Practice for the Professional Scrum Master I (PSM I) exam with 17 exam-style practice questions, instant answer reveals, and concise explanations of every correct answer. Topics include: Who must adhere to the Definition of Done?. Follow @CertPunch and visit certpunch.com for more certification practice exams and study content.
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What you will practice
- Who must adhere to the Definition of Done?
- Your organization is new to Scrum. Management would like to understand what metrics are useful in determining…
- When more Scrum Teams are added to a project that works on one single product, the productivity of the origin…
- The product development project is to deliver internal functionality for an organization. The Scrum Team has…
- Who is not accountable for changes in the Product Backlog? (Select all that apply)
- What does the word 'development' mean in the context of Scrum? Select the best option.
Answers and explanations
Tap a question to expand the answer and the exam reasoning. Try to commit to your own pick first.
Q1. Who must adhere to the Definition of Done?
Answer: D. The Developers
The Developers conform to the Definition of Done to ensure every increment meets quality standards. However, the entire Scrum Team is accountable for creating a clear definition, which can make strictly choosing only Developers slightly ambiguous contextually.
Q2. Your organization is new to Scrum. Management would like to understand what metrics are useful in determining if value is being delivered. As a Product Owner, which two metrics would be appropriate? (choose the two best answers)
Answer: D,E. Customer satisfaction || Time-to-Market
Customer satisfaction and time-to-market directly measure value delivery, unlike internal metrics like velocity. For the exam, associate value with external user outcomes and business viability rather than internal team output.
Q3. When more Scrum Teams are added to a project that works on one single product, the productivity of the original Scrum Teams is more likely to increase.
Answer: A. False
False. Adding multiple teams to a single product initially increases complexity and communication overhead, which often decreases productivity. Watch out for assuming that more teams immediately equals more output.
Q4. The product development project is to deliver internal functionality for an organization. The Scrum Team has a good mix of skills and has worked on similar projects. The duration of the Sprint can be:
Answer: B. up to one month
A Sprint can be up to one month long, regardless of whether the project is internal or external. The length is fixed and decided in advance to establish a consistent cadence for the Scrum Team.
Q5. Who is not accountable for changes in the Product Backlog? (Select all that apply)
Answer: A,B,D,E. The Key Stakeholders || The Scrum Master || The Developers || The CEO
Only the Product Owner is accountable for changing the Product Backlog. However, a Developer or CEO can suggest changes. Because suggest and change are often conflated, this question is slightly ambiguous, so be careful to distinguish final accountability from mere input.
Q6. What does the word 'development' mean in the context of Scrum? Select the best option.
Answer: A. Complex work that can include all the suggested options and even more
In Scrum, development refers to any complex work required to create a product. This intentionally broad definition includes research, software, hardware, and sustaining operations. For the exam, always choose the most inclusive option when defining development work.
Q7. The Definition of Done is:
Answer: B. Initially defined per product by the Scrum Team, but may change throughout the product development duration
The Definition of Done is created by the Scrum Team and evolves over time as the environment changes. It is not deferred until after the first Sprint. If organizational standards exist, the team’s Definition of Done must minimally reflect them.
Q8. The success of a product is mainly measured by customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction should be measured:
Answer: D. Frequently
Customer satisfaction should be measured frequently to ensure the team is building the right thing at the right time. Be careful not to choose rigid schedules like quarterly or daily, as empirical inspection happens continuously.
Q9. In the Sprint Retrospective, the Scrum Master participates as a:
Answer: A. Peer Team Member
The Scrum Master participates in the Sprint Retrospective as a peer team member to help inspect and adapt the process. A strong exam cue is that the Scrum Master is never a silent observer or an auditor within Scrum events.
Q10. As the Scrum Team is in the process of defining Product Backlog items, the Scrum Master notices that the team is not using the User Story format to capture the Product Backlog items. The Scrum Master should:
Answer: C. let the team decides the format of the Product Backlog items
Scrum Teams are self-managing and decide their own format for Product Backlog items. User stories are a popular technique but are completely optional, so the Scrum Master should simply let the team choose their preferred format.
Q11. A Product Owner is not available for Scrum events and is not supportive enough for Developers. The next immediate accountability lies with:
Answer: C. Scrum Master, who needs to educate the Product Owner on his role
The Scrum Master is accountable for coaching the Product Owner and helping everyone understand and enact their responsibilities. If a Product Owner is unavailable, the Scrum Master steps in to resolve this impediment.
Q12. An organization decides to have very small Scrum Teams of fewer than three persons. The likely result could be:
Answer: B. All the answers are correct
Scrum Teams must be small enough to remain nimble but large enough to complete significant work. Teams with fewer than three members often lack the necessary skill diversity, experience lower productivity, and suffer from decreased interaction, making all listed outcomes likely. Watch for this specific size rule.
Q13. In the middle of a Sprint, a team member was required by another department manager to support an important task outside the Sprint work. What is recommended for the team member to do?
Answer: A. The team member should inform the other Scrum Team members so the whole Scrum Team can decide what to do with the inquiry
The team member should immediately bring the conflict to the entire Scrum Team so they can navigate the impediment together. Avoid picking distractors where individuals act alone or blindly follow outside management, because Scrum teams manage their own work.
Q14. A Scrum Team crafts the following Sprint Goal: "All the Sprint code should have passed 100% automated unit tests". It is incorrect, since Product Owner formulates the goal and not the Scrum Team.
Answer: B. Not an appropriate goal, since Sprint Goal should be about expected business value
A Sprint Goal should focus on delivering expected business value rather than just meeting technical metrics. For the exam, remember that while code quality matters, goals must guide the team toward a coherent product objective.
Q15. Which of the following can the Product Owner delegate to others, while remaining accountable for the work? (Select 2 answers)
Answer: C,D. Developing and communicating the Product Goal. || Ordering the Product Backlog.
A Product Owner can delegate actual work like ordering the Product Backlog or communicating the Product Goal to others. However, the Product Owner remains strictly accountable for these outcomes and cannot delegate their overall accountability.
Q16. Select the five Scrum Values.
Answer: A,B,C,D,F. Courage || Focus || Commitment || Openness || Respect
The five Scrum Values are commitment, focus, openness, respect, and courage. Remember that effectiveness, self-organization, and agility are core principles but are not official values.
Q17. What are the two best responses when a project manager working with your Scrum Team raises concerns about progress and money spent?
Answer: A,B. Share the Earned Value Analysis (EVA) report. || Engage in a discussion with the project manager, sharing the current impediments and forecasting for the Sprint.
The best responses focus on transparency and collaboration. Sharing the Product Backlog provides project visibility, while discussing current impediments and Sprint forecasts addresses immediate concerns. Avoid traditional metrics like earned value analysis, which conflict with empiricism.
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