CSM Practice Test 10 — 10 Questions

Question 1

A newly formed team is struggling to identify their first Sprint Goal. How should the Scrum Master guide them?

Accepted Answer

Help the team find a coherent objective that aligns their planned work.. The Scrum Master should coach the team to focus on the value they can deliver in the Sprint rather than just a collection of tasks. By encouraging the team to look at the Product Backlog, the Scrum Master helps them find a coherent theme or outcome for the iteration. This is a core competency that helps the team transition from task-based work to outcome-based delivery.

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Write the Sprint Goal for the team to save time.

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Tell the team that a Sprint Goal is optional for new teams.

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Ask the Product Owner to define the Sprint Goal alone.

Question 2

A Scrum Master observes that the Product Owner is consistently unavailable to clarify requirements, leading to team idleness. Which THREE actions should the Scrum Master take?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a meeting between the team and the Product Owner to discuss the impact of the delays on the Sprint Goal.. The Scrum Master serves the Product Owner by helping them understand the need for clear communication and team engagement. By facilitating a discussion with the team, identifying the impact on the Sprint, and coaching the Product Owner, the Scrum Master addresses the systemic issue of lack of availability. This is critical because a missing Product Owner prevents the team from maintaining flow, causing significant waste and frustration for the developers.

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Take over the Product Owner's duties for the duration of the Sprint.

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Encourage the team to make assumptions and proceed without the Product Owner's input.

Question 3

Refer to the exhibit. The Scrum Team experienced a significant drop in velocity during Sprint 3. As a Scrum Master, what is your primary step to serve the team?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a session to identify impediments that occurred during Sprint 3 and help the team create an improvement plan.. The Scrum Master serves the team by facilitating a deeper investigation into the root cause of the drop in velocity during the Retrospective. Rather than focusing solely on the metrics, the Scrum Master encourages transparency and inspection of team dynamics, process blockers, or environmental issues. Addressing these systemic impediments allows the team to self-organize and implement improvements, ensuring the team remains resilient and capable of delivering consistent value in future Sprints.

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Reassign tasks to individual team members to increase accountability and boost the output for the next Sprint.

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Report the performance discrepancy to senior management to request additional staffing for the upcoming Sprint.

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Adjust the team's definition of done to allow for smaller story point increments to inflate future velocity.

Question 4

Which TWO of the following actions best demonstrate the Scrum Master's service to the Product Owner regarding Product Backlog management?

Accepted Answer

Coaching the Product Owner on finding techniques for effective Product Backlog management.. The Scrum Master supports the Product Owner by ensuring they understand how to manage the backlog effectively and by facilitating the necessary communication with stakeholders. These actions ensure that the backlog remains transparent, ordered, and aligned with the product's goals, which are foundational responsibilities for the Product Owner within the Scrum framework.

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Taking full responsibility for writing and maintaining all user stories in the Product Backlog.

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Assigning specific tasks to the Developers to ensure the Product Backlog items are completed on time.

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Updating the Product Backlog items with technical details without consulting the Product Owner.

Question 5

How can the Scrum Master best support a new Product Owner who is overwhelmed by the number of stakeholder requests?

Accepted Answer

Coach the Product Owner on prioritization frameworks and managing stakeholder expectations.. A new Product Owner needs guidance on prioritizing value and managing stakeholders. By coaching them on techniques like MoSCoW, ROI analysis, or impact mapping, the Scrum Master helps them turn a chaotic list of requests into a manageable, value-driven strategy. This support is crucial for building the Product Owner's confidence and ensuring they can focus on the most important work, rather than trying to please every stakeholder individually.

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Advise them to accept all requests to maintain stakeholder satisfaction.

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Ask the team to prioritize the requests based on technical feasibility.

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Create a rigid process that requires all requests to be approved by a committee.

Question 6

Refer to the exhibit. The Product Owner is struggling to get Developers to adhere to this policy. How should the Scrum Master assist?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a discussion about the policy to ensure it is understood and supported by the whole team.. The Scrum Master should facilitate a conversation to determine if this policy is adding value or creating unnecessary bureaucracy. If the policy is still deemed useful, the Scrum Master can help the Product Owner and Developers agree on a standard way to estimate and document these items. The goal is to ensure the process serves the team rather than becoming a burden that hinders productivity.

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Enforce the policy strictly by blocking the Sprint Planning if items are missing estimates.

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Change the policy to remove the requirement for value estimates to speed up the planning process.

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Ask the Product Owner to provide all estimates themselves so the Developers can focus on building.

Question 7

Which TWO of the following are examples of a Scrum Master serving the organization to improve its agile maturity? (Choose two)

Accepted Answer

Helping the organization design its product delivery flow.. Improving organizational maturity requires moving beyond the team level to impact the wider business ecosystem. By identifying systemic issues and teaching agile principles, the Scrum Master helps the organization build a foundation for long-term success. This is a strategic role that requires persistence, influence, and a deep commitment to the values of the Scrum framework and its application in complex business environments.

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Taking on the role of Scrum Master for every team.

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Writing the user stories for the Product Owner.

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Assigning developers to the teams they are best suited for.

Question 8

A Product Owner is struggling to maximize the value delivered because they are constantly interrupted by stakeholders demanding new features mid-Sprint. How should the Scrum Master best support the Product Owner in this scenario?

Accepted Answer

Coach the Product Owner on backlog management techniques and the importance of shielding the team from external interruptions.. The Scrum Master must act as a coach for the organization to protect the Scrum process. By teaching the Product Owner to defer new requests to the Product Backlog, the Scrum Master ensures the Development Team remains focused on the Sprint Goal. This preserves the integrity of the Sprint, prevents scope creep, and reinforces the accountability of the Product Owner for maximizing value through backlog prioritization rather than reactive, ad-hoc changes.

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Instruct the Product Owner to accept the requests and add them to the current Sprint Backlog immediately.

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Ask the stakeholders to join the Daily Scrum to present their new feature requests directly to the team.

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Escalate the issue to the stakeholders' managers to demand that they stop contacting the Product Owner during the Sprint.

Question 9

The organization's HR department wants to assess individual developer productivity based on tasks completed per Sprint. What is the most effective way for the Scrum Master to handle this?

Accepted Answer

Explain why individual metrics harm team collaboration.. The Scrum Master must protect the team from metrics that encourage unhealthy behavior. Individual performance tracking is antithetical to the collaborative nature of Scrum. By educating HR on the focus on 'Done' increments and team-level outcomes, the Scrum Master helps the organization shift toward measuring value delivered rather than activity performed, which is critical for fostering a true agile environment.

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Provide HR with the individual task completion data.

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Suggest using 'Story Points per Developer' instead.

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Tell the developers to hide their task progress from HR.

Question 10

A department manager insists that your Scrum Team uses their preferred project management tool, which tracks individual utilization rates rather than team velocity. How do you respond?

Accepted Answer

Explain the negative impact of individual utilization metrics on team collaboration.. The Scrum Master must protect the Scrum Team's empirical process and focus on value delivery rather than vanity metrics. By educating the manager on why utilization-based tracking undermines self-organization and team-based performance, the Scrum Master prevents the implementation of practices that conflict with Scrum. This is essential for maintaining an environment where team autonomy and focus on outcome-based delivery remain the primary drivers of organizational success.

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Agree to use the tool to maintain a good relationship with the manager.

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Use the tool but manually adjust the data to hide individual performance.

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Escalate the issue to the CEO to force the manager to change their mind.