; the samples are too small. The UK had 67 Scrum-master ads on Adzuna in October 2026. Of those, 6 named the CSM and 2 the PSM, too few to say which one UK employers prefer. In Brazil, 3 of 43 Scrum-master ads named the CSM and 5 the PSM. In Spain, 6 of 42 ads named the CSM and 2 the PSM. In Mexico, the CSM appeared in none of the 16 Scrum-master ads and the PSM in none of the 16.
In these four countries, read the Scrum-master ads in your city before you pay for a course. If they name the CSM, take it; if they name no credential, your experience on a Scrum team carries the application.
France, Germany, Italy and Poland: the English phrase only
In these four countries, we count only the English phrase scrum master certification in Scrum-master ads, not the CSM or the PSM by name. In October 2026, it appeared in 3 of the 232 French ads and 2 of the 116 German ones, and in one of the 20 Italian ads and 7 of the 47 Polish ones (Adzuna).
Ads written in French, German, Italian or Polish can ask for a certification in their own language, and those ads are not in the count. These figures are a lower bound, so they cannot tell you how often employers there name a Scrum credential.
What do Scrum-master job ads ask for besides a certificate?
Ads for an agile Scrum master also name team tools and methods. We counted the exact phrases jira and kanban in the same Scrum-master ads. In October 2026, Jira, the issue-tracking tool, appeared in 65% of the ads for US Scrum masters, and Kanban, a method for managing work on a board, in 32% (Adzuna).
In India, Jira appeared in 58% of 193 Scrum-master ads and Kanban in 38%. In the UK sample of 67 ads, Kanban appeared in 49% and Jira in 24%.
The best certification for an agile Scrum master is the one the ads name, but the tools come up in the same ads. Jira and Kanban are skills you show from work on a team; we do not count any certificate for either.
Do Scrum masters need certifications?
You do not need a certification to be a Scrum master. Scrum Alliance, which issues the CSM, says certification is not required to get a job as a Scrum master, though certain employers ask for the CSM. Scrum.org says its classes are not a requirement for its exams, so the PSM I can be earned without a course.
Where an ad names a certificate, it is listed as a qualification; required and preferred are not separated. In our October 2026 count, 210 of 946 US Scrum-master ads named the CSM (Adzuna). Where the ads for the jobs you want name no credential, a certificate is optional.
Can anyone become a Scrum master?
Anyone can earn a Scrum-master credential; the job is harder to get. The PSM I is an exam you can buy on its own, with no class required. The CSM requires Scrum Alliance's 16-hour course, and Scrum Alliance says prior experience or other certifications cannot replace it.
The US government's O*NET database lists Scrum Master as a job title under IT project managers and states no certification for it. For a route in without a degree or team experience, see our guide to becoming a Scrum master without a degree.
Show the numbers
| Item | SAFe | CSM |
|---|---|---|
| Questions | 45 questions | 50 questions |
| Exam time | 90 minutes (1 h 30 min) | 60 minutes (1 h) |
| Passing score | 80% | 37 of 50 |
| Format | Multiple choice | Multiple choice |
What is the best agile certification for product managers?
Follow the ads for the job you want: we do not count product-manager ads, so we cannot say which agile certification they name. If you are a product manager moving toward Scrum, the CSM and PSM apply; if your target ads name a Product Owner credential such as the CSPO or PSPO, take that one. Neither is in our count.
For project managers, the agile credential we count is the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP), and we count it in project-manager ads only, not in Scrum-master ads. It appeared in 673 of the 59,273 US project-manager ads in October 2026 (Adzuna). PMI asks for two years of agile experience in the past five years (or a shorter route with a PMP or another agile certification) plus 21 hours of agile training. Our page on the PMI-ACP has its cost and exam, and our project-manager role page shows what project-manager ads name in each country.
If your employer runs the Scaled Agile Framework, look at SAFe Scrum Master from Scaled Agile. Scaled Agile describes it as a foundational credential, and its proctored exam can be bought without the training course. We count it in Scrum-master ads by its full name.
Best certifications for Scrum masters: what Reddit posters say
Posters on r/scrum and r/agile split into two camps: those who want the credential employers screen for, and those who say team experience matters more. On the screening side, a poster in Bangalore wrote that postings for business-analyst and project-management roles there list "CSM or SAFe as preferred, sometimes even as a requirement" (r/agile, July 2026). On the experience side, one commenter wrote: "The experience is more important than the certification" (r/scrum, July 2025). More threads are on the Scrum master certifications compared page.
Each credential in one line
- Certified ScrumMaster (CSM): Scrum Alliance's course-based credential.
- Professional Scrum Master I (PSM I): Scrum.org's exam, no required course.
- SAFe Scrum Master: for employers that run the Scaled Agile Framework.
