csm

Certified ScrumMaster®

vs.
acsm

Advanced Certified ScrumMaster®

CSM / A-CSM Comparison

If you’re deciding between the foundational Certified ScrumMaster® (CSM) and the next-level Advanced Certified ScrumMaster® (A-CSM) certification, this guide can help. Both certifications build valuable skills for Scrum professionals, but they serve different purposes depending on where you are in your Scrum journey. 

Certified ScrumMaster Who Should Take a CSM?

The CSM is perfect if you want to build strong foundational skills in Scrum. It's designed to help you support teams in adopting agile principles. It also gives you skills to  ensure the Scrum process runs smoothly, improving collaboration and productivity. 

Typical career goals for CSM participants include the desire to:

  • Begin or grow as a Scrum Master – Learn the key responsibilities and practices of the Scrum Master role, from facilitation to team building.
  • Become an agile advocate or coach – Guide teams in adopting and thriving in agile environments.
  • Transition to agile – Ideal for moving away from traditional project management approaches into agile frameworks.
  • Start driving organizational change – Begin to influence wider agile transformation efforts.

Advanced Certified ScrumMaster Who Should Take an A-CSM?

The A-CSM is tailored for experienced Scrum Masters seeking to deepen their expertise and tackle real-world challenges. This advanced course goes beyond the basics, focusing on leadership, team dynamics, and advanced facilitation techniques.

Common goals for A-CSM attendees include wanting to:

  • Advance Scrum Mastery – Refine your abilities to coach teams, manage conflicts, and apply advanced Scrum techniques effectively.
  • Improve team performance – Learn to navigate complex team dynamics and create a culture of high performance and trust.
  • Lead agile transformations – Lead broader organizational changes and develop agile mindsets beyond your team.

Important note before taking the A-CSM class

While you don’t have to be a CSM to take the Advanced Certified ScrumMaster class, it’s important to know that: 

  • CSM is required for certification: While you can take the A-CSM course without a CSM, you must hold the CSM certification to become A-CSM certified.
  • You will need 12 months of Scrum Master experience: You must log at least 12 months of Scrum Master experience in the Scrum Alliance dashboard to qualify for certification.
  • You can take the class early: If you're still working toward your 12 months experience, you can complete the A-CSM course now and finalize your certification once the required experience is documented.
  • You can take both classes back to back: You can start the A-CSM course immediately after earning your CSM. 
csm acsm

Are both certifications the best choice?

Many professionals begin with the CSM and progress to the A-CSM as part of their development. Here's why this combination can be advantageous:

Comprehensive Expertise

The CSM gives you foundational skills, while the A-CSM hones them with advanced tools and techniques.

Career Progression

Moving from CSM to A-CSM demonstrates your commitment to continuous improvement and positions you as a leader in agile practices.

Broader Influence

The CSM focuses on individual and team facilitation, whereas the A-CSM prepares you to influence across teams and departments.

Building Toward Mastery

The A-CSM is a prerequisite for advanced certifications, helping you stand out as a Scrum professional.

csm View Certified ScrumMaster® Training acsm View Advanced Certified ScrumMaster® Training

Course Content

Progress circles (ie. ) represent coverage depth


csm Certified ScrumMaster®

acsm Advanced Certified ScrumMaster®

Course Structure

Both the CSM and A-CSM courses follow a thoughtfully designed structure that ensures engagement and practical application throughout the two-day duration. While the learning objectives vary, the format remains consistent:

  • Interactive presentations – Key concepts are delivered through clear, concise lectures.
  • Practical exercises – Practical group activities allow you to apply and test what you’ve learned.
  • Debrief sessions – After each activity, you’ll review results, share insights, and ask questions.
  • Q&A opportunities – Instructors provide designated time for personalized questions throughout the course.

Both courses include:

  • Expert instruction by Certified Scrum Trainers
  • Access to Team Home Software for interactive learning
  • 2 x 8-hour sessions with breaks and lunch included
  • Training recordings for post-class review
  • 12 months of mentorship through the Agile Mentors Community

Course Creator: Mike Cohn

Mike Cohn’s history with the CSM and CSPO course is unique. He co-taught the first Certified ScrumMaster course in 2003, and taught the first Certified Scrum Product Owner in 2006, developing the program for the Scrum Alliance.

He is also author of best-selling agile books: Succeeding with Agile, User Stories Applied, and Agile Estimating and Planning, which have sold more than 215,600 copies.

“I’ve worked as a lead developer, as the VP of software development, and even as CTO. I understand the challenges of development teams, and management and want to help both sides succeed with agile.”

This experience, coupled with more than two decades of training agile teams to go from good to great, means both courses are built on extensive knowledge and practical application. Both courses are designed to give you action items you can use as soon as you finish the course.

Course Creator: Brian Milner

As the Senior Vice President of Agile Training and Coaching, Brian ensures that Mountain Goat Software has the absolute best training and coaching available. He’s passionate about making a difference in people’s day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work-life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work.

“I love that I have the ability to make that kind of change in other people’s life as well.”

Based in Dallas, he’s a Cowboys fan, and when he’s not spending time with his family or geeking out about Star Wars, you might just catch him sitting in with a local band for an evening of live music.

Fun fact: In his past life as a performer, he’s shared a stage with Hank Williams, Jr., Brenda Lee, and Pat Boone...though not all at the same time.

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