Practice for the Professional Scrum Master I (PSM I) exam with 15 exam-style practice questions, instant answer reveals, and concise explanations of every correct answer. Topics include: How long should a Sprint last?. Follow @CertPunch and visit certpunch.com for more certification practice exams and study content.
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What you will practice
- How long should a Sprint last?
- During which Scrum event should the Sprint Goal be crafted?
- In the middle of the Sprint, the customer decides that there are two new features she wants. The Product Owne…
- What is Product Backlog refinement?
- What should be considered when ordering the Product Backlog items?
- What is the minimum plan necessary to start a Scrum project? (choose 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. How long should a Sprint last?
Answer: D. A time-box of one month or less
A Sprint is a fixed-length event of one month or less, establishing a consistent cadence for inspection and adaptation. Sprints are strictly time-boxed rather than left open-ended, ensuring predictability and regular opportunities to deliver value.
Q2. During which Scrum event should the Sprint Goal be crafted?
Answer: E. The Sprint Planning
The Sprint Goal is crafted during Sprint Planning to align the Scrum Team on exactly why the upcoming Sprint is valuable. Waiting until the Daily Scrum or defining it during the Sprint Review would defeat its purpose of guiding daily work.
Q3. In the middle of the Sprint, the customer decides that there are two new features she wants. The Product Owner could: (choose the best option)
Answer: B. Add these features to the Product Backlog and evaluate their business value.
The Product Owner should add new customer requests to the Product Backlog to properly evaluate and prioritize their business value. Adding work mid-Sprint without the Developers' approval disrupts the current Sprint Goal and scope.
Q4. What is Product Backlog refinement?
Answer: D. An ongoing process to add estimates, details, and order to the items in the product backlog
Product Backlog refinement is the ongoing act of adding detail, estimates, and size to items. For the exam, remember this is not a formal Scrum event tied to a specific timebox but rather a continuous activity that ensures upcoming work is clearly understood.
Q5. What should be considered when ordering the Product Backlog items?
Answer: A. The Product Owner should consider whatever is needed to help the product achieve its goals and maximum value
The Product Owner orders Product Backlog items by whatever factors are necessary to maximize value and achieve product goals. A common exam trap is limiting this decision to only risk and value, but dependencies, stakeholder needs, and market changes also apply.
Q6. What is the minimum plan necessary to start a Scrum project? (choose the best option)
Answer: A. A Product Goal and a Product Backlog.
A Product Goal and a Product Backlog are the essential minimum requirements to begin Scrum. Beware of options mentioning release plans; the current Scrum Guide focuses entirely on product goals and backlog items rather than traditional project release planning.
Q7. Why should a Scrum Team member be cross-functional?
Answer: D. The Scrum Team collectively should have all the skills needed to complete an increment; this can include cross-functional team members and sometimes specialists
The entire Scrum Team must possess all the skills necessary to create a valuable increment each Sprint. While specialists are welcome, the collective team needs cross-functionality. The framework emphasizes team capability over individual specialization.
Q8. What is the Product Owner accountable for in Scrum? (choose the best option)
Answer: C. Creating and sustaining a Product Backlog that maximizes value and represents the needs of the stakeholders.
The Product Owner is accountable for creating and sustaining a Product Backlog that maximizes value and represents stakeholder needs. The Product Owner is not solely responsible for writing User Stories or handing refined items to Developers.
Q9. The Sprint Backlog must be detailed enough so that…
Answer: D. Changes in progress can be understood in the Daily Scrum
The Sprint Backlog must be detailed enough so that changes in progress can be understood in the Daily Scrum. Avoid options claiming every task must be identified upfront or that stakeholders monitor daily tasks.
Q10. Who is accountable for communicating the Product Vision to the Scrum Team?
Answer: C. The Product Owner
The Product Owner is accountable for defining and communicating the Product Vision to the Scrum Team. The Product Manager is a distractor because that is not an official Scrum accountability on the Scrum Team.
Q11. Which of the following may change during the Sprint?
Answer: C. Product Backlog
The Product Backlog is dynamic and can change at any time as new requirements emerge or priorities shift. Quality levels and the Sprint Goal must remain fixed during a Sprint to maintain focus and avoid scope creep.
Q12. Which statement is correct when multiple Scrum Teams are working on the same product?
Answer: C. There's only one Product Backlog for all of them
Scrum requires exactly one Product Backlog for a product, even when multiple teams do the work, ensuring absolute transparency and clear prioritization. Multiple backlogs would fragment focus and make ordering difficult.
Q13. The result of the Sprint Review is…
Answer: B. A revised Product Backlog that defines the probable Product Backlog items for the next Sprint
A revised Product Backlog is a key outcome of the Sprint Review, serving as the basis for the next Sprint Planning. The event is a collaborative discussion rather than a formal presentation or acceptance meeting.
Q14. What should the Sprint Backlog contain?
Answer: B. It should contain a Sprint Goal, items from the Product Backlog chosen for the Sprint and an actionable plan on how the Developers intend to deliver them
The Sprint Backlog explicitly contains the Sprint Goal, selected Product Backlog items, and an actionable plan for delivery. The actionable plan is created by the Developers to provide focus without locking in all details upfront.
Q15. What is the logic behind which parameter is chosen to order the Product Backlog?
Answer: C. Whatever is deemed appropriate by the Product Owner
The Product Owner has full authority to order the Product Backlog however they deem appropriate to maximize value. Watch out for options that force a single factor like individual value, as the owner weighs multiple priorities.
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