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Certified Scrum Trainer® (CST®)

Champion scrum and reach your professional goals as a Certified Scrum Trainer, inspiring change and advancing agile education worldwide. You'll be an integral national and international agile ambassador when you join the Scrum Alliance network of 300 trainers worldwide.
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Why become a Certified Scrum Trainer?

Maximize your global impact by reaching more teams and organizations with one of the most in-demand agile training credentials. Link your training services to the organization that provides the scrum certifications most demanded by employers across industries.

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Elevate your training career with a CST certification

Transform your passion for agile into rewarding opportunities
Validate your skills to train others, share your knowledge, and have a tangible impact on how people collaborate and deliver value.
Experience a journey of personal growth that enhances your credibility and helps you empower others to achieve their career goals.
Discover how Scrum Alliance CST certification is more than a credential; it's your stepping stone to creating meaningful change and fostering success in the agile community.

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CST certification standards

Certified Scrum Trainers play a vital role in the Scrum Alliance community. The following standards set the certification requirements that each CST must meet and maintain.

Scrum knowledge

A CST must demonstrate deep knowledge and extensive experience with scrum concepts, practices, values, and principles.

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Training and facilitation

A CST must demonstrate excellence in current training and facilitation skills and techniques.

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Community involvement

A CST must be an active participant in the scrum and agile community.

Scrum trainer certification process

The Certified Scrum Trainer application process consists of an online application, an interview, and a simulation.

Navigate through the online application. The online application is an opportunity for you to demonstrate and describe why you are ready to be a CST. Applications are prescreened by a Scrum Alliance staff specialist and formally reviewed by the Trainer Approval Community (TAC). This community consists of Scrum Alliance Certified Scrum Trainers from all over the world who offer their time to review and assess applications. The CST Prerequisites and Standards are their rubric to assess an applicant's readiness to become a CST.

Once your application is submitted, it goes into a queue to be prescreened by a Scrum Alliance staff specialist. The goal of the prescreen is to validate that the application meets all CST Prerequisites and is ready to move forward to Formal Review by the Trainer Approval Community (TAC). The prescreen can take approximately 4 weeks, depending on the amount of applications in the queue.

  • If you meet the minimum requirements, you will be notified that your application is moving forward to Formal Review by the TAC. 
  • If you do not meet the minimum requirements, you will receive feedback from the Scrum Alliance staff specialist outlining the missing requirements and areas for growth. There is no waiting period for reapplication. You will be encouraged to re-work your application based on the prescreen feedback and resubmit when you are ready. 

 

Once you have passed prescreen, your application will be added to the queue for Formal Review by the TAC. The Formal Review will be completed by two TAC members who will each conduct an independent review of your application and supporting documentation to determine whether you meet the CST Certification Standards. Once two reviewers pick up your application, they have a 4-6 week timebox to complete their review. During this time, you will not be permitted to submit any new materials. Please note: TAC members recuse themselves from reviewing applicants that they’ve co-trained with, mentored, or have engaged in a business relationship. 

  • Application approved: If both TAC reviewers agree that in their review, your application meets the CST Certification Standards, your application will be approved and you will be invited to a Formal Interview.
  • Application not approved: If both reviewers, in their review, determine that you do not meet the CST Certification Standards, the application will be deferred. You will be informed of the decision and receive written feedback describing which standards were not met and why the decision was made. This email will also include next steps and a resubmission date*. You will also be invited to participate in a feedback call with your reviewers to receive clarification and answers to any questions you may have.
  • Tiebreaker:  In the event that the two TAC reviewers have differing opinions in the final decision, a third TAC reviewer will be invited to complete a review of your materials and act as a tiebreaker vote. This may extend the timebox for your review and you will be notified. 

*A note on resubmission dates: The standard deferral period for an application resubmission is six months, but the TAC makes this decision on a case-by-case basis. There are times when an applicant is invited to make changes and resubmit immediately, and other times when the TAC will ask applicants to wait at least a year before resubmitting their application. The resubmission date depends on the feedback and recommendation of the TAC. Please note that if you are asked to wait at least a year before resubmitting your application, you will need to re-pay the application fee.

