CSM Practice Test 22 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A new Scrum Master is working with a Scrum Team that has never used a Definition of Done. The Developers argue that they should define it later because they are under pressure to deliver. What is the most appropriate action for the Scrum Master?

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

Accepted Answer

Help the Developers create a Definition of Done now and coach them on why it is essential for transparency and for delivering a potentially releasable Increment.. The Scrum Master serves the Scrum Team by coaching it to create a Definition of Done, which provides the shared standard for a complete and potentially releasable Increment. Establishing it now, rather than deferring, preserves transparency and supports empirical inspection. The team owns this commitment, so the Scrum Master facilitates its creation rather than imposing or delaying it.

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Agree to defer the Definition of Done until the team has more time, and in the meantime let each Developer decide individually when work is complete.

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Ask the Product Owner to write the Definition of Done and present it to the Developers as a mandatory standard they must follow.

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Tell the Developers that a Definition of Done is only needed once the product is ready for its first release, so they can continue without one for now.

Question 2

Who holds the final authority for determining the order of items within the Product Backlog in a Scrum environment?

Accepted Answer

The Product Owner, incorporating feedback from stakeholders, customers, and the Scrum Team.. The Product Owner is solely responsible for maximizing product value and managing the Product Backlog. Their decisions regarding ordering reflect stakeholder input, market analysis, and strategic vision. This matters because a single decision-maker prevents conflicting priorities from paralyzing the Development Team during sprint execution and planning.

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The entire Scrum Team through unanimous consensus during Sprint Planning sessions.

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The Scrum Master after facilitating alignment workshops with organizational executives.

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The Development Team based purely on technical dependencies and architectural complexity.

Question 3

A Scrum Master observes that the Product Owner is spending most of their time negotiating scope with stakeholders and has little time to collaborate with the Developers during the Sprint. Which TWO actions best fulfill the Scrum Master's service to the Product Owner? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Help the Product Owner find techniques for effective Product Goal definition and Product Backlog management.. The Scrum Master serves the Product Owner by helping with Product Goal definition and Product Backlog management techniques, and by facilitating stakeholder collaboration as needed. These actions directly address the Product Owner's time drain and enable more focus on value and Developer collaboration, without overstepping accountabilities.

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Take over ordering the Product Backlog to relieve the Product Owner of that responsibility.

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Direct the Developers to stop requesting clarification from the Product Owner during the Sprint.

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Ask the stakeholders to route all requests through the Scrum Master before reaching the Product Owner.

Question 4

A Scrum Master is helping a Product Owner who wants to improve their ability to forecast delivery dates for stakeholders. Which two actions best align with the Scrum Master's service to the Product Owner? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Teach the Product Owner to use empirical data such as velocity and burn-down charts to create forecasts.. The Scrum Master serves the Product Owner by helping them use empirical data and facilitating collaboration with the Developers to create forecasts. Teaching the use of velocity and burn-down charts, and facilitating estimation workshops, empower the Product Owner to make informed forecasts. These actions align with Scrum's empirical nature and respect the Product Owner's accountability for stakeholder communication.

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Encourage the Product Owner to commit to fixed delivery dates for all backlog items to satisfy stakeholders.

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Advise the Product Owner to provide stakeholders with a detailed Gantt chart showing every task and dependency.

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Suggest that the Product Owner delegate all forecasting to the Scrum Master to save time.

Question 5

A powerful stakeholder demands to attend the Daily Scrum to report on budget updates and track individual task progress. As the ScrumMaster, how should you address this request?

Accepted Answer

Explain the purpose of the event to the stakeholder, clarify that attendance is limited to the Development Team, and invite them to the Sprint Review instead.. The Daily Scrum is an internal inspection and adaptation event solely for the Development Team to plan their next 24 hours. Allowing external stakeholders to hijack the event turns it into a status-reporting meeting, destroying its core purpose and psychological safety for the practitioners.

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Permit the stakeholder to join silently provided they do not interrupt the team's individual status updates.

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Welcome the stakeholder enthusiastically and allocate the first five minutes for them to present budget reports.

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Reschedule the Daily Scrum to a confidential room so that external stakeholders cannot locate the meeting.

Question 6

During a Sprint, a key expert needed for the team's success is pulled away by another department for 'emergency work.' What is the Scrum Master's best approach to providing service to the organization?

Accepted Answer

Discuss the impact of this interruption with leadership to prevent such resource sharing in the future.. The Scrum Master must make the impact of this disruption transparent and facilitate a discussion with leadership regarding organizational priorities. By highlighting the cost of multi-tasking and broken flow, the Scrum Master educates the organization on the systemic consequences of shifting resources. This service is essential for protecting the team's ability to deliver a Done increment and encourages the organization to move toward a model where teams have the necessary, stable capacity to succeed.

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Accept the situation and tell the team to work harder to make up for the lost person.

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Update the Sprint Backlog to remove the items the expert was working on.

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Ask the expert to work overtime during the evening to cover both tasks.

Question 7

During the Sprint Planning, the team is struggling to agree on a Sprint Goal. What is the Scrum Master's role?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a discussion to find a common objective.. The Scrum Master facilitates the conversation to ensure the team aligns on the value they intend to deliver. A clear Sprint Goal provides focus and direction. Without it, the team is just a group of individuals working on tasks, rather than a cohesive unit working towards a shared outcome, which is essential for maximizing the value delivered during the Sprint.

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Choose the Sprint Goal for them.

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Cancel the Sprint Planning session.

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Suggest that the Product Owner dictates the goal.

