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Scrum Org Professional Agile Leadership Quick Facts
The Scrum Org Professional Agile Leadership certification empowers leaders to create environments where teams and individuals can excel. This overview highlights everything you need to know to prepare confidently and unlock your full leadership potential in agile organizations.
How does the Professional Agile Leadership certification strengthen modern leaders and their teams?
The Professional Agile Leadership (PAL I) certification from Scrum.org validates your ability to foster agility, guide teams toward high performance, and create measurable business impact through servant leadership. It’s designed for managers, team leads, and executives who want to deepen their understanding of agile principles beyond processes and frameworks—focusing instead on developing people, improving products, and evolving organizational systems.
The PAL I assessment explores how effective leadership enables adaptability, empiricism, and continuous improvement in complex environments. Completing this certification signals that you lead with clarity, inspire accountability, and align teams with customer and business value.
Who Should Earn the Professional Agile Leadership (PAL I) Certification?
The Professional Agile Leadership (PAL I) certification is perfect for current and aspiring leaders who want to create thriving Agile organizations. It’s designed for managers, executives, Scrum Masters, Product Owners, and change agents eager to lead teams using modern agility principles.
You’ll especially benefit if you’re responsible for developing people, fostering cross-functional collaboration, or guiding transformation initiatives. This credential validates that you understand how Agile leadership unlocks higher performance and sustainable business agility.
What Does the PAL I Certification Prove?
Earning the PAL I demonstrates that you understand how Agile leadership practices empower teams and organizations to deliver more value. It shows that you:
- Appreciate why leadership support is essential for agility
- Know how to develop self-managing teams
- Can align organizational goals with empirical, evidence-based processes
By passing the assessment, you display an ability to lead with influence, improve collaboration, and guide meaningful cultural change—skills highly valued across industries.
How Much Does the Professional Agile Leadership (PAL I) Exam Cost?
The PAL I assessment costs $200 USD per attempt. Each purchase provides one attempt, and passwords do not expire. There are no renewal fees since Scrum.org certifications are lifetime credentials. Many candidates take advantage of a free attempt by attending an official Scrum.org Professional Agile Leadership Essentials (PAL-E) course.
How Long Is the Scrum.org PAL I Exam?
You’ll have 60 minutes to complete the exam. Managing your time thoughtfully is important since questions cover both foundational Scrum knowledge and leadership application. Answer each question confidently, using your experience and understanding of Agile principles to guide you.
How Many Questions Are on the Test?
The PAL I assessment includes 36 questions. These appear in multiple-choice, multiple-answer, and true/false formats. Each question is written to confirm your understanding of how Agile leadership principles apply in real-world contexts.
What Is the Passing Score for the PAL I Certification?
To pass, you’ll need a minimum score of 85%. This benchmark ensures that certified leaders thoroughly understand the principles of Agile leadership and Scrum. Upon passing, you’ll immediately receive your official Scrum.org digital badge and recognition through Credly.
In What Language Is the PAL I Exam Available?
The assessment is offered in English, with many candidates successfully using the Google Translate plugin to take the exam in their native languages. While the translation quality cannot be guaranteed, official feedback indicates that it works effectively for most learners around the world.
How Do I Register for the Professional Agile Leadership Assessment?
To register, simply visit Scrum.org’s official site and purchase the exam.
After your purchase, you’ll receive an access password for one attempt. You can take the test anytime, anywhere, from a quiet environment with stable internet access. No scheduling is required—making it one of the most flexible certification processes available.
What Study Materials Should I Use to Prepare?
Scrum.org offers a wealth of reading and practice materials, including:
- The Scrum Guide and The Evidence-Based Management Guide
- The Professional Agile Leadership Essentials (PAL-E) course
- Free Scrum Open and Agile Leadership Open assessments for practice
Additionally, you can deepen your preparation with realistic Scrum.org Professional Agile Leadership practice exams that help reinforce Scrum principles, leadership mindset, and the latest EBM (Evidence-Based Management) practices.
How Is the PAL I Exam Structured?
