CSM Practice Test 20 — 15 Questions

Question 1

An organization wants to adopt Scrum but insists that a project manager assign tasks to team members daily and approve all changes to the Sprint Backlog. The Scrum Master is asked to support this approach. What should the Scrum Master do?

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

Accepted Answer

Coach the organization that self-management of the Sprint Backlog is essential to Scrum, and help the project manager transition to a role that supports the team without directing its work.. The Scrum Master serves the organization by helping it understand and apply Scrum. Self-management of the Sprint Backlog is a core principle: the Developers decide how to turn Product Backlog items into a Done Increment. A project manager who assigns tasks and approves changes prevents this. The Scrum Master should coach the organization and the project manager toward a supportive role that enables team ownership.

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Refuse to work with the organization until it fully adopts Scrum without any modifications.

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Accept the approach because the organization has the authority to define how Scrum is implemented.

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Allow the project manager to assign tasks but ask them to attend the Daily Scrum as an observer only.

Question 2

If a Scrum Team finds that their Definition of Done is no longer sufficient to ensure quality, who is responsible for updating it?

Accepted Answer

The Scrum Team.. The Scrum Team as a whole is responsible for the Definition of Done. As they learn more, they must adapt their quality standards. Updating the Definition of Done is an act of inspection and adaptation. This shared responsibility ensures that all team members are aligned on what 'high quality' means and are committed to maintaining that standard throughout the project duration.

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The Scrum Master.

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The Product Owner.

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The Developers.

Question 3

A Scrum Master notices that one Developer rarely speaks during the Daily Scrum while two others dominate the discussion. The quiet Developer later tells the Scrum Master privately that they feel their updates are not valued. Which action best serves the Scrum Team?

Accepted Answer

Coach the team on the purpose and format of the Daily Scrum during a Retrospective and observe whether the imbalance changes.. The Scrum Master serves the Scrum Team by coaching it toward effective collaboration and by helping it inspect and adapt its own processes. When one member is effectively excluded, the pattern belongs to the team, so the Scrum Master should surface it in a setting where the Developers can decide how to change. Private instructions or taking over the event shift ownership away from the team and do not build lasting self-management.

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Privately instruct the two dominant Developers to speak less so the quiet Developer has room to contribute.

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Advise the quiet Developer to raise their concerns directly with the two dominant colleagues after the meeting.

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Take over facilitation of the Daily Scrum and call on each Developer in turn to guarantee equal airtime.

Question 4

An organization wants to scale Scrum across multiple teams working on one product. Which TWO actions best demonstrate the Scrum Master serving the organization in this context? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Help the organization understand that scaling Scrum requires maintaining a single Product Backlog and one Product Owner for the product, and coach them on how to achieve that.. Serving the organization during scaling means preserving Scrum's core: one Product Backlog, one Product Owner, and self-managing teams. Coaching the organization on these principles and facilitating lightweight coordination like a Scrum of Scrums supports scaling without reverting to command-and-control. The other actions fragment accountability, impose centralized control, or stifle team autonomy, all of which harm the organization's ability to deliver value.

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Standardize all teams' Sprint lengths and engineering practices to ensure uniformity across the organization.

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Recommend that each team have its own Product Owner to speed up decision-making and reduce bottlenecks on a single Product Owner.

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Establish a centralized PMO to assign tasks to teams and track their progress against a master schedule to ensure alignment.

Question 5

A team member is consistently arriving late to the Daily Scrum, which interrupts the meeting. How should the Scrum Master address this while serving the team?

Accepted Answer

Bring up the impact of the behavior during the next Retrospective for the team to discuss.. The Scrum Master should facilitate the team's ability to address this behavior themselves. Instead of playing the role of a manager, the Scrum Master encourages the team to discuss the impact of the lateness. By focusing on the team's working agreements and the value of synchronization, the Scrum Master supports the team in upholding their standards without resorting to policing, which preserves the team's sense of self-governance and maturity.

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Speak to the individual privately and warn them about the potential for removal.

