CSM Practice Test 17 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A Scrum Team has members in three different time zones. The Product Owner is in a time zone that makes synchronous collaboration during the Daily Scrum impossible. What is the most Scrum-appropriate solution?

Choose an answer to begin — your selection is scored in the full session.

Accepted Answer

The Product Owner is not required to attend the Daily Scrum, so the team proceeds without them.. Scrum requires that the Scrum Team adapts to its environment while maintaining the core accountabilities and events. When synchronous meetings are difficult, the team must find a way to meet the purpose of the event—alignment and progress tracking—without necessarily relying on a rigid, live daily call. The focus must be on keeping the team informed and ensuring the work remains transparent to everyone.

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The Scrum Master should mandate that the Product Owner works overtime to join the call.

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The team should replace the Daily Scrum with a daily email update.

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The team should split into two Scrum Teams based on time zones.

Question 2

Which TWO statements accurately describe the Sprint Review event in Scrum? (Choose TWO)

Accepted Answer

It is a collaborative working session with stakeholders to inspect the Increment and adapt the backlog.. The Sprint Review is a collaborative session where the Scrum Team and stakeholders inspect the Increment resulting from the Sprint and discuss adjustments to the Product Backlog. It is explicitly designed as a working session, not a formal presentation or slide deck demonstration, fostering collaborative dialogue between creators and consumers of the product to maximize future value delivery.

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It is a formal gatekeeping presentation where management approves or rejects the team performance.

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It is primarily used by the Scrum Master to evaluate individual developer velocity and productivity.

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It replaces the need for continuous communication and stakeholder engagement throughout the Sprint.

Question 3

The Product Owner has not attended the last three Daily Scrums. What is the best action for the Scrum Master?

Accepted Answer

Discuss with the Product Owner the value of the Daily Scrum and why they might want to attend.. The Daily Scrum is for the Developers to inspect their progress toward the Sprint Goal. While the Product Owner is welcome, their absence is not a violation of Scrum. However, the Scrum Master should investigate if the Product Owner is disengaged or if there is a communication gap. The goal is to ensure the Product Owner remains aligned with the team's progress without forcing unnecessary attendance at team-focused events.

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Mandate that the Product Owner attend all future Daily Scrums.

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Escalate the issue to the Product Owner's manager.

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Cancel the Daily Scrum until the Product Owner agrees to attend.

Question 4

During a Sprint, a Developer asks the Scrum Master to resolve a disagreement with the Product Owner regarding the definition of 'Done'. What should the Scrum Master do?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a discussion between the Developer and Product Owner.. The Scrum Master should facilitate a conversation between the Developer and Product Owner rather than making a unilateral decision. The Definition of Done is a shared commitment that must be understood and agreed upon by the entire Scrum Team. By facilitating, the Scrum Master ensures transparency and alignment, which are critical for the team to consistently deliver increments that meet the quality standards of the product.

Answer

Make a final decision to resolve the disagreement.

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Ask the Developers to decide since they perform the work.

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Postpone the discussion until the next Sprint Retrospective.

Question 5

A Development Team member consistently interrupts fellow developers during Daily Scrums and pushes technical architectural changes without team consensus. What is the most appropriate Scrum Master response?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a private coaching session with the developer to discuss collaborative norms and active listening.. The Scrum Master acts as a servant leader by facilitating self-organization and resolving impediments without taking direct command. Coaching the individual on collaborative behavior helps preserve team autonomy while addressing disruptive dynamics. This matters because a healthy Scrum Team relies on psychological safety and shared ownership rather than autocratic technical dictation by a single dominant developer.

Answer

Escalate the developer's behavior to the functional engineering manager for a formal performance review.

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Facilitate the Daily Scrum personally to strictly enforce time limits and prevent anyone from speaking out of turn.

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Remove the developer from the Scrum Team immediately to restore immediate harmony during the next sprint.

Question 6

The team is struggling with technical debt. What should the Scrum Master do to address this?