The TAC evaluates your training abilities and thought leadership during this face-to-face interview and training simulation.

The Formal Interview and Simulation is a face-to-face interview and training simulation with the TAC panel. The TAC will assess whether you meet the definition of a national and international thought leader in Scrum and agile and are able to demonstrate your abilities as a world-class trainer.

  • CST approved: If all of the members of the panel determine that you meet all of the CST Certification Standards and are qualified to be certified by the Scrum Alliance as a CST, you will be approved as a CST. 
  • CST not approved: If the members of the panel determine that you do not meet all of the CST Certification Standards and/or are not yet qualified to be certified by Scrum Alliance as a CST given feedback, and invited to re-interview* at another time.

*A note on re-interview dates: If you are not approved during the Formal Interview and Simulation, the TAC will invite you to re-interview at a future date. The standard wait time is 6 months for a first interview denial, and a year for a second interview denial. Based on dates of future interview slots or feedback provided by the TAC, you may be invited to interview as soon as the next possible interview date, or you may be invited to an interview date that falls in the following year. 

CST certification is granted when the TAC panel collectively assesses that you satisfy the certification standards and qualifications. If you are not approved, the TAC provides feedback and you may be invited to re-interview at another time.

It is important to note that the journey to becoming a CST is a rigorous application process and some candidates do not pass the prescreen, formal review and/or formal interview and simulation on their first attempt. We have found that the candidates who are most successful see this process as an opportunity to inspect/adapt and grow as a trainer. Those who continue on the journey and continue to persevere have a high rate of success!

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Dates and deadlines

If you are submitting with a goal for a particular date, please reference the following candidate interview and simulation schedule and corresponding application deadlines:

May 4-7, 2025

In-person interviews and simulations at the Global Scrum Gathering in Munich. The CST application submission deadline is January 6, 2025.

September 6-8, 2025

Tentative dates for the in-person interviews and simulations at the North American Regional Scrum Gathering 2025. The CST application submission deadline is June 9, 2025.

About the Trainer Approval Community

The goal of the Trainer Approval Community (TAC) is to provide a clear, consistent, and equitable way of obtaining the CST certification while maintaining the high-quality standards that the CST certification represents. The TAC's role is to uphold and assess the CST certification standards.

TAC members are CSTs who have been actively training for at least two years, are Scrum Alliance ambassadors in good standing, and bring to the team a diversity and uniqueness of perspective.

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Björn Jensen
Hamburg, Germany
A portrait of Colin Bird
Colin Bird
London, UK
A portrait of Dave Prior
Dave Prior
New York, USA
A portrait fo Ethan Huang
Ethan Huang
Shanghai, China
A portrait of Judy Neher
Judy Neher
Indiana, USA
A portrait of Lonnie Weaver-Johnson
Lonnie Weaver-Johnson
Minnesota, USA
A portrait of Michel Goldberg
Michel Goldenberg
Lisbon, Portugal
A portrait of Xavier Quesada-Allue
Xavier Quesada-Allue
Gent, Belgium

Frequently asked questions

CST stands for Certified Scrum Trainer, a certification provided by Scrum Alliance. CSTs play a vital role within Scrum Alliance, delivering inspirational scrum and agile certifications to learners worldwide.

A Certified Scrum Trainer educates and trains individuals and teams in agile principles and practices, the scrum framework, and other competencies related to the specific Scrum Alliance course. They deliver Scrum Alliance certification courses and decide whether to recommend their course attendees to Scrum Alliance for certification. Additionally, CSTs contribute to the broader agile community by staying updated with the latest trends and sharing their expertise.

You must be an active CST to teach certain courses. CSTs are entrusted to deliver Scrum Alliance's core certification courses (all courses within the scrum master track and product owner track).

