Professional Scrum Master I (PSM I) Practice Exam — All Questions
22 questions
Scrum is founded on empiricism. Which three pillars uphold every empirical process control?
- a.Planning, execution and review
- b.Transparency, inspection and adaptation✓
- c.Commitment, focus and courage
- d.Roles, events and artifacts
Empiricism asserts that knowledge comes from experience and decisions are based on what is observed. Its three pillars are transparency (an agreed, visible reality), inspection (frequent checking), and adaptation (adjusting based on what is found).
Which set correctly lists the five Scrum values?
- a.Transparency, inspection, adaptation, respect and trust
- b.Planning, delivery, review, retrospective and improvement
- c.Honesty, simplicity, feedback, communication and respect
- d.Commitment, focus, openness, respect and courage✓
The five Scrum values are commitment, focus, openness, respect and courage. When embodied by the Scrum Team, they build the trust that makes the empirical pillars of transparency, inspection and adaptation work.
Why does the Scrum framework depend on transparency being high?
- a.Because inspection and adaptation based on low-transparency artifacts can produce misleading decisions✓
- b.Because transparency removes the need for the Sprint Retrospective
- c.Because it lets the Scrum Master approve the Product Backlog
- d.Because it guarantees the Sprint will finish on time
Inspection and adaptation are only as reliable as the transparency of what is inspected. Decisions made on low-transparency artifacts diminish value and increase risk, so transparency is the foundation for the other two pillars.
Scrum is best described as which of the following?
- a.A complete methodology that prescribes every engineering practice a team must use
- b.A rigid process that cannot be changed once adopted
- c.A lightweight framework that helps people address complex problems, within which various practices can be employed✓
- d.A project plan that fixes scope, cost and time up front
The Scrum Guide describes Scrum as a lightweight framework, purposely incomplete. It defines only the parts required to embody Scrum theory, and teams add complementary practices to fit their context.
Which type of work is Scrum specifically designed to help teams address?
- a.Simple, repetitive work with fully known requirements
- b.Complex problems where more is unknown than known✓
- c.Work that must never change once planned
- d.Purely administrative tasks with no delivery of value
Scrum is designed for complex, adaptive problems in which requirements and technology are uncertain. Its empirical, iterative-incremental approach lets teams learn and adjust as more becomes known.
According to the Scrum Guide 2020, what are the three accountabilities within a Scrum Team?
- a.Project Manager, Product Owner and Developers
- b.Scrum Master, Developers and Testers
- c.Product Owner, Stakeholders and Developers
- d.Product Owner, Scrum Master and Developers✓
A Scrum Team consists of one Product Owner, one Scrum Master, and Developers. The 2020 guide removed the separate 'development team' concept, so there are no sub-teams or hierarchies within the Scrum Team.
Who is accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Scrum Team?
- a.The Product Owner✓
- b.The Scrum Master
- c.The Developers
- d.The most senior stakeholder
The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing product value and for effective Product Backlog management, including ordering items and ensuring the backlog is transparent and understood.
The Scrum Guide 2020 changed how it describes the Scrum Team's way of working. Which term does it now use?
- a.Self-directing
- b.Self-organizing
- c.Self-managing✓
- d.Self-governing
The 2020 guide describes Scrum Teams as self-managing, meaning they internally decide who does what, when and how. This broadened the earlier 'self-organizing' language to cover the whole Scrum Team.
How does the Scrum Guide describe the Scrum Master's leadership style?
- a.A command-and-control manager who assigns tasks
- b.A true leader who serves the Scrum Team and the wider organization✓
- c.A gatekeeper who approves all Product Backlog changes
- d.A reporting role with no responsibility for team effectiveness
The Scrum Master is a true leader who serves the Scrum Team and the organization, and is accountable for the team's effectiveness and for establishing Scrum as defined in the Scrum Guide.
What guidance does the Scrum Guide give on Scrum Team size?
- a.Exactly seven people, plus or minus two
- b.At least fifteen people to ensure enough capacity
- c.Any size, since size does not affect communication
- d.Typically ten or fewer people✓
The Scrum Guide says Scrum Teams are typically 10 or fewer people. Smaller teams communicate better and are more productive; if a team is too large, it should consider reorganizing into multiple cohesive Scrum Teams.
Which Scrum event acts as a container for all the other events?
- a.The Sprint✓
- b.Sprint Planning
- c.The Daily Scrum
- d.The Sprint Review
The Sprint is the heartbeat of Scrum and contains all other events: Sprint Planning, Daily Scrums, the Sprint Review and the Sprint Retrospective. A new Sprint starts immediately after the previous one concludes.