Accepted Answer

Coach the team on how to make the debt transparent.. The Scrum Master should facilitate a conversation between the Developers and the Product Owner to ensure technical debt is made transparent in the Product Backlog. This is a critical leadership act because ignoring technical debt leads to a decrease in development velocity and quality over time. By balancing new features with necessary refactoring, the team maintains a sustainable pace and long-term delivery capability.

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Force the team to fix debt before any new work.

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Tell the Product Owner to stop adding new features.

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Ask the developers to work extra hours to fix it.

Question 7

During a Sprint Review, a stakeholder expresses disappointment that a specific feature was not included in the increment. What is the most appropriate response?

Accepted Answer

Discuss the feature and update the Product Backlog to reflect the feedback.. The Sprint Review is a collaborative event for inspecting the outcome of the Sprint and adapting the Product Backlog. It is the perfect opportunity to align expectations based on the work actually completed. By acknowledging the stakeholder's input and updating the Product Backlog, the Product Owner maintains transparency and ensures the stakeholder's needs are reflected in future planning, keeping the product direction synchronized with market demands.

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Apologize and promise to include the feature in the next Sprint.

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Ask the team to work overtime to finish the feature immediately.

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Defend the team by explaining why the stakeholder's request was not a priority.

Question 8

During a Sprint, a Scrum Team member is consistently interrupted by stakeholders requesting urgent, non-Sprint related features. What is the most effective way for the Scrum Master to serve the team in this situation?

Accepted Answer

Coach the stakeholders on how to work effectively with the Product Owner to prioritize their needs for future Sprints.. The Scrum Master serves the team by protecting them from external interference, ensuring they remain focused on the Sprint Goal. By coaching stakeholders on the Scrum process and the importance of Sprint stability, the Scrum Master fosters a sustainable development environment. This action is critical because it prevents context switching, maintains team velocity, and upholds the integrity of the Scrum framework by enforcing the roles and boundaries defined in the Scrum Guide.

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Instruct the team member to complete the extra requests after regular working hours to avoid impacting the Sprint.

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Update the Sprint Backlog immediately to include these urgent stakeholder requests to ensure visibility.

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Ask the Product Owner to facilitate all communication between the team and stakeholders for the remainder of the Sprint.

Question 9

During a Sprint Retrospective, the Scrum Team identifies that external dependencies from other departments are frequently blocking their progress. Which TWO actions should the Scrum Master take to serve the team in removing these organizational impediments? (Choose the best TWO answers)

Accepted Answer

Work with the team to make these external dependencies transparent across the organization to highlight systemic bottlenecks.. The Scrum Master acts as a servant-leader by removing organizational barriers and coaching the wider organization on Scrum principles. Helping the team visualize bottlenecks and engaging cross-functional stakeholders directly addresses systemic waste without taking away the team's ability to self-organize.

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Directly manage and negotiate delivery timelines with the external department managers on behalf of the developers.

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Reassign backlog items that require external collaboration to a dedicated integration team outside of the Scrum framework.

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Instruct the Product Owner to remove all backlog items containing external dependencies from the Product Backlog entirely.

Question 10

If the Sprint Retrospective runs over its timebox, what should the Scrum Master do?

Accepted Answer

Terminate the event, and discuss the remaining topics in a separate session.. Scrum events are timeboxed to ensure they remain productive and focused. When a timebox is exceeded, the event must conclude. The Scrum Master must ensure the team understands the value of timeboxing, and if the discussion is unfinished, it can be scheduled for a separate, dedicated session. This maintains the discipline and respect for the team's time that is essential for sustainable development.

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Allow the meeting to continue until all items are fully resolved.

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Force the team to stay late until the Retrospective is finished.

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Ask the team to vote on whether they want to extend the meeting.

Question 11

A Scrum Team is struggling to finish their work during every Sprint because they frequently accept new requests from stakeholders mid-Sprint. How should the Scrum Master best support the team in this situation?

