The Certified Scrum Trainer (CST) designation from Scrum Alliance is for experienced Scrum practitioners who want to teach Scrum Alliance courses. It has no multiple-choice exam. Candidates go through an application, a formal review and a live training skills assessment (TSA). This page explains those steps and the published deadlines. It also has free practice sets on Scrum, facilitation and training delivery to help you review before your interview. Practice with the free Certified Scrum Trainer practice test on PracticeTestGeeks (9 questions with answer explanations).

Free Certified Scrum Trainer Study Tools

Interactive Certified Scrum Trainer resources on PracticeTestGeeks, free to start:

• CST Scrum Framework & Agile Principles 1 — 9 questions with answer explanations
• Certified Scrum Trainer flashcards — review key terms and concepts card by card
• Certified Scrum Trainer study guide — topic-by-topic overview of what the exam covers
• Certified Scrum Trainer cheat sheet — one-page printable summary for last-minute review

CST Exam at a Glance

Facts verified Oct 22, 2026 against Scrum Alliance. Dates that have passed are removed automatically.

What the CST is and how it works

According to Scrum Alliance, “The interview panel will consist of three TAC members and one Scrum Alliance staff member.”^[1]

The CST designation lets a trainer teach Scrum Alliance certification courses. You are not tested with a written exam. Scrum Alliance assesses your knowledge and your teaching ability through a review process.

• Application: Scrum Alliance accepts trainer applications on a rolling basis. To finish the application, you sign the terms and conditions and pay a $250 USD non-refundable application fee. The fee is valid for one calendar year.
• Formal review and TSA: If your application is approved at a formal review, you are invited to a training skills assessment. Scrum Alliance offers TSAs in person and virtually.
• Interview format: The TSA includes a live question-and-answer interview and a timeboxed training simulation in front of a 4-person panel: three TAC members and one Scrum Alliance staff member.
• Decision: Scrum Alliance does not publish a numeric score. The panel decides whether to approve you and shares some strengths and areas for growth. If you are not approved, you get a re-interview date.
• Virtual TSA deadlines: To be eligible for the May 2027 virtual TSA, submit your application by January 11, 2027. For August/September 2027, submit by June 9, 2027. For November 2027, submit by August 12, 2027.

These dates and rules can change. Check the official Become a Scrum Alliance Trainer page on scrumalliance.org before you apply or plan around a TSA window.

Worked examples: how to reason through CST questions

These are practice questions written for this site, not questions from the real exam. Each explanation shows why the right answer is right and why the others are wrong.

Example 1

Question: Which technique is specifically designed to help teams split large user stories into smaller, deliverable pieces during refinement?

1. MoSCoW prioritization
2. Story slicing (thin vertical slices)
3. Burndown charting
4. Cumulative flow diagrams

Answer: B. Story slicing (thin vertical slices)

Explanation:

Story slicing (thin vertical slices) is correct. It is a technique made for breaking a large user story into smaller stories. Each smaller story still delivers a working piece of functionality through every layer of the system, such as UI, logic and data. MoSCoW prioritization sorts items by importance, but it does not make any item smaller. Burndown charting shows how much work is left over time. It is a tracking tool, not a way to split work. Cumulative flow diagrams show how work moves through each workflow state and help you spot bottlenecks, but they do not split stories either. The rule to remember: prioritizing, tracking and flow tools describe the work. Slicing changes the size of the work while keeping each piece valuable.

Example 2

Question: Which of the following best describes 'formative assessment' in the context of a CST-led Scrum training?

1. A final exam given at the end of the course to assign grades
2. Ongoing checks for understanding throughout the training used to adjust instruction
3. A peer-review process conducted after certification
4. A self-study quiz completed before the class begins

Answer: B. Ongoing checks for understanding throughout the training used to adjust instruction

Explanation:

Ongoing checks for understanding used to adjust instruction is correct. A formative assessment happens during learning. Its purpose is diagnostic: it shows the trainer what learners understand right now, so the trainer can change pace, examples or activities. A final exam at the end of the course is a summative assessment because it measures learning after the fact. A peer-review process after certification happens outside the training, so it cannot shape instruction while the course is running. A self-study quiz before class is a pre-assessment. It is useful for planning, but it is not ongoing. The rule to remember: if the check happens while learning is still going on and it changes what the trainer does next, it is formative.

Example 3

Question: What is the primary risk of optimizing solely for high velocity each sprint?

1. Teams may finish too much work, leaving nothing for future sprints
2. Teams may inflate estimates or cut quality to show more points completed
3. Stakeholders will lose interest in the Sprint Review
4. The Product Owner will run out of backlog items to prioritize

Answer: B. Teams may inflate estimates or cut quality to show more points completed

Explanation:

Teams may inflate estimates or cut quality to show more points completed is correct. When velocity becomes a target, the number goes up without any real increase in value. Teams can raise their estimates, or they can skip testing and refactoring to close more items. Finishing too much work is not a real risk, because the Product Backlog keeps changing and refinement adds new items. Stakeholders losing interest in the Sprint Review depends on how valuable the Increment is, not on the velocity figure. The Product Owner running out of backlog items is unlikely, and it is not caused by tracking velocity. The rule to remember: velocity is a planning aid for the team. If you turn it into a performance goal, you distort both the estimates and the quality.

How to use these practice tests

The CST review checks how well you understand Scrum and how well you teach it. Plan your study around both.

1. Start with the official requirements. Read the Scrum Alliance trainer page from start to finish. Pick the virtual TSA window you are aiming for and write its application deadline in your calendar.
2. Check your Scrum knowledge. Take the Scrum Guide & Empiricism and Scrum Framework & Agile Principles sets. For every question you miss, reread the matching part of the Scrum Guide.
3. Practise the topics trainers often get asked about. Work through Velocity, Cycle Time & Flow Metrics, Product Backlog Refinement and SAFe, LeSS & Nexus Scaling.
4. Focus on teaching skills. Take Assessment Methods & Learner Engagement, Curriculum Development & Training Delivery and Facilitation Techniques & Coaching Skills. After each question, explain the answer out loud as if you were teaching it to a class.
5. Rehearse the simulation. Run a short, timed teaching segment for a colleague and ask them to question you afterwards. This mirrors the live Q&A.
6. Finish with a mixed review. Take the full practice test and revisit any area where you were unsure.