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: The Daily Scrum is an event that takes place every day. What would be the three main concerns if the frequency were to b. Follow @CertPunch and visit certpunch.com for more certification practice exams and study content.
Prefer hands-on? Take this round as an interactive practice test — answer every question, get instant feedback, and see your score: Start the Professional Scrum Master I (PSM I) practice test →
What you will practice
- The Daily Scrum is an event that takes place every day. What would be the three main concerns if the frequenc…
- If two Scrum Teams are added to the development of a product that previously had only one Scrum Team, what wi…
- Which two ways of creating a Scrum Team are consistent with Scrum's values?
- James wants to use a waterfall approach for a project, and Lucia would like to use her Scrum Team. What is a…
- The Daily Scrum is held at the same time and place.
- The Developers are managed by:
Answers and explanations
Tap a question to expand the answer and the exam reasoning. Try to commit to your own pick first.
Q1. The Daily Scrum is an event that takes place every day. What would be the three main concerns if the frequency were to be lowered to every two or three days?
Answer: D,F,G. Opportunities to inspect and adapt the Sprint Backlog are lost || The Sprint plan becomes inaccurate || Impediments are raised and resolved more slowly
Reducing Daily Scrum frequency causes the Sprint plan to become inaccurate and impediments to be resolved more slowly. The team loses critical opportunities to inspect progress and adapt the Sprint Backlog toward the Sprint Goal daily.
Q2. If two Scrum Teams are added to the development of a product that previously had only one Scrum Team, what will be the immediate impact on the productivity of the original Scrum Team?
Answer: B. Its productivity is likely to decrease
Adding new teams temporarily decreases the original team's productivity due to integration and knowledge transfer overhead. While long-term capacity increases, expect initial delays when forming new teams and managing dependencies.
Q3. Which two ways of creating a Scrum Team are consistent with Scrum's values?
Answer: D,E. Bring all the Developers together and let them self-organize || Existing teams propose how they would like to go about organizing into the new structure
Scrum teams are self-managing and organize themselves rather than having managers assign them. Options D and E reflect this empowerment. Avoid options where managers or chiefs dictate team structures, as Scrum discourages that.
Q4. James wants to use a waterfall approach for a project, and Lucia would like to use her Scrum Team. What is a disadvantage of using a waterfall approach?
Answer: B. It has rigid guidelines of how to do the work.
A disadvantage of waterfall is its rigid guidelines dictating how work must be done. This inflexibility contrasts sharply with Scrum. Watch out for distractors highlighting flexibility, which is actually a Scrum advantage.
Q5. The Daily Scrum is held at the same time and place.
Answer: A. True
The Daily Scrum is indeed held at the same time and place each day to reduce complexity and improve communication. For the exam, remember that consistency in this event helps the team inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal.
Q6. The Developers are managed by:
Answer: A. None of the above
Scrum Teams are self-managing, meaning Developers decide how to accomplish their work without a traditional manager directing them. Options like the Scrum Master or Product Owner represent accountabilities rather than command and control management roles.
Q7. At what point should the Product Owner update the project plan? Choose the most appropriate answer.
Answer: C. The project plan in Scrum is represented by the Product Backlog, which should be continuously updated as new information and insights emerge.
Scrum avoids traditional project plans, utilizing the Product Backlog for continuous planning instead. The Product Owner updates the backlog as new insights emerge. A static plan contradicts empirical adaptation.
Q8. You are the Scrum Master of a newly formed Scrum Team. Select three of the following activities that would probably help the team get started.
Answer: A,B,C. Have the Scrum Team members introduce themselves to each others and give a brief background of their skills and work history || Ask the Product Owner to discuss the product or project, its history, goals, and context as well as answer questions || Ensure the Scrum Team understands they need a Definition of Done
A new scrum team benefits from understanding the product context, meeting each other, and establishing a definition of done. Options like individual bonuses or management introductions violate core agile principles.
Q9. Which of the following are accountabilities within a Scrum Team?
Answer: D,E,F. Scrum Master || Product Owner || Developers
The 2020 Scrum Guide defines exactly three accountabilities within a Scrum Team: Developers, Product Owner, and Scrum Master. Users and customers are important stakeholders but are not internal Scrum Team members.
Q10. Who must participate in every Sprint Planning?
Answer: B,C,F. The Product Owner || The Developers || The Scrum Master
The entire Scrum Team, which includes the Developers, Product Owner, and Scrum Master, participates in Sprint Planning to collaborate on the upcoming Sprint. External stakeholders like the CEO attend only if invited by the team to provide specific input.
Q11. Once the Sprint begins, its duration can be:
Answer: E. Never extended
A Sprint has a maximum duration and its timebox can never be extended once it begins. Fixed durations create predictability. Options suggesting extensions undermine the empirical process control fundamental to the framework.
Q12. Which two activities are part of the Product Owner's role according to Scrum?
Answer: C. Ensuring that the most valuable functionality is produced at all times
The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing product value and actively interacting with stakeholders to gather their input. They do not provide detailed technical specifications, as defining how to build the work belongs to the Developers.
Q13. John is looking to create an agile team. He knows that he will need to rely on each person to help others learn new skills. This type of team is known as:
Answer: C. cross-functional
A team where members rely on each other and share skills to deliver value is cross-functional. For the exam, always associate Scrum Teams with being cross-functional and self-managing to complete work without depending on outsiders.
Q14. Which are NOT appropriate topics for discussion in a Sprint Retrospective? (Choose 2)
Answer: B. The value of work currently represented in the Product Backlog
The Retrospective focuses on inspecting the past Sprint and adapting team processes, relationships, and tools. Discussing future Sprint Backlog planning or overall Product Backlog value belongs in Sprint Planning, making those the correct out-of-scope topics.
Q15. During the Sprint, the Scrum Master's accountability is to help the Scrum Team with which two of the following? (Choose 2)
Answer: C. Causing the removal of impediments to the Scrum Team's progress
The Scrum Master serves the team by causing the removal of impediments and helping the team focus on creating high-value Increments that meet the Definition of Done. Remember that Scrum Masters facilitate self-management rather than assigning tasks.
Q16. Which properties of the Daily Scrum are correct?
Answer: B. Its location and time should remain constant
The Daily Scrum is a fifteen-minute event for Developers to synchronize activities. To reduce complexity, it should be held at the same time and place every day. Ignore options treating it as a formal status report.
More Professional Scrum Master I (PSM I) drills and other practice exams are on @CertPunch. New rounds drop every few days at certpunch.com.