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Start the meeting exactly on time, regardless of who is missing.

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Change the time of the Daily Scrum to be more convenient for the team member.

Question 6

What is the most effective way for a Scrum Master to help the organization understand the value of Scrum?

Accepted Answer

Focus on delivering value and showing the results.. Demonstrating the value of Scrum is best achieved through results. By helping teams deliver working software that solves real user problems, the Scrum Master provides tangible proof of Scrum's effectiveness. This empirical evidence is far more convincing to stakeholders and leadership than any theoretical presentation, helping to build long-term buy-in and organizational commitment to the agile transformation process.

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Give a presentation on the history of Scrum.

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Mandate that everyone follows the Scrum Guide perfectly.

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Send out weekly emails about Scrum theory.

Question 7

When a Scrum Master is coaching an organization on Scrum, why is it important to focus on the 'Scrum Values' rather than just the 'Scrum Mechanics'?

Accepted Answer

Values foster the culture necessary for Scrum to function effectively.. Focusing on the Scrum Values (Commitment, Focus, Openness, Respect, Courage) helps the organization build the right mindset to survive and thrive during change. Mechanics alone are often used in a superficial, cargo-cult manner that fails to produce real business outcomes. This service is essential because the values provide the internal compass that guides behaviors and decisions, ensuring that Scrum becomes a sustainable, effective way of working that drives real organizational transformation.

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Values are easier for managers to track in status reports than mechanics.

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Scrum Mechanics are only for the development team, not for the entire organization.

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Mechanics are too complex for most organizations to understand correctly.

Question 8

A Product Owner is constantly canceling Sprint Planning meetings because they haven't finished the backlog. How should the Scrum Master handle this?

Accepted Answer

Coach the Product Owner on the importance of Sprint Planning and how to prepare with the team.. The Scrum Master must address this pattern because it prevents the team from planning and disrupts their rhythm. By coaching the Product Owner on the value of refinement and the necessity of planning even with an imperfect backlog, the Scrum Master ensures the team can continue their work. This prevents the Product Owner's lack of preparation from becoming an impediment to the team's ability to deliver value regularly.

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Cancel the Sprint Planning and wait for the Product Owner to be ready.

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Take over the responsibility of preparing the Product Backlog for the meeting.

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Tell the team they should proceed without the Product Owner.

Question 9

Refer to the exhibit. As a Scrum Master, how do you address this misinterpretation of the Sprint Review?

Accepted Answer

Coach the team and stakeholders on the purpose of the Sprint Review.. The Sprint Review is intended for inspecting the increment and adapting the Product Backlog, not for general backlog refinement. The Scrum Master must ensure the event focuses on collaboration and feedback regarding the product's progress. Correcting this misconception is crucial because the Sprint Review serves as the primary feedback loop between stakeholders and the team to ensure the product remains aligned with market needs.

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Update the policy to include Refinement.

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Allow the session to continue as it is.

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Host a separate session for Backlog Refinement.

Question 10

Which TWO of the following actions demonstrate a Scrum Master providing service to the organization during a Scrum transformation?

Accepted Answer

Coaching the organization on Scrum theory and its potential benefits.. These actions directly address the systemic nature of an organizational transformation by promoting cultural shifts and process alignment. By focusing on transparency and empirical decision-making, the Scrum Master helps the organization move beyond individual team gains to broader institutional improvements. This work is essential to ensuring that Scrum is not just a localized project management tool but a robust organizational strategy for delivering consistent value and fostering continuous improvement throughout the enterprise.

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Updating the project status reports for the executive team every week.

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Directing the team members on which technical tools to use for development.

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Writing the user stories for the Product Owner to save time.

Question 11

A Scrum Master notices that the team is not using the Daily Scrum to plan the next 24 hours of work, but instead using it for reporting progress to the Scrum Master. How should the Scrum Master intervene?

