PSM-AI Essentials (Professional Scrum Master – AI Essentials) is a Scrum.org certification that checks whether a Scrum Master can use AI tools responsibly to support a Scrum Team. The exam has 40 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes, you need 85% to pass, and it costs $200 per attempt. Since June 2026 you no longer have to attend the official course to take it, so you can prepare on your own.
What is PSM-AI Essentials?
PSM-AI Essentials is an entry-level assessment about AI literacy for people who work as Scrum Masters or want to. It is not a data science exam. The official course outcomes talk about core AI concepts (machine learning, deep learning, generative AI and agentic AI), practical uses of generative AI to support the Scrum Team and the Scrum events, effective prompting, and ethical, secure use of AI in the organization. Advanced machine learning and data science are explicitly out of scope.
The idea is simple: AI is a tool that can make a Scrum Master more effective, but it does not change Scrum. The Scrum Master is still accountable for the Scrum Team's effectiveness, and the Scrum Guide still applies exactly as written.
Who is it for?
- Working Scrum Masters whose teams use AI tools and who want a clear view of what is useful and what is risky.
- Agile coaches and team leads who help organizations adopt AI.
- PSM I holders looking for a short, focused next step that adds something current to their profile.
- People new to Scrum can take it too, but it is easier after learning the Scrum framework, because many questions are scenarios inside Scrum events.
PSM-AI Essentials exam format
These are the official facts at the time of writing. Check the official PSM-AI Essentials page before you book, because prices and rules can change.
| Item | PSM-AI Essentials | PSM I (for comparison) |
|---|---|---|
| Questions | 40, multiple choice | 80 |
| Time | 60 minutes | 60 minutes |
| Passing score | 85% (34 of 40) | 85% |
| Language | English (Google Translate browser plugin allowed) | English |
| Price | $200 per attempt | $200 per attempt |
| Course required | No, optional since June 2026 | No |
| Validity | Lifetime, no renewal fee | Lifetime, no renewal fee |
With 40 questions in 60 minutes you have about 90 seconds per question, which is more generous than PSM I. The pass mark is the same, though, so you can only miss six questions. Your results show a breakdown by competency, but you do not get feedback on individual questions, so you will not see which ones you got wrong. If you pass, you also get a free Credly digital badge.
The four question categories and what to study
1. AI Theory and Primer
This category checks that you understand the basic concepts in plain terms. Study:
- How the terms nest: AI is the broad field, machine learning is a part of it, and deep learning is a part of machine learning.
- What generative AI does: it creates new content such as text, images or code from patterns learned in its training data.
- How large language models work at a high level: they predict the next token, which is why they can sound confident and still be wrong.
- Training data, knowledge cut-off, context window and, conceptually, temperature (how random the output is).
- Agentic AI: systems that plan and take actions toward a goal using tools, and why that needs more human oversight.
- Basic supervised vs unsupervised learning.
2. AI Security and Ethics
Expect scenarios about data and trust. Know that generative AI can hallucinate and reflect bias in its training data, so facts need verifying and a human stays in the loop. Know how to protect confidential, personal and customer data: follow your organization's policies, use approved tools, anonymize, and never paste sensitive information into an unapproved tool. Understand transparency, meaning being open about where AI was used, and how a Definition of Done can include checks for AI-generated work such as review, testing, licensing and security.
3. AI for Scrum Masters
This is where Scrum and AI meet. Questions place you in a Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review or Sprint Retrospective and ask what a good Scrum Master would do. Study how AI can help prepare facilitation, summarize information, suggest retrospective formats or spot patterns, and where it must stop. An AI summary does not replace the Developers inspecting progress toward the Sprint Goal at the Daily Scrum. Also review how a Scrum Master helps the wider organization adopt AI with empiricism: small experiments, inspect and adapt, and measuring outcomes rather than output.
4. Effective AI Prompting
Good prompts give context, a role, a goal, constraints, examples and the format you want. Good prompting is iterative: you break work into steps, ask the tool to state its assumptions and sources, and check the result before you use it. Expect questions comparing a vague prompt with a structured one.
How to prepare without the official course
The official courses are usually one day, and attending is now optional. If you prepare on your own, this plan covers the four categories.
- Refresh the Scrum Guide 2020. Reread the Scrum Guide. Many wrong answers on this exam are wrong because they break Scrum, not because they misunderstand AI. Know the accountabilities, the events and their purpose, and the three commitments: Product Goal, Sprint Goal and Definition of Done.
- Learn the AI basics in plain language. You need to explain each concept from the first category in one or two sentences.
- Study responsible use. Read your own organization's AI and data policies if it has them. Think through what you would do if a team member pasted customer data into a public tool, or if AI-generated code had unknown licensing.
- Practice prompting in your own Scrum work. Use an approved tool to draft a retrospective agenda, summarize anonymized notes or suggest questions for a Sprint Review. Then improve the prompt step by step and review every output critically. This makes the scenario questions much easier.
- Take timed practice exams. Answer under time pressure and read the explanation for every question you miss. Try the free PSM-AI Essentials practice exam (20 questions) and the three full-length PSM-AI Essentials practice exams on Scrumdemy.
Common mistakes on PSM-AI Essentials
- Treating AI output as a decision. AI output is a draft for people to review. Answers where a tool decides the Sprint Goal, orders the Product Backlog or picks the improvement for the next Sprint are almost always wrong.
- Forgetting that accountability stays with people. Nothing in Scrum lets a tool take over an accountability. The Product Owner, the Developers and the Scrum Master remain accountable for their work, whatever tools they use.
- Sharing sensitive data. If an answer involves pasting confidential, personal or customer data into an unapproved tool, treat it as a red flag.
- Replacing the events. AI can help a team prepare for an event, but it does not remove the need for the people to inspect and adapt together.
Is PSM-AI Essentials worth it compared with PSM I?
They do different jobs. PSM I proves that you understand the Scrum framework in depth, and it remains the core certification for Scrum Masters. PSM-AI Essentials proves that you can apply AI tools responsibly within that framework. It complements PSM I; it does not replace it.
If you have neither, start with PSM I, because the AI exam assumes you already think in Scrum. If you already hold PSM I and your teams are using AI, PSM-AI Essentials is a reasonable next step: it is shorter, it does not expire, and it shows employers you can talk about AI without hype.
FAQ
Do I need to take the official course to sit PSM-AI Essentials?
No. Since June 2026 attending the official course is optional. You can buy an attempt and take the exam after preparing on your own.
Is PSM-AI Essentials harder than PSM I?
It has half as many questions in the same 60 minutes, so time pressure is lower. The pass mark is still 85%, and the scenarios mix Scrum with AI, so you need a solid grasp of both.
Does PSM-AI Essentials expire?
No. The certification is for life and has no renewal fee. You also receive a free Credly digital badge.
Can I take PSM-AI Essentials in Spanish or another language?
The exam is in English, but Scrum.org allows candidates to use the Google Translate browser plugin during the exam.