Frequent questions - Academic certifications
The Scrum Manager academic certification framework identifies the knowledge areas in which an individual has received training or holds recognized professional experience, represented through academic or professional credentials.
These credentials are complemented by SPs (Skill Points), which indicate the holder’s level of knowledge and its maintenance over time. SPs increase through training or active professional practice.
Academic certifications are divided into:
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Core certifications: Scrum Master, *Advanced Scrum Master, Agile Bedrock, Product Owner and AgiLevel.
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Extension certifications: accredited activities validated by Scrum Manager that extend or complement core learning.
* Advanced Scrum Master includes training activities designed by trusted centers to provide continuity to the Scrum Master core without following a single syllabus.
More information at "Academic certifications".
To obtain an academic certification, you must take the corresponding course or exam through an authorized Scrum Manager center.
You can find available centers and sessions in the directory of centers.
Besides, if you have certifications with other entity, you can validate them.
More information at "Academic certifications".
You'll find detailed information, with model clauses ready to copy or adapt, in this document.
The Agile Coaching academic certification is acquired passing the specific Agile Coaching course of an approved Scrum Manager center; or acquiring the Agile Coach professional certification.
Both are core academic certifications from Scrum Manager®, but they address different and complementary needs.
The Scrum Master certification accredits mastery of the scrum framework in its standard format and the ability to perform the facilitation function: it teaches the technical framework at a sufficient level to work in an agile team, together with the principles and values that allow it to be adapted and optimised for each project. It is the foundation of agile teamwork.
Agile Bedrock builds on those fundamentals and extends them to a new scenario: the management of knowledge teams in the age of artificial intelligence. It is not limited to scrum or to any single framework and it is not confined to software development: it also covers teams in areas such as legal, marketing, human resources or finance. Its focus is how the way of working is designed and adapted when intelligent assistance is incorporated, starting from empiricism —transparency, inspection and adaptation— and applying it to that context.
Specifically, where Scrum Master centres on the framework and facilitation, Agile Bedrock adds: the four functions of the agile team, including the new human-assistance orchestration function (deciding what is delegated to AI, defining the guardrails and validating what it produces); the rhythm architectures (iterative, continuous and dual track) and the judgement to choose the right one according to context; and the principles for integrating intelligent assistance with professional judgement, so that technology reinforces agility rather than replacing human criteria.
It is important to stress that Agile Bedrock does not replace Scrum Master: it is new core content added to the training framework to cover the gap opened by intelligent assistance, which changes the equation of value production and the criteria by which a professional decides how to work.
They are distinct yet complementary:
- Scrum Master + AI is a track that expands upon the standard Scrum Master curriculum by incorporating the "Scrum in AI-Enabled Teams" guide. It awards the Scrum Master certification plus the "Scrum in AI-Enabled Teams" skill credential (150 + 15 PDAs).
- Agile Bedrock is a core certification (Core III), positioned at the same level as Scrum Master or AgiLevel. Its approach differs: rather than teaching a specific framework of practices, it focuses on the fundamentals and judgment required to manage knowledge-based teams in the AI era—covering the agile knowledge landscape and its evolution so that professionals can assess their specific context and make informed decisions. It applies to all types of teams, not just software teams. It features its own exam and awards 150 PDAs, plus an additional 15 PDAs for the "AI Applied to Agile Work" skill credential.
Skill Points, or SPs, indicate whether the credential holder continues learning or applying agile knowledge in practice.
After the first year, SPs decrease by 20% annually unless renewed through training or active professional work (see "How to maintain or add SPs".
According to accumulated SPs, there are three academic levels:
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Technician < 100 SPs. It accredits the knowledge to carry out a professional performance in projects managed in a scrum framework.
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Expert < 200 SPs. It accredits additional knowledge of flexibility in implementation and working with agile practices.
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Authority => 200 SPs. It accredits advanced and specialized knowledge in agile management practices and frameworks proportional to the certified degree.
The maximum level of SPs visible on each user's personal profile is 350. If more are obtained, the system marks 350+.
More information at "Skill Points".
