IICTI Certified Scrum Master

Holders demonstrate that they can apply and evaluate empiricism, complexity theory and Scrum system diagnosis, advanced facilitation and Liberating Structures, professional coaching stances and high-performing team development and evidence-Based Management and outcome-driven product goals, plus 7 further areas, in realistic professional scenarios, as defined in the AQSCERT scheme for Scrum Master.

Who it is for: Professionals working, or preparing to work, in project management roles.

1. 01Empiricism, complexity theory and Scrum system diagnosis15% of the exam

   • Diagnose how an organisation's Scrum implementation supports or undermines empiricism and prioritise interventions.
   • Scope: Cynefin and Stacey complexity models, Scrum Guide 2020 pillars, values and commitments (Product Goal, Sprint Goal, Definition of Done), mechanical vs professional Scrum, anti-pattern diagnosis.
2. 02Advanced facilitation and Liberating Structures12% of the exam

   • Design and facilitate high-stakes Scrum events and workshops that produce transparent, actionable outcomes.
   • Scope: Diamond of participatory decision-making, Liberating Structures, divergence and convergence, Sprint Reviews as stakeholder working sessions, retrospective design, remote and hybrid facilitation.
3. 03Professional coaching stances and high-performing team development13% of the exam

   • Evaluate team dynamics and select coaching interventions that build self-managing, accountable teams.
   • Scope: ICF core competencies, Agile Coaching Competency Framework, coaching vs teaching vs mentoring stances, Tuckman and Lencioni models, psychological safety (Edmondson), self-management and Shu-Ha-Ri.
4. 04Evidence-Based Management and outcome-driven product goals11% of the exam

   • Lead Product Owners and stakeholders in defining measurable outcomes and adapting strategy from evidence.
   • Scope: Evidence-Based Management key value areas, Product Goal and OKR alignment, hypothesis-driven backlog management, outcome vs output measures, coaching Product Owners on value maximisation.
5. 05Flow metrics and probabilistic forecasting8% of the exam

   • Analyse flow data to remove delivery bottlenecks and communicate probabilistic forecasts to stakeholders.
   • Scope: Kanban Guide for Scrum Teams, WIP limits, cycle time, throughput, work item age, cumulative flow diagrams, Monte Carlo forecasting, velocity misuse and story point anti-patterns.
6. 06Technical agility and Definition of Done evolution8% of the exam

   • Evaluate engineering practices and guide teams to strengthen the Definition of Done and sustainable delivery.
   • Scope: Definition of Done as a quality contract, XP practices (TDD, pairing, refactoring), CI/CD and trunk-based development, DORA metrics, technical debt visibility and investment.
7. 07Scaling Scrum across multiple teams8% of the exam

   • Evaluate scaling frameworks and design multi-team structures that minimise dependencies and integration risk.
   • Scope: Nexus and Nexus Integration Team, LeSS, Scrum@Scale, SAFe trade-offs, feature vs component teams, cross-team refinement, dependency and integration management.
8. 08Organisational change and systemic impediment removal8% of the exam

   • Lead organisational change that removes systemic impediments beyond the team's direct control.
   • Scope: Systems thinking and causal loop diagrams, Larman's laws, Kotter and ADKAR change models, Theory of Constraints, organisational design and Team Topologies, leadership engagement.
9. 09Conflict navigation and stakeholder dynamics7% of the exam

   • Diagnose conflict escalation and design interventions that restore constructive collaboration among teams and stakeholders.
   • Scope: Speed Leas conflict levels, Thomas-Kilmann modes, nonviolent communication, negotiation and mediation, power and influence mapping, managing management expectations of Scrum.
10. 10Agile delivery in regulated and contractual environments5% of the exam

    • Design Scrum governance and contracting approaches that satisfy regulatory and commercial constraints without losing agility.
    • Scope: Agile contracts (time and materials, target cost, incremental fixed price), compliance and audit trails (ISO 9001, IEC 62304, GxP), Beyond Budgeting, governance gates vs empirical inspection.
11. 11Leading the Scrum Master practice and agile communities5% of the exam

    • Lead and develop a Scrum Master practice that scales capability and sustains continuous improvement across the organisation.
    • Scope: Communities of practice, Scrum Master career paths and capability frameworks, maturity assessment pitfalls, measuring Scrum Master impact, AI-assisted teams and tooling, sustaining transformation momentum.

Question types

Single choice 100%

Delivery

Online (remote proctored), Test centre, On-site (corporate)

Retakes

Up to three attempts within any 12-month period. A 14-day waiting period applies after a first unsuccessful attempt and 30 days after a second. Each retake requires a new booking and fee. Retakes draw a different randomised form from the question bank.

Provisional cut score — psychometric validation is required before live delivery. Blueprint v1.0.

1. 1

   Register

   Create a free account and start the programme.

2. 2

   Practice

   Online practice test (coming soon).

3. 3

   Training

   Optional

   Online course or classroom — or skip it.

4. 4

   Certification

   Independent exam and certification decision.

Training is optional and does not by itself confer certification. Find a training partner