7.3 The Official Learning Objectives Blueprint
Key Takeaways
- The CSM test is built from two published documents: the Scrum Foundations Learning Objectives (24 objectives) and the CSM Learning Objectives (28 objectives) — 52 in total.
- Scrum Foundations is organized into four categories: Scrum Theory, The Scrum Team, Scrum Events and Activities, and Scrum Artifacts and Commitments.
- The CSM Learning Objectives are organized into three categories: Scrum; Scrum Master Core Competencies; and Service to the Scrum Team, Product Owner, and Organization.
- Every objective begins with a Bloom's Taxonomy action verb — 'list' and 'define' signal recall, while 'apply', 'perform', and 'demonstrate' signal scenario questions.
- Scrum Alliance serves the current Learning Objectives PDFs at URLs ending in 2022 even though the files were last formatted in 2024 — check the document header rather than the filename.
Quick Answer: The test is built from two documents totalling 52 learning objectives: the Scrum Foundations Learning Objectives (24), covering Scrum theory, team, events, and artifacts; and the CSM Learning Objectives (28), covering Scrum, Scrum Master core competencies, and service to the team, Product Owner, and organization. Scrum Alliance publishes both free of charge.
Most candidates prepare from the Scrum Guide alone. That covers a great deal of the test but leaves a real gap, because a third of the CSM objectives — facilitation, coaching, impediment resolution, technical debt, organizational change — are not in the Scrum Guide at all.
The Two Documents
A CSM course is required to cover the Scrum Foundations objectives either before or during the offering, in addition to the CSM objectives. Together they are the blueprint.
| Document | Categories | Objectives |
|---|---|---|
| Scrum Foundations Learning Objectives | Scrum Theory; The Scrum Team; Scrum Events and Activities; Scrum Artifacts and Commitments | 24 |
| CSM Learning Objectives | Scrum; Scrum Master Core Competencies; Service to the Scrum Team, Product Owner, and Organization | 28 |
| Total | 7 categories | 52 |
Both documents state their basis: the Scrum Guide, the Manifesto for Agile Software Development with its four values and 12 principles, the Scrum values, and Scrum Alliance guide-level feedback. If a topic is not traceable to one of those, it is ancillary — and trainers are required to flag ancillary content as such.
Structure of Each Document
Scrum Foundations (24 objectives)
| Category | Objectives | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 — Scrum Theory | 1.1–1.7 | Defining Scrum, the five values, empiricism, the three pillars, iterative-incremental benefits, partial-implementation disadvantages, alignment with the Agile Manifesto |
| 2 — The Scrum Team | 2.1–2.2 | How the three accountabilities interact within a Sprint; benefits of a cross-functional, self-managing team |
| 3 — Scrum Events and Activities | 3.1–3.6 | Timebox benefits, Sprint purpose and maximum duration, choosing Sprint length, the four events, backlog refinement |
| 4 — Scrum Artifacts and Commitments | 4.1–4.9 | Purpose and attributes of all three artifacts, emergence, PBI attributes, sprint-backlog change, multiple Increments, the three commitments, Sprint Goal stability, DoD evolution, multi-team DoD |
CSM (28 objectives)
| Category | Objectives | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 — Scrum | 1.1–1.16 | The Scrum Team's accountabilities (1.1–1.6) and Scrum events and activities (1.7–1.16), including performing each event, skipping the Retrospective, Sprint cancellation, and the Definition of Done |
| 2 — Scrum Master Core Competencies | 2.1–2.3 | Facilitation situations, group decision-making techniques, and the differences between facilitating, teaching, mentoring, and coaching |
| 3 — Service to the Scrum Team, PO, and Organization | 3.1–3.9 | Leadership scenarios, technical debt, development practices, supporting the PO, organizational impediments, impediment techniques, organizational design change, and why Scrum has no project manager |
Bloom's Verbs Predict the Question Style
Every objective opens with an action verb tied to a Bloom's Taxonomy level, and both documents publish the mapping. This is genuinely useful for calibrating study depth.
| Bloom's Level | Verbs Used | Likely Question Style | Study Depth Needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knowledge | define, name, list | Direct recall | Memorize exact numbers and lists |
| Comprehension | describe, discuss, recognize | Explain or identify the best description | Be able to explain it in your own words |
| Application | apply, demonstrate, illustrate | Scenario — what would you do | Practise with concrete situations |
| Analysis | compare, contrast, distinguish | Distinguish two similar concepts | Know the boundaries between concepts |
| Synthesis | create, prepare, organize | Construct something | Know a method, not just a definition |
| Evaluation | measure, assess, evaluate | Judge among options | Understand trade-offs |
So CSM 1.8 ("perform a sprint planning") signals a scenario question, whereas Scrum Foundations 1.2 ("list the five scrum values") is straight recall. Reading the verbs tells you where memorization suffices and where it does not.
A Versioning Trap Worth Knowing
Scrum Alliance links both documents from the CSM course page at URLs ending in ..._2022.pdf. The files themselves carry "Last Updated: January 2022" with a "Last Formatted 2/2024" header, and their internal document titles reference 2024. In other words the URL filename is not a reliable version indicator — the documents are revised in place at the same address.
The practical rule: always download the objectives from the links on the official CSM course page rather than from a cached copy or a third-party site, and read the header inside the document to confirm what you have.
How This Guide Maps to the Blueprint
| Blueprint Area | Chapters in This Guide |
|---|---|
| Scrum theory, empiricism, Agile Manifesto, iterative-incremental, partial adoption | Chapter 1 |
| The five Scrum values | Chapter 2 |
| Accountabilities, team characteristics, interaction, no project manager | Chapter 3 |
| The Sprint, all four events, Sprint length, inspect-and-adapt, skipping the Retrospective | Chapter 4 |
| Artifacts, commitments, refinement, PBI attributes, Definition of Done, multi-team DoD, technical debt | Chapter 5 |
| Facilitation, coaching, impediments, servant leadership, development practices, serving the PO, organizational change, metrics | Chapter 6 |
| Test format, logistics, and this blueprint | Chapter 7 |
Real-World Study Strategy
Use the objectives as a self-assessment checklist rather than as reading material. Open the two PDFs, and for each objective attempt the task the verb actually asks for — if it says list at least three, list three; if it says discuss, explain it aloud in a couple of sentences. Anything you cannot produce is a gap, and the mapping table above points at where to work.
This is more reliable than practice questions alone, because it tests production rather than recognition. Recognizing the right answer among four options is a substantially easier task than generating the answer unaided — and the objectives are written as production tasks for exactly that reason.
Which two documents form the published blueprint for the CSM test?
A learning objective reads 'perform a sprint retrospective.' What does the Bloom's verb indicate about the likely question style?
Why is studying only the Scrum Guide insufficient preparation for the CSM test?
A candidate downloads the CSM Learning Objectives from a URL ending in '2022.pdf'. What should they check?
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