DA™ Certification FAQs

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    DA™ Certification Instructors and Candidates

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    After the DASM or DASSM training workshop is complete, the instructor must email a roster of the attendees to [email protected]. An exam access link will be automatically generated and emailed directly to each participating student. Notifications cannot be generated to anyone but the student. Depending on when the roster is received, it can take up to a few business days following the training for the student to receive the exam link.

    The exam is administered online through Pearson VUE. The student will need to log in to PMI and access the link to the exam from the myPMI dashboard. The student must have a PMI ID with a valid mailing address and valid phone number. This is required information for any candidate to test through Pearson VUE. If the address and phone number are not completed, the student will not be able to take the exam.

    It is a non-proctored exam so the student may take it at any time of day (or night) when they are ready. They will have 60 days from the time they receive the exam link to take the exam, and they may retake it two more times within that 60-day period if they do not pass the first attempt. However, there will be a $150 exam retake fee. Students can pay this fee directly via their myPMI dashboard. Upon payment, they can access the link to retake the exam. They no longer need to email [email protected] to request a retake.

    Yes, candidates must first complete the affiliated Disciplined Agile® (DA) workshop before taking the desired certification exam. This is because the certification exam is designed to test your knowledge and understanding of DA concepts and their applications as featured in DA training workshops and text book, Choose Your Way of Working (WoW). To help you accomplish this, the workshops are tailored to specific experience requirements and knowledge on which candidates will be tested. In the workshops, you’ll learn that DA certifications combine a variety of agile methodologies and frameworks including, Scrum, Lean, SAFe®, and more. Additionally, you’ll discover new concepts and approaches unique to DA.

    Below are the steps students must take to access the DASM or DASSM exam following a training workshop:

    1. After the training workshop, participating students receive an email with instructions to access the exam.

    2. Log in to PMI and access the link to the exam from the myPMI dashboard. You must have a PMI ID with a valid mailing address and valid phone number. If these fields are not completed, you will not be eligible to take the exam.

    3. It is a non-proctored exam administered through Pearson VUE. You may take it at any time you are ready – day or night.

    4. You have 60 days from when you initially received the exam link to take the exam. You may retake it two more times within that 60-day period if you do not pass the first attempt. If you would like to take the exam again, go to your myPMI dashboard to pay the $150 retake fee. Upon payment, you can access the link to retake the exam.You have 60 days from when you initially received the exam link to take the exam.

    The exam fee for one exam attempt is included in the cost of the training workshop. Students have 60 days to take the exam online after completing the training. Certification is granted after you pass the exam.

    Students have 60 days from the time they receive the exam link to take the exam, and they may retake it two more times within that 60-day period if they do not pass the first attempt. If a student does not pass and would like to sit for the exam again, they should go to their myPMI dashboard to pay the $150 retake fee. Upon payment, they can access the link to retake the exam.

    Candidates can take the exam up to three times. If they have not passed after the third attempt, they must re-take the training course.

    The DASM exam is administered through Pearson VUE. The exam is an online, non-proctored test including 50 multiple-choice questions. The total exam appointment is 120 minutes—30 minutes for the introduction, tutorial, and survey and up to 90 minutes for completing the exam.

    PMI does not publish the passing score for any of their certifications.

    Students will have 60 days from the time they receive the exam link to take the exam. They may retake it two more times within that 60-day period if they do not pass the first attempt. However, there is a $150 exam retake fee. Students can pay this fee directly via their myPMI dashboard. Upon payment, you can access the link to retake the exam. 

    Yes, a DASM certification is good for one year. To renew the certification, you must earn 7 PDUs in agile topics and pay the $50 renewal fee. Active PMI members can renew at the reduced price of $20 per year.

    While there is no prerequisite for the DASM course, we do recommend optional pre-work to get the most value out of the training, testing, and overall experience, including:

    • Familiarity with common agile concepts and terminology
    • Review Choose Your WoW’s key areas that address learning objectives
    • Take notes during the training workshop and review the workbook
    • Organize a virtual study group to confirm understanding of processes, application, and concepts addressed in training

    The Disciplined Agile Lean Scrum Master (DALSM) courseware is no longer available and all DALSM courses have been canceled or transitioned to DASM workshops. 

    Recent DALSM workshop attendees had until 2 January 2021 to take or retake the exam. If an attendee did not pass the exam before that date, they can no longer take it.

    Recent DALSM workshop attendees had until 2 January 2021 to take or retake the exam. If an attendee did not pass the exam before that date, they can no longer take it.

    The Disciplined Agile Lean Scrum Master (DALSM) courseware is no longer available for purchase. Any student that has purchased a digital key can still access the content on the PMI Choice Platform for up to a year from the date of purchase. Digital keys purchased by instructors will not expire once redeemed.

    If your eligibility period expires and you have not passed the examination, you must re-take the training course at an additional cost.

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    New Agile Certification Journey

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    The new Agile Certification Journey is a suite of agile-focused certifications and instructor-led and on-demand training workshops from Disciplined Agile, as well as knowledge and community resources designed for practitioners who want to further specialize and differentiate their skills. These offerings enable practicing and aspiring agile practitioners to choose the best combination of learning and validation opportunities to enhance their knowledge, participate more effectively on agile teams, lead teams, tailor processes to optimize team performance, and coach at the enterprise level. We created the Agile Certification Journey to incorporate Disciplined Agile into our portfolio of certifications and to provide practitioners with options and opportunities to dive deeper into agile approaches, regardless of where they are in their career paths.