The exam format includes multiple-choice, multiple-answer, and true/false questions that assess your understanding of Agile leadership in various scenarios. Each question is directly mapped to Scrum.org’s Professional Scrum Competencies, testing both conceptual understanding and practical leadership awareness.
What Roles Benefit Most from the PAL I Credential?
This certification adds value across many positions, such as:
- People Managers and Team Leads seeking to nurture self-management within teams
- Scrum Masters and Product Owners driving cultural and process improvements
- Executives and Change Agents guiding Agile adoption at the enterprise level
Having this certification proves you can combine leadership, agility, and evidence-based decision-making to foster resilience and innovation in your organization.
What Domains or Focus Areas Does the PAL I Exam Cover?
The PAL I spans five core domains from the Professional Scrum Competencies:
- Understanding and Applying the Scrum Framework – Empiricism, values, team structure, and events.
- Developing People and Teams – Leadership styles, self-management, and facilitation.
- Managing Products with Agility – Value delivery, forecasting, stakeholders, and customers.
- Developing and Delivering Products Professionally – Emergent design and continuous delivery.
- Evolving the Agile Organization – Organizational culture, structure, and Evidence-Based Management.
These domains validate comprehensive leadership awareness—from individual team support to organization-wide agility.
Is There Any Course Required Before Taking the PAL I Exam?
No prerequisites are required. However, attending the Professional Agile Leadership Essentials (PAL-E) training is highly recommended. This class provides hands-on exercises, case studies, and collaborative discussions that bring the exam material to life and include a complimentary test attempt.
How Long Does the Certification Last?
The Professional Agile Leadership certification is valid for life. Unlike many other certifications, Scrum.org credentials do not require renewal or maintenance fees. This lifetime designation reflects Scrum.org’s commitment to enduring learning and practical leadership mastery.
How Should I Approach Studying for the PAL I Assessment?
Begin by reading The Scrum Guide thoroughly and exploring the Professional Scrum Competencies on Scrum.org. Then review the Evidence-Based Management practices, which are central to Agile leadership.
Combine theory with practical application. Reflect on how leadership behavior influences team performance, transparency, and adaptability. Taking open practice exams helps reinforce your understanding under timed conditions.
What Is the Exam Code for the Scrum.org Professional Agile Leadership Certification?
The official exam code is PAL I. This code is used across training, practice assessments, and registration materials. When discussing the certification or purchasing training, ensure that “PAL I” is specified to match the exam's knowledge scope.
Does the PAL I Certification Include a Digital Badge?
Yes. Upon passing, you’ll receive a free Credly digital credential, which can be easily shared on LinkedIn, your résumé, or professional profiles. This digital badge highlights your verified leadership capability in fostering Agile transformation and empowering teams to self-manage effectively.
What Type of Leadership Skills Are Assessed in PAL I?
The PAL I evaluation goes beyond Scrum theory. It assesses:
- How you guide teams without micromanaging
- Ability to promote self-management and accountability
- Encouragement of open communication and continuous improvement
- Competence in evolving organizational culture through agile principles
This blends people leadership, process understanding, and strategic thinking for success in complex systems.
How Does the PAL I Exam Support Business Agility?
By earning the PAL I, you demonstrate the capability to lead organizations toward measurable business agility. The exam reinforces an understanding of evidence-based management, where decisions are guided by data. Leaders who adopt these principles foster transparency, faster feedback loops, and more sustainable product delivery.
Is the Scrum.org PAL I Exam Difficult to Pass?
While the questions are thoughtfully written, success depends on familiarizing yourself with Agile principles and leadership behavior. Focus on understanding why Scrum works rather than memorizing vocabulary. Thoughtful preparation, real-world leadership experience, and awareness of organisational dynamics are the keys to success.
Where Can I Learn More or Register Officially?
To explore complete details or purchase your assessment access, visit the official Scrum.org Professional Agile Leadership certification page. There, you’ll find registration steps, sample materials, and guidance on next learning opportunities within the Scrum.org certification network.
The Professional Agile Leadership (PAL I) certification from Scrum.org empowers leaders to create lasting, value-driven change. Whether you manage teams, products, or enterprise initiatives, this certification helps you lead with purpose and confidence, driving organizational agility through trust, empiricism, and continuous learning.
