PSM I Professional Scrum Master I Free Practice Test — 30 Questions
This practice bank of 30 single-choice questions exercises your understanding of the Scrum Master’s accountabilities within the Scrum framework. It focuses on servant-leadership, impediment removal, coaching self-management, facilitating events, and navigating stakeholder dynamics. Each scenario tests your ability to apply Scrum principles—transparency, inspection, adaptation—to real-world challenges like external dependencies, team conflict, shifting priorities, and Definition of Done gaps. By analyzing these questions, you will deepen your grasp of the Scrum Guide’s core roles, events, and artifacts. This set emphasizes the Scrum Master’s role as a facilitator who empowers the team without prescribing solutions, ensuring the team remains self-managing and value-focused.
What this PSM I Professional Scrum Master I practice set measures
This is an analysis of the practice bank, not a claim about the vendor's live exam blueprint. Use it to identify the knowledge, judgment, and recall patterns exercised here, then verify your coverage against the current official exam guide.
Scrum Master as Servant-Leader and Impediment Remover
This practice bank repeatedly tests the Scrum Master's accountability for removing impediments that block the team's progress, especially when those impediments stem from external dependencies or organizational constraints. The correct answers emphasize proactive engagement with stakeholders and management, not doing the work for the team. The Scrum Master facilitates collaboration, ensures transparency, and coaches the team to resolve issues they can handle themselves. Key decisions involve when to escalate and how to protect the team from external disruptions while maintaining their self-management.
- Escalate external impediments (e.g., vendor delays, API issues) to appropriate stakeholders or management.
- Coach the team on managing dependencies rather than removing them directly.
- Facilitate discussions between the team and external parties to resolve blockers collaboratively.
- Uphold transparency by making impediments visible and aligning resolution with Scrum values.
Coaching Self-Management and Team Accountability
Several questions focus on team members who miss commitments, underperform, or bypass processes. The Scrum Master's role is to coach the team—not to dictate solutions or discipline individuals. Correct answers involve facilitating team discussions to address root causes, empowering the team to self-correct, and reinforcing the team's collective accountability for Sprint Goals. The Scrum Master fosters an environment where the team inspects its own behaviors and experiments with improvements during retrospectives.
- Facilitate team conversations to address reliability issues or interpersonal conflicts.
- Coach the team on self-management when external directives threaten their autonomy.
- Avoid direct intervention; instead, guide the team to find its own solutions.
- Use Sprint Retrospectives to inspect and adapt team processes and behaviors.
Facilitation of Scrum Events and Continuous Improvement
The practice bank underscores the Scrum Master's responsibility to ensure Scrum events are positive, productive, and timeboxed. When teams fail to meet Sprint Goals or Definition of Done, the Scrum Master facilitates focused retrospectives to identify systemic issues and actionable improvements. Questions highlight the importance of inspecting events like Sprint Reviews and Daily Scrums to adapt plans and foster transparency. The Scrum Master does not prescribe fixes but enables the team to discover and implement changes.
- Facilitate Sprint Retrospectives to uncover root causes of recurring failures (e.g., missed Sprint Goals, poor quality).
- Help the team refine its Definition of Done by collaborating with Developers and Product Owner.
- Ensure Sprint Reviews are collaborative and produce actionable feedback for the Product Backlog.
- Coaches the team to use Daily Scrums to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt plans.
Navigating Stakeholder and Product Owner Dynamics
Many questions test how the Scrum Master handles situations where stakeholders or executives bypass the Product Owner or disrupt the Sprint. The correct answers emphasize facilitating conversations to realign everyone with Scrum roles and accountabilities. The Scrum Master coaches the Product Owner on backlog management and priority negotiation, while protecting the team from unauthorized scope changes. The Product Owner remains accountable for value maximization, and the Scrum Master reinforces that authority.
- Coach the Product Owner on effective backlog refinement and stakeholder expectation management.