Question 8

During the Sprint Retrospective, the team identifies that they are too dependent on a single specialist for testing. What is the best way for the Scrum Master to help the team address this?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a plan for cross-training and pairing on testing tasks.. The Scrum Master should facilitate a plan for the team to build cross-functional skills. By identifying the risk early, the team can begin to pair-program or cross-train, reducing the dependency. This is a core competency, as the Scrum Master's goal is to help the team become self-managing and resilient, ensuring that one individual's absence does not stop the entire team's delivery progress during a Sprint.

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Hire more testers to support the specialist.

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Tell the specialist to work overtime to finish testing.

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Remove testing from the Definition of Done.

Question 9

A new Product Owner is struggling to order the Product Backlog because they do not have clear business goals for the product. What is the most effective way for the Scrum Master to assist?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate workshops to help the Product Owner and stakeholders define a clear Product Goal and measurable outcomes.. The Scrum Master serves the Product Owner by ensuring they understand how to arrange the Product Backlog to maximize value. When business goals are absent, the Scrum Master should facilitate discussions to define a clear Product Goal. This provides the necessary framework for the Product Owner to make informed decisions about priority, ensuring the work aligns with the overall product vision and organizational objectives.

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Instruct the Developers to order the Product Backlog based on the technical effort required for each item.

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Create the Product Backlog for the Product Owner to ensure it reflects current business priorities correctly.

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Advise the Product Owner to wait for the stakeholders to provide a prioritized list before proceeding further.

Question 10

Which TWO of the following actions best demonstrate a Scrum Master serving the Product Owner in facilitating stakeholder collaboration?

Accepted Answer

Coaching the Product Owner on how to say 'no' to stakeholders.. Serving the Product Owner includes ensuring that stakeholders are engaged and that the Product Owner is effectively managing their expectations. These actions foster transparency and ensure that the product direction remains aligned with organizational goals. By actively facilitating these interactions, the Scrum Master ensures the Product Owner has the necessary information to make informed decisions about product priority and future value, thereby enhancing the overall success of the product.

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Representing the Product Owner in all stakeholder meetings.

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Filtering all feedback from stakeholders before presenting it to the Product Owner.

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Writing the user stories for the stakeholders to review.

Question 11

A team asks the Scrum Master to start prioritizing their backlog because they feel the Product Owner is 'too busy.' How should the Scrum Master respond?

Accepted Answer

Coach the Product Owner on the importance of backlog management and help them prioritize.. The Scrum Master must clarify that the Product Owner is the only one accountable for backlog management. Taking on this task would violate Scrum accountabilities and create a dependency that harms the team's long-term health. The Scrum Master's role is to coach the Product Owner on how to manage their time better and explain to the team why the Product Owner is the only one who can fill this role.

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Agree to help, but only for the duration of the current Sprint.

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Tell the team to prioritize the backlog themselves since they are self-managing.

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Suggest that the team split the backlog into two parts, one for each person.

Question 12

The Product Owner is feeling overwhelmed by the volume of feedback received during the Sprint Review. Which THREE strategies should the Scrum Master suggest to help manage this feedback?

Accepted Answer

Help the Product Owner categorize feedback based on the product vision and current goals.. Managing feedback is essential for maintaining a focused and effective Product Backlog. By helping the Product Owner categorize, prioritize, and integrate feedback into their existing processes, the Scrum Master ensures that the feedback leads to actual improvement rather than chaos. These strategies keep the Product Owner in control of the product's direction while ensuring stakeholder transparency.

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Ask the Scrum Master to summarize all feedback in a document for the stakeholders.

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Tell the stakeholders to stop giving feedback during the Sprint Review as it is too disruptive.

Question 13

How does the Scrum Master best serve the Product Owner in their work with the Scrum Team?

Accepted Answer

Coaching the Product Owner on techniques for effective Product Backlog management.. The Scrum Master supports the Product Owner by coaching them on effective Product Backlog management and ensuring the team understands the need for clear, concise items. This service improves the flow of value and ensures the team is always working on the most important tasks. By facilitating effective communication between the PO and the team, the Scrum Master ensures alignment on the product vision and individual Sprint goals.

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

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Taking over the prioritization of the Product Backlog during the Sprint.

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Filtering all requests from stakeholders so the Product Owner is not bothered.

Question 14

Which of the following is true about the Scrum Master's role during the Sprint Retrospective?

Accepted Answer

The Scrum Master ensures the event is held and facilitates it as requested.. The Scrum Master facilitates the Retrospective to ensure it is positive, productive, and focused on improvement. They do not own the improvements; the team does. By facilitating the meeting, the Scrum Master helps the team inspect their process and identify ways to become more effective in the next Sprint, which is the primary goal of the Retrospective event in Scrum.

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The Scrum Master decides which improvements the team will implement.

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The Scrum Master reports the team's failures to management.

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The Scrum Master writes the improvement plan for the next Sprint.

Question 15

The Product Owner is having a hard time getting Developers to understand the 'why' behind the Product Backlog items. What should the Scrum Master do?

Accepted Answer

Coach the Product Owner on how to effectively communicate the Product Goal and the value of individual backlog items.. The Scrum Master serves the Product Owner by helping them articulate the product vision and the value of specific items. By facilitating sessions where the Product Owner explains the context and the desired outcome to the Developers, the Scrum Master ensures that the team understands the 'why', leading to better solutions and higher engagement from the team.

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Create a detailed technical specification document for the Developers to follow instead of user stories.

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Tell the Developers they must accept the Product Backlog items as written without asking questions.

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Ask the stakeholders to attend every Daily Scrum to explain the features in detail to the Developers.