    Yes. Disciplined Agile Senior Scrum Master (DASSM) is a pre-requisite for both Disciplined Agile Coach (DAC) and Disciplined Agile® Value Stream Consultant (DAVSC).

    Professionals can pursue the Disciplined Agile® Scrum Master (DASM) certification if they complete the required training.

    Professionals can pursue the Disciplined Agile Senior Scrum Master (DASSM) certification if they meet the work experience eligibility requirements and complete the required training.

    Professionals can pursue the Disciplined Agile Coach (DAC) certification exam if they meet the work experience eligibility requirements, complete the required training, and hold their Disciplined Agile Senior Scrum Master (DASSM) certification.

    Professionals can take the Disciplined Agile Value Stream Consultant (DAVSC) certification exam as long as they meet the work experience eligibility requirements, complete the required training and hold their Disciplined Agile Senior Scrum Master (DASSM) certification.

    • The Disciplined Agile Scrum Master training workshop and exam are now available.
    • The Disciplined Agile Senior Scrum Master training workshop and exam are now available.
    • The Disciplined Agile Coach training workshop and exam will launch in September 2021. 
    • The Disciplined Agile Value Stream Consultant training workshop is available now and exam will launch in August 2021.

    The new PMP exam will include agile content, making the certification suited for the project manager who demonstrates broad knowledge across project approaches. However, the suite of certifications included in the Agile Certification Journey specifically depicts certification offerings for individuals interested in taking an agile specialty path. A PMP who wishes to specialize in agile techniques can further develop professionally by pursuing one of the agile certifications. As the Agile Certification Journey has offerings for every experience level, it’s possible for a professional to begin agile specialization track at any point in their career.

    The PMP exam will cover a variety of hybrid and agile approaches, assuring candidates have a sufficient understanding of these approaches, but it will not cover Disciplined Agile-related questions. However, content related to Disciplined Agile and DA FLEX will be taught in the Disciplined Agile instructor-led and on-demand trainings and included in the corresponding certification exams.

    The PMI-ACP certification is one of the agile certifications included in the Agile Certification Journey. Until now, the PMI-ACP certification was our only agile certification, but now it fits into a wider range of agile certifications to provide practitioners with options and opportunities to dive deeper into agile approaches, regardless of where they are in their career paths.

    The PMI-ACP is best suited for the experienced agile team member. The Disciplined Agile Senior Scrum Master is an ideal certification for those with the PMI-ACP certification who want to move into more complex initiatives and leadership roles.

    No, requirements for the PMI-ACP are not changing. Candidates must have eight months of agile team experience, 12 months of general experience in any approach or framework, and 21 contact hours of training in agile topics in order to be eligible for the PMI-ACP certification. As is the case now, PMI-ACP candidates can take their certification exams at Pearson VUE test centers or via the online proctored testing solution. Click here to find tips for preparing for the PMI-ACP exam, including the Exam Content outline, handbook, and recommended reference list.

    Yes. In the Agile Certification Journey, there’s still opportunity for those with the PMI-ACP certification to further specialize in agile. For example, the Disciplined Agile Senior Scrum Master is an ideal certification for those with the PMI-ACP certification who want to move into more complex initiatives and leadership roles.

    The PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) is for the experienced agile team member. This certification formally recognizes your knowledge of agile principles and your skill with agile techniques. The PMI-ACP spans many approaches to agile such as Scrum, Kanban, Lean, extreme programming (XP) and test-driven development (TDD.) So it will increase your versatility, wherever your projects may take you.

    Choosing which agile certification to pursue depends on the professional’s experience and interests.

    The pricing for the instructor-led or on-demand training workshops is set by the individual training providers and may vary. Their pricing, however, covers the cost of both the training workshop and the exam. Once individuals have completed the training, they will receive a link to schedule their exam through Pearson VUE within 60 days of completing the workshop. It is an online, non-proctored exam that can be taken at the student’s convenience.

    No, individuals must complete the instructor-led or on-demand training workshop in order to take the exam. Once they complete the workshop, they will receive an email with instructions to access the exam from the myPMI dashboard.

    In the coming months, some of the Disciplined Agile training workshops and exams will be translated into Simplified Chinese, Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, and Japanese as driven by market demand.

    When individuals pay to take a training workshop, the price includes the exam fee, but only covers one exam attempt. If a professional fails their first attempt, they may retake the exam for US$150. Students can pay this fee directly via their myPMI dashboard. Upon payment, they can access the link to retake the exam.

    Yes. Currently, the Disciplined Agile certifications require professionals to earn 7 PDUs per year. The PDU requirement for the PMI-ACP will remain the same as it stands today: 30 PDUs every three years.

    Yes. While taking a Disciplined Agile training workshop, professionals may count those training hours as PDUs toward their PMP, PgMP, or PMI-ACP PDU requirements. This means they can earn PDUs while also working toward earning a Disciplined Agile certification.

    Please send questions to [email protected]. 

    Currently, partners in the new Authorized Training Partner program and Limited DA ATPs can teach the DASM, DASSM, and DAVSC workshops. DA Coach workshops will be available in September 2021.

    Although the content is broader than Scrum alone, our research with practitioners and hiring managers indicated these roles (Scrum Master and Senior Scrum Master) appear frequently as job titles and are commonly used titles to describe similar roles, tasks and skill sets -- hence we chose to retain the phrase.

    Yes, Lean is still part of the course and exam content.

    This does not impact the Disciplined Agile life cycles, nor does it change Disciplined Agile itself.