What is the maximum length of a Sprint according to the Scrum Guide 2020?
- a.Two weeks
- b.Six weeks
- c.One month✓
- d.One quarter
Sprints are fixed-length events of one month or less. Shorter Sprints generate more learning cycles and limit risk of cost and effort to a smaller time frame.
Which three topics does the Scrum Guide say Sprint Planning addresses?
- a.Who, where and when
- b.Why (the Sprint Goal), what and how✓
- c.Scope, cost and schedule
- d.Risks, issues and dependencies
Sprint Planning addresses why the Sprint is valuable (crafting the Sprint Goal), what can be done, and how the chosen work will get done. The whole Scrum Team collaborates to produce the Sprint Backlog.
What is the purpose of the Daily Scrum, and who is it for?
- a.A status meeting for the Scrum Master to collect updates from each Developer
- b.A meeting for stakeholders to reprioritize the Product Backlog each day
- c.A ceremony where the Product Owner assigns tasks to Developers
- d.A 15-minute event for the Developers to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the Sprint Backlog✓
The Daily Scrum is a 15-minute event for the Developers of the Scrum Team. They inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the Sprint Backlog, producing an actionable plan for the next day of work.
Which statement about the Sprint Review is correct?
- a.The Scrum Team and stakeholders inspect the outcome of the Sprint and adapt the Product Backlog as needed✓
- b.It is a private meeting where only the Scrum Master evaluates the Developers
- c.It is intended primarily to improve the team's process and interactions
- d.It replaces the need for a Sprint Retrospective
The Sprint Review is a working session where the Scrum Team and key stakeholders inspect the Increment and progress toward the Product Goal, then collaborate on what to do next, adapting the Product Backlog. Improving the process is the Retrospective's focus.
Which list correctly names the three Scrum artifacts?
- a.Product Goal, Sprint Goal and Definition of Done
- b.Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog and Increment✓
- c.Roadmap, release plan and burndown chart
- d.Vision, backlog and Increment
The three artifacts are the Product Backlog, the Sprint Backlog and the Increment. Each has a commitment: the Product Goal, the Sprint Goal, and the Definition of Done, respectively.
In the Scrum Guide 2020, which commitment is associated with the Product Backlog?
- a.The Definition of Done
- b.The Sprint Goal
- c.The Product Goal✓
- d.The release plan
Each artifact has a commitment: the Product Backlog is committed to the Product Goal, the Sprint Backlog to the Sprint Goal, and the Increment to the Definition of Done. Commitments reinforce empiricism and focus.
During a Sprint, who is permitted to change the scope of the Sprint Backlog?
- a.Only the Product Owner, since they own priorities
- b.Only the Scrum Master, to protect the team
- c.Any stakeholder who has an urgent request
- d.The Developers, who own the Sprint Backlog and refine it throughout the Sprint✓
The Sprint Backlog is the Developers' plan and belongs to them. They adjust it throughout the Sprint as they learn more, while scope may be clarified and renegotiated with the Product Owner as understanding grows.
Which statement best describes an Increment?
- a.A concrete stepping stone toward the Product Goal that must meet the Definition of Done to be usable✓
- b.A plan for the next Sprint created by the Product Owner
- c.A document listing all remaining work in the product
- d.Any work in progress, whether or not it meets quality standards
An Increment is a concrete, usable step toward the Product Goal. Work only counts as part of an Increment when it meets the Definition of Done; multiple Increments may be created within a Sprint.
What does the Definition of Done create when it is met by an Increment?
- a.Permission for the Scrum Master to close the Sprint
- b.A guarantee that stakeholders will accept the product
- c.Transparency about the quality and completeness of the work✓
- d.A contract that fixes the scope of the next Sprint
The Definition of Done is a formal description of the state of the Increment when it meets the required quality. Meeting it creates transparency, so everyone shares an understanding of what 'done' work means.
Who has the authority to cancel a Sprint?
- a.The Scrum Master, if the team is behind schedule
- b.The Product Owner, if the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete✓
- c.The Developers, by majority vote
- d.Any stakeholder funding the product
Only the Product Owner can cancel a Sprint. This may happen if the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete, for example due to a significant change in business direction. Sprint cancellations are uncommon and often traumatic.
When multiple Scrum Teams work on the same product, what does the Scrum Guide 2020 say they should share?
- a.A single Scrum Master shared across all teams
- b.Separate, independent Product Backlogs per team
- c.One Sprint Backlog used by every team
- d.The same Product Goal, Product Backlog and Product Owner✓
If several Scrum Teams work on one product, they should share the same Product Goal, Product Backlog and Product Owner, keeping a single, transparent view of the product and its priorities.