Accepted Answer

Coach the Product Owner on their role in managing stakeholder expectations and protecting the team from scope creep.. The Scrum Master facilitates the protection of the Sprint Backlog by coaching stakeholders and the Product Owner on the impact of scope creep. By ensuring the team's capacity is respected, the Scrum Master fosters a sustainable development pace. This intervention is critical because the team's ability to achieve the Sprint Goal depends on maintaining focus and avoiding unnecessary distractions that undermine the integrity of the Sprint agreement.

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Direct the team to accept the changes but adjust the Sprint end date to accommodate the extra work.

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Ask the Product Owner to stop attending the Daily Scrum to minimize stakeholder interruption.

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Ask the developers to work overtime to ensure both original and new requests are completed.

Question 12

During a Sprint, a developer realizes that a Sprint Backlog item requires significantly more work than originally estimated, threatening the Sprint Goal. What is the most appropriate action?

Accepted Answer

The developer collaborates with the Product Owner to refine the scope or plan.. The Scrum Team must collaborate to assess the impact on the Sprint Goal and adjust the plan. Transparency regarding progress is essential in Scrum. By involving the Product Owner, the team ensures that trade-offs regarding scope are aligned with value delivery, preventing hidden delays. This event-based inspection allows the team to adapt the Sprint Backlog immediately rather than waiting for the Sprint Review, maintaining the integrity of the commitment.

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The developer continues working and reports the delay at the Daily Scrum.

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The developer unilaterally removes the item from the Sprint Backlog.

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The Scrum Master cancels the Sprint to redefine the team's objectives.

Question 13

What is the most effective way for a Scrum Master to provide service to the organization when they observe that the organization's 'Definition of Done' is consistently ignored?

Accepted Answer

Collaborate with the organization to understand the barriers and foster a commitment to quality.. The Scrum Master must make this discrepancy transparent to the organization, highlighting the risks of cumulative quality debt and compromised increments. By engaging leadership in a conversation about why the current definition is ignored, the Scrum Master helps uncover systemic barriers. This service is vital because an ignored Definition of Done means the organization is not actually delivering what it claims, leading to false confidence and hidden product risks that will inevitably surface later.

Answer

Automatically reject any increment that does not meet the Definition of Done.

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Lower the Definition of Done so that the team can meet it without additional effort.

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Report the team to management for failing to follow the agreed-upon standards.

Question 14

A Product Owner is unavailable for three consecutive Sprints due to a medical emergency. Who is responsible for managing the Product Backlog during this absence?

Accepted Answer

The organization must ensure the Product Owner accountabilities are fulfilled through temporary delegation or reassignment.. The Scrum Guide states that the Product Owner is accountable for effective Product Backlog management. If the Product Owner is unavailable, the organization must ensure this accountability is fulfilled. While others may help with the mechanics, the accountability remains with the Product Owner role or requires an explicit handover. This ensures the team remains focused on value delivery while maintaining clarity on product direction despite unforeseen personnel changes.

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The Scrum Master takes over all Product Owner accountabilities until they return.

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The Developers collectively decide on the priority of the Product Backlog items.

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The Sprint remains frozen until the Product Owner returns to manage the backlog.

Question 15

A senior stakeholder frequently approaches Developers during the Sprint to request 'minor' changes. What should the Developers do?

Accepted Answer

Inform the stakeholder that they must discuss these requests with the Product Owner.. The Developers must protect the Sprint Backlog from outside interference to ensure the Sprint Goal is met. Directing the stakeholder to the Product Owner maintains the integrity of the Scrum process. The Product Owner is the person responsible for the backlog and the value delivery, so they must assess any new requests against existing priorities and determine if they should be included in the product.

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Implement the changes if they are small to keep the stakeholder happy.

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Accept the work but delay a lower-priority task in the Sprint.

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Ask the Scrum Master to handle the stakeholder's request.