Scrum Alliance has specific requirements and standards for trainers who lead these certification courses. These standards ensure that the training is consistent, high-quality, and aligns with the core principles and practices of scrum. As a CST, you'll deliver our most in-demand scrum certification courses.

Training of other Scrum Alliance courses requires a separate evaluation process.

Earning the Certified Scrum Trainer certification from Scrum Alliance can be a significant undertaking, and the time required to achieve it varies widely based on individual circumstances.

Some of the basic requirements include extensive practical experience with scrum, demonstrated expertise in scrum practices and principles, and a proven ability to teach and mentor others in the scrum framework effectively. The process is designed to ensure that CSTs have a comprehensive and deep understanding of scrum, making the timeline to certification vary from person to person.

Scrum Alliance uses a formal application and interview/simulation process to assess an applicant’s scrum experience, scrum knowledge, community involvement, and training experience. In order to apply, one must hold an active Certified Scrum Professional® - ScrumMaster (CSP®-SM) or an active Certified Scrum Professional® - Product Owner (CSP®-PO) designation from Scrum Alliance. However, there is no designated "CST course" or "CST exam" that an applicant is required to take as a prerequisite.

Co-training with an active CST is not required but is highly recommended. Successful applicants have found co-training to be an invaluable experience when piloting their course materials and practicing their facilitation style in a real-world context.

Please note that you must hold an active CSP-SM or CSP-PO certification to begin co-training with current CSTs.  We recommend creating relationships with active CSTs organically, by networking at events and creating natural connections with the Scrum Alliance guides' community.  Any active CST open to co-training will have indicated their intention on their Scrum Alliance profile. 

Yes—Scrum Alliance welcomes those who already train or coach for another scrum-certifying body or training organization to apply to become a CST. As a Scrum Alliance CST, you are expected to focus and prioritize your teaching efforts in furtherance of Scrum Alliance’s mission in order to provide an exceptional student experience. You may not offer "two-in-one" certification courses or market your classes in a way that suggests students will receive an additional certification from a different certification body.

Please let us know if you have concerns about interviewing in English and we can discuss inviting a community translator (other Scrum Alliance certificant) to accompany you and help with translation during the interview. Please let us know if you have other concerns about providing your application personal statement(s) in English, and we will work with you to discuss options. 

If you receive a Deferral Decision from the Trainer Approval Community that you believe to be incorrect, you may appeal the decision to Scrum Alliance. In that case, certain guides' community members may be selected to participate in a "Certification Appeal Committee" that reviews and considers such appeals.

An appeal must be made within 30 days of the decision. If the appeal is of a Formal Review decision, we recommend you complete a feedback call with your reviewers before submitting your appeal.

You, as the individual making the appeal, have the burden of proof. Your appeal will not be accepted for review if it does not include relevant documentation that clearly demonstrates the basis for your appeal, and that you fully satisfy all of the CST Certification Standards. Scrum Alliance staff members may participate in Certification Appeal Committee proceedings in a non-voting capacity.

The decision of the Certification Appeal Committee is made by a majority vote of the Committee members. Thereafter, the Committee informs Scrum Alliance of its decision with regard to the appeal and provides a written explanation of the basis for such decision.

If, after reviewing the General Application Appeal Process, you wish to appeal either your CST Candidate Formal Review or Interview/Simulation decision, please contact the Scrum Alliance Providers Team.

If you feel there has been a violation of the Scrum Alliance Code of Ethics, please submit the provided form.

Please note: We highly encourage applicants to submit when ready, though we cannot ensure interview/simulation dates outside of scheduled events. Successful candidates must submit a thorough and complete application (making sure to meet all prerequisites and certification standards and completely address any feedback) regardless of date, rather than rush and submit to meet a certain deadline. No additional documentation or requirements can be submitted after you have submitted your application for prescreen review.You must submit your course materials to align with the learning objectives and Scrum Guide version that are most current at the time of your submission, even if you are re-applying after a deferral. 

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