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Become a Certified SAFe Release Train Engineer
Learn How to Lead Agile Release Trains — and More
The Release Train Engineer (RTE) may be the most difficult, impactful, and rewarding role in SAFe. An RTE is a servant-leader who only has what authority is earned from gaining the respect of the leaders, teams, and stakeholders on the Agile Release Train (ART).
Your ability to facilitate, motivate, focus, mentor, and coach is critical to the success of the ART. Wow! Where do you start? How do you build the knowledge and skillset required for this high-profile and demanding position? First, you need a deeply experienced and insightful coach and instructor.
Our SPCTs have coached many new Release Train Engineers along their journey to understanding what a successful Lean-Agile transformation looks like. We also know what pitfalls should be avoided. We bring our experience and real-world stories to the course and invite you to share your unique context as well. Our focus is on delivering a meaningful understanding of the principles, values, and practices that will help you lay the foundation for sustainable success for your ART long after the class is over.
We invite you to join our collaborative and interactive class approach. It will provide you with the insights, skills, and knowledge to meet the day-to-day challenges every RTEs must face and conquer!
Upcoming SAFe Certification Courses
SAFe Release Train Engineer – Course Content
Unique to SAFe®, the Release Train Engineer (RTE) is part of the trio of leaders that includes product managers and system architects. The RTE plays a critical role in leading Agile Release Trains (ARTs) to deliver value. This means that the RTE must create the right environment, have the right conversations, facilitate the right meetings, and gather the right people to make decisions based on the right data.
In the SAFe® RTE course, you’ll learn to execute and continuously improve PI Planning and other key SAFe events. You’ll discover how to coach leaders, teams, and Scrum Masters in new processes and mindsets. And you’ll get the guidance and tools you need to work effectively in remote environments with distributed teams.
SAFe® Release Train Engineer answers the questions:
- How do I plan for and execute a PI?
- How do I create an environment of relentless improvement?
- How do I lead and serve my ART?
What’s included:
- Course materials
- Remote learning via SAFe® Virtual Classrooms
- Access to SAFe® Collaborate, a visual online workspace
- One-year membership to the SAFe® Community Platform
- Access to content, tools, and resources you need to practice SAFe every day
- SAFe Release Train Engineer certification exam
Attendees learn:
- How to lead programs and large solutions in a SAFe organization.
- How to apply Lean-Agile knowledge and tools to release value.
- How to foster relentless improvement.
- How to build a high-performing ART by becoming a servant leader and coach.
Exam & Certification Details
Exam prerequisite skills
- Cross-team communication skills
- Full use of SAFe Principles in action
- Coach Agile and SAFe facilitation and lead by example
- Launch or participate in at least one ART and one Program Increment (PI)
- Working knowledge of team dynamics
- Ability to manage stakeholders
- Minimum 3 months of real-world, hands-on experience as an RTE
Exam requirements
The first step toward becoming a Certified SAFe® Release Train Engineer is to attend the SAFe® Release Train Engineer course. This is a requirement, because attending the course provides access to all the study materials and the exam. Note that attending the course does not guarantee passing the exam
Exam details
- Exam name – SAFe® 4 Release Train Engineer Exam – or –
SAFe® 5 Release Train Engineer Exam - Exam format – Multiple choice, multiple response
- Exam delivery – Web-based (single-browser), closed book, no outside assistance, timed
- Exam access – Candidates can access to the exam within the SAFe Community Platform upon completion of your SAFe® Release Train Engineer course.
- Exam duration – Once the exam begins, candidates have 120 minutes (2 hours) to complete the exam.
- Number of questions – 60
- Passing score – RTE4 exam = 44 out of 60 (73%) – RTE5 exam = 45 out of 60 (75%)
- Language – English
- Exam cost – First exam attempt is included as part of the course registration fee if the exam is taken within 30 days of course completion. Each retake attempt costs $50.
- Retake policy – Second attempt on exam (first retake) can be done immediately after first attempt. Third attempt requires a 10-day wait. Fourth attempt requires a 30-day wait.
Exam study materials
The exam is designed to measure knowledge and skill related to the job role. We highly recommend candidates use a variety of resources to prepare for this exam including:
- Course materials – The course materials are an essential artifact from the course and can be downloaded from the SAFe Community Platform. These materials can be used to refer back to the content that was presented during the class.
- Study guide – This comprehensive guide details the job role and all resources related to the exam, including a detailed reading list. Access is available through the Learning Plan in the SAFe Community Platform upon course completion.
- Practice test – The practice test is designed to be predictive of success on the certification exam,* and it has the same number of questions, level of difficulty, and time duration. It is part of the Learning Plan in the SAFe Community Platform and can be taken an unlimited number of times at no cost. *This is not the actual exam, and passing it does not guarantee success on the certification exam.
- Sample Questions – A web-enabled, flashcard style version of the sample questions can be found online and in the study guide.
What you get
Becoming a Certified SAFe® Release Train Engineer requires an exceptional range of skills and is a career path for many servant leaders. Certification includes:
- Certified SAFe® Release Train Engineer PDF certificate
- Certified SAFe® Release Train Engineer digital badge to promote your accomplishment online
- One-year membership to the SAFe Community Platform, which includes access to the RTE Community of Practice
- Access to Meetup groups and events that connect you with other SAFe Certified Professionals
- A variety of learning resources to support you during your SAFe journey.