- Facilitate discussions when stakeholders or executives demand mid-Sprint changes; redirect to Product Owner.
- Protect the Development Team from external pressures that undermine the Sprint Goal.
- Reinforce the Product Owner’s accountability for ordering the Product Backlog and maximizing value.
Practice PSM I Professional Scrum Master I with real flashcards
Read the prompt, commit to an answer, then flip the card. Move through the deck at your own pace and repeat any topic that does not come back quickly.
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Start the 30-question diagnostic
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A critical dependency on a specialized hardware component, required for the team to complete a key Sprint Goal, has been blocked by an external vendor\'s protracted delivery schedule. The vendor has repeatedly missed their promised dates, and the Scrum Team has exhausted all internal efforts to expedite the delivery. The Scrum Master observes that this impediment is significantly impacting the team\'s morale and progress. What action should the Scrum Master prioritize to uphold the Scrum values and facilitate the team\'s success?
Study workflow
Turn one PSM I Professional Scrum Master I attempt into a study plan
- 1
Read Each Scenario Carefully
Before looking at the answer choices, identify the core Scrum principle being tested: is it about self-management, impediment removal, event facilitation, or role accountability? Paraphrase the situation in your own words to clarify the Scrum Master’s primary duty.
- 2
Use the Scrum Guide as Your Anchor
For each question, recall the Scrum Guide definitions of the Scrum Master accountabilities. Ask: “What does the Guide say the Scrum Master does in this type of situation?” Avoid relying on common sense or previous experience; stick to the framework.
- 3
Eliminate Options That Violate Self-Management
Cross out any answer where the Scrum Master directly solves the problem for the team (e.g., reassigns tasks, imposes a solution) instead of coaching or facilitating. The Scrum Master empowers the team to own their process and outcomes.
- 4
Focus on Facilitation Over Direction
When the correct answer involves facilitating a discussion, check if that facilitation includes all relevant parties (team, Product Owner, stakeholders) and aims to restore transparency and collaboration. The Scrum Master is a facilitator, not a manager.
- 5
Review Explanations for Missed Questions
After answering, read the explanation to understand why the correct answer aligns with Scrum values, inspection, and adaptation. Note any patterns: e.g., external impediments require escalation; internal issues require team coaching.
FAQ
Questions about this exam practice page
Clear boundaries on what the bank covers, how to use it, and where official vendor information still matters.
What is the Scrum Master's role when a team consistently fails to meet the Sprint Goal?+
The Scrum Master should facilitate a focused Sprint Retrospective to help the team inspect root causes (e.g., poor estimation, external dependencies) and collaboratively define actionable improvements. This aligns with the Scrum Master's accountability for ensuring the team inspects and adapts its processes.
How should a Scrum Master handle a stakeholder who demands immediate feature additions mid-Sprint?+
The Scrum Master facilitates a discussion between the stakeholder, Product Owner, and Development Team. They explain that the Sprint Goal is fixed for the current Sprint, and the new request should be added to the Product Backlog for future prioritization. This protects the team's focus and transparency.
If a Developer misses commitments due to personal issues, should the Scrum Master intervene directly?+
No. The Scrum Master should facilitate a team discussion to address the impact and coach the team on self-management and accountability. The team collectively decides how to handle the situation, preserving cross-functionality and respect.
What is the Definition of Done (DoD) and who is responsible for it?+
The DoD is a formal description of the state of the Increment when it meets the quality measures required for the product. The Developers are responsible for defining and adhering to the DoD, often in collaboration with the Product Owner and Scrum Master. The Scrum Master coaches the team to ensure it is realistic and transparent.
Can the Scrum Master cancel a Sprint if the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete?+
No. Only the Product Owner has the authority to cancel a Sprint, based on input from the Developers and Scrum Master. The Scrum Master facilitates the discussion that leads to the decision but does not unilaterally cancel. Cancellation is rare and occurs when the Sprint Goal becomes irrelevant.
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