- A
Take over the Sprint Planning and assign work based on the Product Owner's priorities.
Why wrong: The Development Team owns the Sprint Backlog; the Scrum Master should not assign tasks.
- B
Change the Sprint Goal to be less ambitious each Sprint to ensure delivery.
Why wrong: The Sprint Goal is set during Sprint Planning by the team; the Scrum Master should not unilaterally change it.
- C
Mandate that the team can only commit to a maximum of 80% of their velocity.
Why wrong: The Scrum Master serves as a servant leader and should not impose arbitrary limits; the team should self-manage.
- D
Coach the team on using historical velocity data and encourage them to commit to a realistic amount of work.
Coaching the team to make data-driven decisions empowers them to improve their planning and commitment accuracy.
Quick Answer
The correct answer is to coach the team on using historical velocity data and encourage them to commit to a realistic amount of work. This approach directly addresses Scrum overcommitment prevention by grounding the team’s capacity in empirical evidence rather than aspiration. In Scrum, velocity—the amount of work a team completes per Sprint—provides a reliable baseline for forecasting future Sprints, and the Scrum Master’s role is to facilitate this data-driven decision-making without imposing decisions. On the Certified Associate in Project Management CAPM exam, this question tests your understanding of the Scrum Master as a servant-leader who coaches self-managing teams, not as a manager who dictates tasks. A common trap is choosing an option where the Scrum Master directly tells the team to reduce scope, which violates the principle of team self-management. Remember the mnemonic “Coach, Don’t Command” to recall that the Scrum Master guides the team toward using historical data, ensuring commitments align with proven capacity.
CAPM Agile Frameworks and Methodologies Practice Question
This CAPM practice question tests your understanding of agile frameworks and methodologies. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A Scrum Master observes that the Development Team consistently overcommits during Sprint Planning and often fails to deliver all committed items by the Sprint Review. What should the Scrum Master do?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Coach the team on using historical velocity data and encourage them to commit to a realistic amount of work.
Option A is correct because the Scrum Master should coach the team on using historical velocity data and encourage a realistic commitment. Option B is wrong as the Scrum Master should not directly tell the team what to do. Option C is wrong as it undermines the team's self-management. Option D is wrong because the Sprint Goal should align with their capacity, not be arbitrary.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Take over the Sprint Planning and assign work based on the Product Owner's priorities.
Why it's wrong here
The Development Team owns the Sprint Backlog; the Scrum Master should not assign tasks.
- ✗
Change the Sprint Goal to be less ambitious each Sprint to ensure delivery.
Why it's wrong here
The Sprint Goal is set during Sprint Planning by the team; the Scrum Master should not unilaterally change it.
- ✗
Mandate that the team can only commit to a maximum of 80% of their velocity.
Why it's wrong here
The Scrum Master serves as a servant leader and should not impose arbitrary limits; the team should self-manage.
- ✓
Coach the team on using historical velocity data and encourage them to commit to a realistic amount of work.
Why this is correct
Coaching the team to make data-driven decisions empowers them to improve their planning and commitment accuracy.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the CAPM exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which CAPM exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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Agile Frameworks and Methodologies — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this CAPM question test?
Agile Frameworks and Methodologies — This question tests Agile Frameworks and Methodologies — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Coach the team on using historical velocity data and encourage them to commit to a realistic amount of work. — Option A is correct because the Scrum Master should coach the team on using historical velocity data and encourage a realistic commitment. Option B is wrong as the Scrum Master should not directly tell the team what to do. Option C is wrong as it undermines the team's self-management. Option D is wrong because the Sprint Goal should align with their capacity, not be arbitrary.
What should I do if I get this CAPM question wrong?
Identify which CAPM exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
1 more ways this is tested on CAPM
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A team using Scrum consistently fails to complete all planned work in a sprint. What should the Scrum Master do first?
medium- A.Add more team members.
- ✓ B.Help the team break down user stories into smaller pieces.
- C.Remove the Product Owner from daily stand-ups.
- D.Increase the sprint length.
Why B: Option B is correct because breaking stories into smaller pieces helps the team better estimate and complete work within the sprint. Option A is wrong because increasing sprint length reduces feedback frequency. Option C is wrong because adding members doesn't fix sizing issues. Option D is wrong because the Product Owner should attend daily stand-ups.
Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
This CAPM practice question is part of Courseiva's free PMI certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CAPM exam.
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