Accepted Answer

Explain the purpose of the Daily Scrum and coach the team to focus on their plan for the next 24 hours.. The Scrum Master must help the team understand that the Daily Scrum is for the developers to coordinate their work, not to report to the Scrum Master. By shifting the focus of the meeting, the Scrum Master promotes self-management. This is critical because reporting to a leader reinforces a traditional hierarchy, whereas planning together builds a collaborative team dynamic essential for Scrum success.

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Tell the team that they should not talk to them during the Daily Scrum.

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Stop attending the Daily Scrum entirely so the team is forced to self-organize.

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Ask the Product Owner to facilitate the Daily Scrum instead of the Scrum Master.

Question 12

The Product Owner frequently changes the Sprint Backlog during the Sprint, causing the Developers to miss their Sprint Goal. How should the Scrum Master address this with the Product Owner?

Accepted Answer

Coach the Product Owner on the impact of changing scope on team focus and Sprint Goals.. The Scrum Master must protect the Sprint from scope creep while supporting the Product Owner. By explaining that the Sprint Backlog is stable to allow the team to focus, the Scrum Master fosters a sustainable environment. Addressing this helps the Product Owner understand that changing the work mid-sprint undermines team commitment and delivery predictability. This balance ensures the Product Owner understands the trade-off between responsiveness and team stability.

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Explain that the Sprint Backlog is locked and cannot be changed under any circumstances.

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Request that the Developers work longer hours to accommodate the new requests.

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Update the Definition of Done to include more flexible testing cycles.

Question 13

Who is accountable for creating the Sprint Backlog?

Accepted Answer

The Developers.. The Sprint Backlog is the plan by and for the Developers. While the Product Owner defines the goal and items, the Developers decide how to achieve that goal and create the plan. This ownership is crucial for self-management, as it empowers the team to commit to work they believe they can complete, fostering accountability and high-quality results throughout the Sprint.

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The Product Owner.

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The Scrum Team as a whole.

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The Scrum Master.

Question 14

A Scrum Master notices that the organization's procurement process requires detailed requirements documents and fixed-price contracts for all vendors, which is causing delays and misalignment with Scrum teams. What is the most appropriate action for the Scrum Master serving the organization?

Accepted Answer

Coach procurement and legal on how to structure contracts that support iterative delivery, such as fixed-capacity or outcome-based agreements, and facilitate a pilot with a willing vendor.. The Scrum Master serves the organization by addressing systemic impediments like rigid procurement processes. Coaching procurement and legal on agile contract models and running a pilot can align procurement with Scrum without sacrificing governance. The other options either bypass policies, worsen rigidity with large fixed-price contracts, or use confrontational escalation, none of which foster sustainable organizational change.

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Escalate the issue to the CEO and demand that procurement be changed immediately to support Scrum.

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Advise the teams to ignore the procurement process and work directly with vendors to speed up delivery, since Scrum values working software over documentation.

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Recommend that the organization adopt a single large fixed-price contract with a vendor to simplify procurement and reduce delays.

Question 15

A Scrum Master at an insurance company notices that the HR department evaluates Scrum team members using annual individual performance appraisals tied to utilization percentages. Team members have started optimizing their personal utilization rather than collaborating to finish the Sprint Backlog. What is the most appropriate action for the Scrum Master to take in service to the organization?

Accepted Answer

Work with HR and leadership to help them understand how utilization-based individual appraisal undermines self-managing teams, and offer to collaborate on a team-based approach to performance feedback.. The Scrum Master serves the organization by helping it understand and adopt Scrum-compatible practices. When an appraisal system rewards individual utilization over team outcomes, the Scrum Master should collaborate with HR and leadership to redesign it around team-based feedback and value delivery, rather than forcing the team to work around it or escalating punitively.

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Ask the Product Owner to adjust the Sprint Backlog so each team member has enough individual work to keep utilization percentages high.

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Report the HR department to senior management as a blocker and request that the appraisal process be suspended immediately.

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Instruct the Scrum team to ignore the appraisal system and focus only on the Sprint Goal, since performance management is outside the team's scope.