Practice for the Professional Scrum Master I (PSM I) exam with 16 exam-style practice questions, instant answer reveals, and concise explanations of every correct answer. Topics include: In the middle of a Sprint, Developers identify a defect. Initially, they were not sure about the cause of the defect, an. Follow @CertPunch and visit certpunch.com for more certification practice exams and study content.
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What you will practice
- In the middle of a Sprint, Developers identify a defect. Initially, they were not sure about the cause of the…
- The way the Developers of a Scrum Team approach the Sprint Goal during the Daily Scrum changes if they are us…
- Stakeholders should hold their feedback until the Sprint Review occurs.
- Must the Product Owner be present at the Sprint Retrospective?
- The Product Owner manages the Product Backlog. Who is accountable for estimating the effort to complete the P…
- How should a Scrum Master coordinate the work when more than one Scrum Team is working on one product?
Answers and explanations
Tap a question to expand the answer and the exam reasoning. Try to commit to your own pick first.
Q1. In the middle of a Sprint, Developers identify a defect. Initially, they were not sure about the cause of the defect, and hence they involved the P.O. to discuss. After discussing, both the Product Owner and the Developers agreed that the…
Answer: B. Fixed in the current Sprint
Since the Developers and Product Owner agree this is a clear gap in the current feature, fixing it aligns with meeting the Sprint Goal. Deferring it fails because leaving a known defect violates the Definition of Done and compromises Increment quality.
Q2. The way the Developers of a Scrum Team approach the Sprint Goal during the Daily Scrum changes if they are using Kanban.
Answer: A. False
Using Kanban with Scrum does not change how the Daily Scrum operates or how the Sprint Goal is approached. Kanban simply enhances flow and transparency. Choosing true fails because Kanban does not alter core Scrum events or accountabilities.
Q3. Stakeholders should hold their feedback until the Sprint Review occurs.
Answer: A. False
Feedback can be provided at any time, fostering continuous inspection and rapid adaptation. Do not assume stakeholders must wait for the Sprint Review, as ongoing dialogue helps the Scrum Team quickly adapt to new market needs.
Q4. Must the Product Owner be present at the Sprint Retrospective?
Answer: A. It is mandatory. The Sprint Retrospective is an opportunity for the Scrum Team to assess its performance and improve itself.
The entire Scrum Team, including the Product Owner, must attend the Sprint Retrospective to inspect and adapt their processes. Avoid choosing options that restrict this event to only the Developers, as continuous improvement involves the whole team.
Q5. The Product Owner manages the Product Backlog. Who is accountable for estimating the effort to complete the Product Backlog items?
Answer: A. The Developers. As a collective, they have a complete view of the work needed to transform Product Backlog items into Increments of product.
The Developers are accountable for estimating the effort because they are the ones doing the actual work to create the Increment. The Product Owner might influence ordering, but they do not assign or dictate estimates to the team.
Q6. How should a Scrum Master coordinate the work when more than one Scrum Team is working on one product?
Answer: B. Teach them that it's their responsibility to coordinate with the other teams to integrate and create a shippable product Increment at the end of every Sprint.
The Scrum Master should teach the teams to self-manage and coordinate their own integration efforts to create a unified Increment. Avoid options where the Scrum Master directly manages dependencies or merges teams, as this violates Scrum's principles of empowerment.
Q7. A manager from accounting has an urgent task for one of the Developers on a Scrum Team. He says the VP of product development has ordered the Developers to complete this task for him. What should the Developers do?
Answer: D. The Developers member should notify the Product Owner so that he or she can work with the manager
Developers should notify the Product Owner, who has final say over what is worked on to maximize value. No one outside the Scrum Team can force changes to the Sprint Backlog without Product Owner collaboration.
Q8. During the Sprint, you receive a request from an influential stakeholder to add two new features needed for the product. As a Product Owner, what actions would be appropriate? (choose the best two answers)
Answer: A,C. You can add them to the Product Backlog. || If the items are urgent and important, you can ask the Developers if they can consider whether or not to add the features to the current Sprint.
The Product Owner can add new requirements to the Product Backlog at any time. If urgent, they may also ask the Developers if they can accommodate the work in the current Sprint.
Q9. What are the limitations on the decisions of the Product Owner for the Product Backlog? (choose the best answer)
Answer: C. There are no limitations. The Product Backlog is fully owned by the Product Owner and the entire organization must respect a Product Owner's decisions.
The Product Owner owns the Product Backlog and the organization must respect their decisions. Distractors about definitions of ready or approvals conflict with the Product Owner's ultimate authority.
Q10. Rebecca, a scrum master, has recognized that Ricky, a developer, is having issues getting along with the other members of the team. The other developers of the Scrum Team have complained about Ricky frequently and often cite him as one rea…
Answer: C. Rebecca should make every effort to help coach Ricky and the rest of the team to work more cohesively; if problems still persist it may be time for the Scrum Team to consider replacing Ricky with someone who is a better fit
The Scrum Master coaches the team but the self-managing Developers ultimately decide their membership. Remember the Scrum Master leads and coaches rather than unilaterally firing team members.
Q11. What is the most appropriate action for the Scrum Master to take if the Product Owner is having difficulties managing the Product Backlog?
Answer: C. Offer the Product Owner help in understanding that the goal of ordering the Product Backlog is to maximize the flow of value.
The Scrum Master serves the Product Owner by helping them maximize value through effective Product Backlog ordering. Avoid options that suggest delaying Sprints or shifting ordering responsibilities to Developers, as these violate core principles.
Q12. How should items in the Product Backlog be ordered?
Answer: D. Prioritized by business importance first. The items that result in biggest ROI, must be prioritized first
The Product Owner orders the Product Backlog by maximizing value and ROI. Distractors that suggest chronological or alphabetical ordering fail to understand that backlog ordering is strictly about optimizing the flow of value.
Q13. Who is responsible for creating functional documentation when it's included in the Definition of Done?
Answer: C. The Developers
The Developers are responsible for creating any work required to meet the Definition of Done, including functional documentation. The entire Scrum Team collaborates to define the standard, but only the Developers execute the actual work to create a Done Increment.
Q14. What is the cone of uncertainty?
Answer: A. In the early stages of a project, very little is known about the product; as time goes knowledge of the product should increase – creating a cone shape over time
The cone of uncertainty describes how project uncertainty is highest at the beginning and decreases as more knowledge is gained over time. Do not confuse this concept with a specific tracking chart like a burn-down, which only measures remaining work.
Q15. Which two of the following are required by Scrum? (choose the best two answers)
Answer: D,E. Sprint Retrospectives || Having timeboxed events
Scrum requires its events to be timeboxed to create predictability and focus, and Sprint Retrospectives are mandatory events. Concepts like Test-Driven Development or a Definition of Ready are complementary practices, not mandatory parts of the Scrum framework.
Q16. In a Product Backlog, which items are at the top?
Answer: C. The highest priority items as decided by the product owner are at the top
The Product Owner orders the Product Backlog to optimize value, placing the highest priority items at the top. Developers do not set the priority. The guide uses the term ordering rather than prioritization to encompass value, risk, and dependencies.
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