The PST Candidate Journey

The PST Candidate Journey is a deliberately developmental pathway with three phases. Each is designed to explore different competencies needed in order to become a PST and teach the Applying Professional Scrum (APS) course.

Enriching our Community through Diversity
We are prioritizing PST candidates who support our diverse population of learners. If you are a woman; increase our racial/ethnic diversity; serve Africa, China, Japan, or Spanish-speaking South and North America; or have significant experience with Scrum in non-software products, we especially want to support you!

Phase 1: Core Qualifications

The initial phase of the journey asks you to share evidence and demonstrate skills associated with the core qualifications needed in order to officially become a PST Candidate. Scrum.org looks for people with a wide range of experience applying Professional Scrum. The primary activities in this phase of the journey include:

Prerequisite Experience and Assessments

Before submitting the PST Application, we ask you to have:

  • At least 4 years of experience creating value through the use of Professional Scrum. Note: successful PST candidates typically have more years of hands-on experience
    • Promoting and supporting Scrum as defined in the Scrum Guide
    • Nurturing an environment that embraces self-management, an empirical mindset and continuous improvement
    • Serving at multiple levels including work with individuals, teams and organizations
    • Navigating the application of Professional Scrum in a variety of settings, environments, or contexts
    • Delivering measurable business outcomes and creating impact for stakeholders and customers
  • Experience engaging learners in a formal classroom or workshop setting (half-day and longer, with a preference for experience training both in-person and in a live-virtual context) on topics related to Scrum and Agile
  • A score of 95 (or higher) on the PSM I assessment
  • A score of 85 (or higher) on the PSM II assessment
PST Candidate Application & Interview

If you possess the qualifications we're looking for and want to join an amazing community of fellow trainers, we want to get to know you! The application and initial interview are designed to validate important aspects of your alignment with the Scrum.org mission and values, understanding of Professional Scrum, breadth of experience leveraging Scrum in order to create impact and achieve outcomes, and experience engaging learners in a formal classroom or workshop setting.

Fees: There is no application fee. Instead, a score of 95 (or higher) on the PSM I assessment ($200 USD per attempt) and a score of 85 (or higher) on the PSM II assessment ($250 per attempt) are needed to submit your application.

Phase 2: Knowledge & Practical Experience

The second phase of the journey deeply explores your knowledge and understanding of the Professional Scrum Competencies as well as your practical experience clearly communicating how you have created value using Professional Scrum and empiricism. The primary activities in this section of the journey include:

Demonstrate Knowledge through Scrum.org Assessments

After passing the PSM I and PSM II assessments and having your application accepted in phase 1, in phase 2 you are required to achieve a passing score (85 or higher) on four (4) additional Scrum.org assessments. 

  1. PSM III or PSPO III*
  2. PSPO I
  3. PAL I
  4. The fourth can be any of the following: PSPO II, PSD I, PSK, PSU, SPS or PAL-EBM

Fees: Applicants who are accepted to the PST Candidate program receive discounts for attempting these assessments. 

* PST Candidates are required to have passed a Level III assessment aligned to the 2020 version of the Scrum Guide. Only passing scores earned after the 13th of January, 2021 are eligible. Discounted retakes for Level III assessments are available for candidates in this phase of their journey.

Showcase Practical Experience with Professional Scrum

It is critical for PSTs to be able to clearly convey personal stories of how they have used Professional Scrum to create value for the teams and organizations they serve. These stories bring key concepts to life and leave a lasting impression with learners. In order to ensure candidates have sufficient experience, you are asked to provide evidence of how you have delivered measurable outcomes and created impact for stakeholders and customers through the use of Scrum. There are two common assignments candidates complete (they may change in the future):

  • Value Testimonial: A lightweight case study that showcases how you have worked with individuals, teams and organizations to create value by applying Professional Scrum.
  • Experience Review: A panel discussion with Scrum.org staff and PSTs where you describe your range of experience creating value with Professional Scrum across a variety of settings, environments or contexts.

Phase 3: Training Skills

The third phase of the journey asks you to demonstrate a range of skills and competencies required to effectively engage learners and enable key learning outcomes. The primary activities in this section of the journey include:

Enabling Learning Outcomes

Professional Scrum Trainers must be capable of creating effective learning environments that engage a variety of learner types. These assignments focus on enabling learning outcomes, exploring key content delivery techniques, and understanding various methods for engaging learners. You also practice teaching and answering difficult questions through real-time interactions with others. There are a variety of assignments you may complete in order to showcase how you enable learning outcomes. One assignment all candidates encounter is the Training Skills Peer Review.

  • Training Skills Peer Review: A simulated learning environment with Scrum.org staff and PSTs where you deliver a short segment of prepared teaching and respond to student questions.
The Candidate Trainer Experience (CTE)

The CTE is the flagship event within the PST candidate journey. This two-part experience is currently offered in a live-virtual setting only. It includes participation in an invitation-only Applying Professional Scrum (APS) course and a two-day Candidate Trainer Workshop (CTW). The CTW is the opportunity to showcase your readiness to become a PST. It is common for candidates to encounter additional supplemental assignments after the CTW in order to ensure they have demonstrated the full range of training skills and capabilities that are needed to be a successful PST.

Fees: There is a registration fee that typically ranges from $2,000-$2,500 USD. Candidates outside of primary markets may be eligible to receive discounted registration.

Joining the PST Community

Candidates who successfully complete the three phases of the journey are invited to join the global community of Scrum.org Professional Scrum Trainers. After completing a final reflection interview with a member of Scrum.org staff, candidates are issued a formal invitation to join the community and pay their initial PST License Fee. All new PST credential holders have a license to begin teaching the APS course and are eligible to complete the add-a-license process for all remaining courses in the Scrum.org portfolio. 

Fees: For trainers who are based in primary markets, the first year license fee is $3,500 USD ($2,500 USD for trainers outside of primary markets). All together, the approximate startup fees are for the entire journey are $7,000 USD ($4,750 USD for trainers outside of primary markets).

Maintaining the PST License

Maintaining your PST License requires you to pay an annual renewal fee. You are also required to participate in one PST Global Trainer Meeting, often referred to as a Face-to-Face (F2F), each year. 

Fees:

  • For trainers who are based in primary markets, the license renewal fee is $2,000 USD (A $500 USD discount is available for trainers who teach exclusively outside of primary markets).
  • Student Fees are paid each time you teach a course. The exact fee varies per course.
  • Travel costs to participate in in-person F2F events. There is no fee to participate in these events, however travel is necessary for most PSTs. Several choices are available each year in the US and Europe. 

Get Started Today

If you are interested in becoming a PST and still have questions, please Contact Us and a member of the team will reach out to you. Otherwise, we invite you to begin preparing your Application to Become a PST. 

Apply Now

Candidate Journey Updates
We frequently inspect and adapt the processes supporting the PST Candidate Program. The most recent updates redesigned the overall candidate journey and were released on the 9th of January, 2023.