- PMI-ACP: PMI's agile exam for project managers with agile experience; counted in project-manager ads.
- Scrum master certifications compared: fees, exams and renewal side by side.
- CSM vs PSM, CSM vs SAFe, CSM vs PMI-ACP, PMI-ACP vs PSM and PMI-ACP vs a Scrum master certification: the head-to-head choices.
Show the numbers
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Fees to get certified: Exam | $495 |
| Fees to get certified: Annual fee, $195 a year | $195 |
| Fees to get certified: One retake (optional) | $50 |
What the count misses
We match exact phrases. An ad that writes only CSM or PSM, or Scrum Alliance's one-word spelling ScrumMaster, is not counted, so the CSM figure may be low. The phrase professional scrum master can also match ads that use "professional" as a plain adjective and ads that name PSM II or PSM III. An ad that names both credentials counts for both, and we do not separate required from preferred.
We count SAFe Scrum Master by its full name only, and outside English-speaking countries we search English phrases only. The figures come from one month of ads and say nothing about direction over time.
Related roles
A Scrum master runs the team process; a project manager plans and delivers the project as a whole, and a product manager decides what gets built. For every credential in this field in one place, see the agile and Scrum field overview.
Sources
- Adzuna job-ad counts, Scrum-master ads in the US, UK, India, Brazil, Mexico, Spain, France, Germany, Italy and Poland, and project-manager ads in the US for the PMI-ACP, October 2026; analysis: CertWorthIt. How we count.
- Scrum Alliance, Certified ScrumMaster, course requirement and renewal, checked October 3 to 5, 2026.
- Scrum.org, PSM I and assessment preparation, checked October 5, 2026.
- Scaled Agile, SAFe Scrum Master, checked October 4, 2026.
- PMI, PMI-ACP, checked October 5, 2026.
- O*NET, Information Technology Project Managers (15-1299.09), checked October 4, 2026.
- Reddit threads linked in the text, from the posts we collected on r/scrum and r/agile.
Edited by Elena Marsh · Data checked October 6, 2026
Questions people ask
What is the best certification for an agile Scrum master?
In the US, the Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) from Scrum Alliance, with the Professional Scrum Master (PSM) from Scrum.org as the second choice. In October 2026, the CSM appeared in 22% of the ads for US Scrum masters and the PSM in 12% (Adzuna). In India, the CSM appeared in 32% of 193 Scrum-master ads and the PSM in 10%, but that sample is small, so read it with care. We do not count SAFe. Fees are on the Scrum master certifications compared page.
Do Scrum masters need certifications?
No. Not to do the job, and not for every hire: Scrum Alliance, which issues the CSM, says certification is not required to get a Scrum-master job, though certain employers ask for the CSM. Our job-ad count shows where those employers are: of the 946 US Scrum-master ads we counted in October 2026 (Adzuna), 210 named the CSM and 112 the PSM. In India, the CSM appeared in 32% of the ads for Scrum masters. Where an ad names a certificate, it is listed as a qualification; we do not separate required from preferred. If the ads for the jobs you want name one, get that one.
Can anyone become a Scrum master?
Anyone can earn a Scrum-master credential; getting the job takes more. The PSM I has no required class: Scrum.org sells the exam on its own. The CSM requires Scrum Alliance's 16-hour course before its online test. Employers also ask for team tools: Jira appeared in 65% of the ads for US Scrum masters in October 2026 (Adzuna). Our guide to becoming a Scrum master without a degree or experience covers the way in.
What is the best agile certification for product managers?
We cannot rank one from our data, because we do not count product-manager ads. The agile credentials we do count sit in other roles. The PMI-ACP is counted in project-manager ads: it appeared in 673 of the 59,273 US project-manager ads in October 2026 (Adzuna). The CSM is counted in Scrum-master ads, and it appeared in 210 of the 946 US Scrum-master ads in the same month. Pick the credential that the ads for the job title you want actually name.
Which Scrum master certification do Reddit posters recommend?
The posts we collected on r/scrum and r/agile do not agree on one. One commenter preferred the PSM because Scrum.org requires no renewal, and two others said a certificate alone does not land the job. A poster in Bangalore wrote that postings there for business-analyst and project-management roles, not Scrum-master roles, list CSM or SAFe as preferred. Job ads give a firmer answer: in October 2026, the CSM appeared in 22% of the ads for US Scrum masters and the PSM in 12% (Adzuna).
What do Scrum-master job ads ask for besides a certificate?
Team tools and methods. In October 2026, Jira, the issue-tracking tool, appeared in 65% of the ads for US Scrum masters, and Kanban, a method for managing work on a board, in 32% (Adzuna). In India, Jira appeared in 58% of 193 Scrum-master ads and Kanban in 38%.