PSM I vs SAFe SSM
Scrum on one team, or Scrum Mastery across a train?
Short answer
Let your employer decide this one — it follows the operating model, not your preference.
These are not competing credentials so much as credentials for different environments. PSM I is about Scrum on one team. SAFe Scrum Master is about a Scrum Master inside an Agile Release Train of five to twelve teams.
SSM covers PI Planning, cross-team dependencies, the Agile Release Train and Lean-Agile principles — none of which appear in the Scrum Guide at all.
The practical differences matter. PSM I can be taken by anyone for $200 and never expires. SSM requires attending the official course, and SAFe certifications renew annually for a fee.
If your organisation runs SAFe, take SSM. If it runs Scrum, take PSM I. Taking SSM to work in a non-SAFe organisation teaches you a vocabulary nobody around you uses.
Side by side
PSM I
Professional Scrum Master I
- Awarding body
- Scrum.org
- Level
- Foundation
- Questions
- 80
- Time
- 60 min
- Pass mark
- 85% (68)
- Per question
- 45s
- Format
- Open book
- Cost
- $200
- Prerequisite
- None
- Practice questions
- 342
SAFe SSM
SAFe Scrum Master
- Awarding body
- Scaled Agile
- Level
- Foundation
- Questions
- 45
- Time
- 90 min
- Pass mark
- 73% (33)
- Per question
- 120s
- Format
- Closed book
- Cost
- included with course
- Prerequisite
- Attending the official SAFe Scrum Master course is required to sit the exam
- Practice questions
- 181
Who each one is for
PSM I
Scrum Masters, developers and managers working on or alongside a Scrum Team who want a recognised, evidence-based credential.
Practise PSM I free →SAFe SSM
Scrum Masters and team leads in organisations that have adopted SAFe, and anyone joining an Agile Release Train.
Practise SAFe SSM free →