Knowledge in agility evolves constantly, which is why it's important to keep your competencies up to date:
- Get certified with a center. You can obtain core and/or complementary certifications through official training centers.
- Renew your core certifications. If your PDAs from a core certification have expired, you can recover them by retaking the exam from your personal area (PDAs → Through certified training):
- After 2 years: you recover 50% of the PDAs.
- Between 2 and 5 years: you recover 100%.
- Join the Agile Club. Access resources and community to continue updating your training. Additionally, as a club member you will be able to:
- Validate complementary training in agile management (courses and activities without Scrum Manager certification).
- Validate certifications from other entities.
- Validate your professional performance in agile management of projects, teams, or organizations. This contributes 40 SPs annually.
- Train, play and learn in the Academy.
- Update your Scrum Master, Product Owner, and Kanban certifications via Skill Arena.
More information at "Skill Points" and "Agile Club".
The highest visible level on the user profile is 350+ PDAs.
Although the system can record up to 400 PDAs, the public scale ends at 350 to maintain a consistent professional categorization.
This approach ensures that the highest level remains visible even if PDAs gradually decrease due to the annual knowledge decay process (10%–20%).
More information at "Skill Points".
The speed at which knowledge evolves quickly outpaces the knowledge acquired. The Scrum Manager academic certification reflects this reality with a 20% annual decrease in Skill Points (SPs).
For example, a certification with 100 PDAs remains valid for the first year, then updates to 80 PDAs the following year, and continues decreasing annually.
If you want to keep your skills up to date or ensure your knowledge is at the cutting edge, you can do so via Skill Arena.
More information at "Skill Points (SPs)".
It depends on the type of certification:
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Academic certifications do not expire. They represent an educational achievement obtained after completing a specific training or assessment. However, the associated SPs decrease by 20% annually after the first year to reflect the need for knowledge renewal. They can be maintained or increased through training or professional practice (see "How to renew SPs").
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Professional certifications must be renewed annually. To do so, the holder must request renewal through their personal area and maintain a high recognition rating (average >8).
More information at:
Academic and professional certifications serve different purposes and therefore have different renewal requirements.
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Academic certifications (orange and black badges) are granted upon completion of a course or assessment and do not expire, as they represent a specific educational achievement at a given point in time.
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Professional certifications (blue badges) indicate active professional practice in an agile role. To remain valid, they must be renewed annually, confirming that the holder continues to work in the profession.
More information at "Academic certifications".
Of courses and exams*
Diploma of attendance
Academic certification diploma
This type of diploma corresponds to tests in which the identity of the student is verified and the completion of the exam or evaluation activities is supervised in person or by videoconference.
Complete information
General certificate
Grades certificate
No. Accreditations are no longer available.
They were online, unsupervised exams completed without identity verification.
To ensure transparency, Scrum Manager now issues only official certifications, obtained through supervised exams that verify the student’s identity. These certificates can be earned through authorized Scrum Manager centers.
More information at "Academic certifications".
Select "Add certification" when editing your profile and enter the following information:
- Certification name: Scrum Manager.
- Certification authority: Scrum Manager.
- License number: the number on your certificate.
Scrum Manager’s certification keeps the amount of Skill Points and certified fields of knowledge for each student updated on their professional profile. Keeping this in mind, enter the following information on the remaining fields:
- Time period: from your registration date on Scrum Manager.
- Mark: “This certification does not expire".
- Certification URL: URL of your professional profile at scrummanager.com.
These exams are multiple-choice tests:
- Scrum Master: 55 questions, 60 minutes.
- Agile Bedrock: 50 questions, 60 minutes.
- Product Owner: 50 questions, 60 minutes.
- AgiLevel: 30 questions, 45 minutes.
To take the official exam, you must attend an authorized Scrum Manager center.
Use the center directory to filter by country, activity type (course + exam or exam only), delivery mode (in-person or online with web supervision), and language.
How can I prepare for the exams?
You can prepare for the exam before getting certified. There are two ways to do it:
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Training questions. They can be found within your user profile → "Academic certifications" → "If you are going to take or renew the validity of a core certification, you can practice training questions by clicking here."
