CSM Scrum Events Practice Question
A Scrum Team is about to hold its Sprint Retrospective at the end of a challenging Sprint. Which TWO statements accurately describe the purpose and format of the Sprint Retrospective according to the Scrum Guide? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is treating the Sprint Retrospective as an optional or leadership-only meeting rather than a required, whole-team inspect-and-adapt event.
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
✓
The Sprint Retrospective concludes the Sprint and is timeboxed to a maximum of three hours for a one-month Sprint.
The Sprint Retrospective is a required event that concludes the Sprint. It is timeboxed to a maximum of three hours for a one-month Sprint and is attended by the entire Scrum Team. Its purpose is to inspect the last Sprint and create a plan for improvements to be enacted during the next Sprint, often including adjustments to the Definition of Done.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
The Sprint Retrospective concludes the Sprint and is timeboxed to a maximum of three hours for a one-month Sprint.
Why this is correct
The Scrum Guide states that the Sprint Retrospective concludes the Sprint and is timeboxed to a maximum of three hours for a one-month Sprint. For shorter Sprints, it is usually shorter. This timebox allows the team to reflect and plan improvements without overrunning, and it formally closes the Sprint before the next one begins.
- ✗
The Sprint Retrospective is optional if the team met its Sprint Goal and had no impediments during the Sprint.
Why it's wrong here
The Sprint Retrospective is a required Scrum event and is never optional, regardless of whether the Sprint Goal was met or impediments occurred. Even successful Sprints offer opportunities to inspect and improve. Skipping it would eliminate a key inspect-and-adapt mechanism and weaken the team's ability to continuously improve.
- ✓
The Sprint Retrospective is an opportunity for the Scrum Team to inspect itself and create a plan for improvements to be enacted during the next Sprint.
Why this is correct
The Sprint Retrospective is specifically for the Scrum Team to inspect how the last Sprint went regarding individuals, interactions, processes, tools, and their Definition of Done. The team then identifies the most helpful changes to improve effectiveness and may even adjust the Definition of Done. This self-inspection and improvement plan is the core purpose of the event.
- ✗
The Sprint Retrospective is attended only by the Scrum Master and Product Owner, who then report findings to the Developers.
Why it's wrong here
The Sprint Retrospective is attended by the entire Scrum Team, including the Developers, Scrum Master, and Product Owner. Excluding the Developers would undermine self-management and prevent the team from owning its improvement plan. The event is a collaborative inspection by all members, not a leadership review that is later reported downward.
- ✗
The primary output of the Sprint Retrospective is an updated Product Backlog with newly prioritized items for the next Sprint.
Why it's wrong here
The Sprint Retrospective focuses on process and team improvement, not on updating the Product Backlog. Product Backlog refinement and prioritization happen during Product Backlog management and Sprint Planning, not as the primary output of the Retrospective. The Retrospective may identify improvements that affect how the team works, but it does not produce a prioritized Product Backlog.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Scrum Alliance exam blueprint
This CSM practice question is part of Courseiva's free Scrum Alliance 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 CSM exam.