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In the Academy available with the Agile Club suscription. You can learn playing, practice and prepare your exams.
In the three cases:
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The exams accessed are created from the same question bank as the official certification exams.
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The test is not supervised, and therefore no certificate is awarded; for that, it is necessary to go to an official center.
Professional skills are specialized accreditations that validate a professional's practical competence and expertise in specific areas of agile performance.
Unlike core certifications (Scrum Master or AgiLevel), which accredit knowledge of frameworks and establish the methodological foundation, professional skills focus on professional proficiency: they certify that you know how to apply specific tools, techniques, or strategies in real work situations.
What's the difference?
- Core certification (knowing): accredits your overall understanding of agile management (e.g., roles, events, principles).
- Professional skill (know-how): accredits your specialization and execution capability in a specific topic.
What professional skills exist?
The skills catalog is dynamic and grows continuously to adapt to new market needs (such as AI, Discovery, etc.). You can check the updated list of available specialties on the Skill Arena platform.
How are they obtained?
You can obtain a professional skill diploma through two pathways:
- Accredited training: by completing a specific course at a center accredited by Scrum Manager that includes that skill in its curriculum (academic diploma).
- Skill Arena assessment: by passing the level tests and simulators on our Skill Arena training platform (assessment diploma).
Note: the former accreditations known as "skill tags" have evolved and been replaced by these professional skills diplomas, which offer greater curricular and academic recognition.
Scrum Master 5.0 is the 2026 edition of the Scrum Master core syllabus. It covers how a Scrum Team works when AI prototypes, documents and builds: AI in every role, artifact and event; a new part on the Scrum Master’s craft in teams that work with AI; and examples from software, and also from marketing, human resources, legal, education and operations. The framework doesn’t change; the context in which it is applied does.
You don’t need to know how to code or use a specific tool. And AI doesn’t replace the Scrum Master: it takes on mechanical tasks, while the role grows in what requires human judgment. You can download the guide for free, in English and Spanish.
If 5.0 already includes AI, what does the + AI option add?
They’re two different things. Scrum Master prepares you to lead a team that works with AI: the way the team works, its agreements and quality. Scrum Master + AI also prepares you to work with AI yourself, with sound judgment: context, verification, privacy, delegating to agents and human oversight. And you can keep that part up to date in Skill Arena, as fast as AI changes.
If you want to get certified
You can do it with any Scrum Manager center or agent.
You can also prepare on your own with the guide, the Academy support classroom and training in Skill Arena.
If you already hold the Scrum Master certification
Your certification remains valid, and its record is permanent. Getting up to date with 5.0 is an option, not an obligation. If you want to, you can take the update test in Skill Arena, available to Club Agile members:
- You pass with a score above 70 out of 100.
- When you pass, your profile shows the new update date.
- You recover SP depending on how long you’ve held the certification: none before 2 years; 50% between 2 and 4 years; all of them from the fourth year on.
- You can take the test within 5 years of earning the certification. After that, you need to take the exam again at a center.
This applies whether you earned the certification at a center or through recognition of another certification.
If you hold Scrum Master + AI or an AI skill
- Scrum Master + AI: you keep your certification as it is; there’s no migration. To get up to date, you have two options in Skill Arena:
- The Scrum Master 5.0 update test. Since 5.0, the Scrum Master certification already includes knowledge of Scrum in teams that work with AI, so updating it demonstrates that knowledge.
- The “AI applied to agile work” skill, which demonstrates extended AI knowledge: working with AI yourself, with sound judgment.
- “Scrum in AI-enabled teams” skill: your skill remains valid, and your diploma stays visible in Skill Arena. It notes that the skill is being discontinued because its content has been incorporated into version 5.0 of Scrum Master. To stay current, you have the Scrum Master 5.0 topic and the “AI applied to agile work” skill.
- “AI applied to agile work” skill: you can still get certified in Scrum Master + AI 5.0, but the skill and its 15 SP aren’t added again.