Scrum Alliance CSM Exam Practice Test: Questions and Answers
Scrum Theory, Values And Foundations
- What is Scrum best described as?
a) A software development lifecycle only
b) A reporting system for managers
c) A lightweight framework for solving complex problems and delivering value
d) A detailed project management methodology
Answer: c) A lightweight framework for solving complex problems and delivering value
- What are the three pillars of empiricism in Scrum?
a) Scope, schedule and cost
b) Planning, execution and closure
c) Budget, quality and risk
d) Transparency, inspection and adaptation
Answer: d) Transparency, inspection and adaptation
- Why is transparency important in Scrum?
a) It allows work, progress and problems to be visible for inspection
b) It prevents all change
c) It removes the need for accountability
d) It replaces the Product Owner
Answer: a) It allows work, progress and problems to be visible for inspection
- What is the purpose of inspection in Scrum?
a) To assign blame for mistakes
b) To frequently examine progress, artifacts and outcomes
c) To approve every task before work begins
d) To eliminate team self-management
Answer: b) To frequently examine progress, artifacts and outcomes
- What should happen when inspection shows that the work is moving away from the desired outcome?
a) The team should ignore the finding until the next project
b) The Scrum Master should cancel all Scrum events
c) The team should adapt its plan, process or backlog
d) The Product Owner should stop stakeholder engagement
Answer: c) The team should adapt its plan, process or backlog
- Which Scrum value encourages people to personally commit to achieving the goals of the Scrum Team?
a) Courage
b) Focus
c) Respect
d) Commitment
Answer: d) Commitment
- Which Scrum value is most directly shown when team members raise difficult problems openly?
a) Courage
b) Silence
c) Control
d) Prediction
Answer: a) Courage
- Which Scrum value helps the Scrum Team concentrate on the Sprint Goal and selected work?
a) Reporting
b) Focus
c) Contracting
d) Estimation
Answer: b) Focus
- Which Scrum value requires team members to treat each other as capable, independent people?
a) Forecasting
b) Utilization
c) Respect
d) Compliance
Answer: c) Respect
- Which Scrum value supports honest communication about progress, problems and risks?
a) Scope control
b) Resource leveling
c) Cost tracking
d) Openness
Answer: d) Openness
- Scrum is most useful when work is:
a) Complex, uncertain and requiring frequent learning
b) Simple, repetitive and fully known
c) Completely administrative
d) Fixed with no need for feedback
Answer: a) Complex, uncertain and requiring frequent learning
- What does “Done” mean in Scrum?
a) Work is assigned to a Developer
b) Work meets the Definition of Done and is part of a usable Increment
c) Work is started
d) Work is mentioned in the Product Backlog
Answer: b) Work meets the Definition of Done and is part of a usable Increment
Scrum Team And Accountabilities
- Which three accountabilities exist in a Scrum Team?
a) Sponsor, PMO and Functional Manager
b) Project Manager, Business Analyst and Tester
c) Scrum Master, Product Owner and Developers
d) Architect, Manager and Customer
Answer: c) Scrum Master, Product Owner and Developers
- Who is accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the Scrum Team’s work?
a) Scrum Master
b) Developers
c) Project Sponsor
d) Product Owner
Answer: d) Product Owner
- Who is accountable for creating a valuable, useful Increment every Sprint?
a) Developers
b) Product Owner only
c) Scrum Master only
d) External stakeholders
Answer: a) Developers
- Who is accountable for establishing Scrum as defined in the Scrum Guide?
a) Product Owner
b) Scrum Master
c) Customer
d) Functional Manager
Answer: b) Scrum Master
- Who is accountable for the Scrum Team’s effectiveness?
a) Procurement Manager
b) Product Sponsor
c) Scrum Master
d) External Auditor
Answer: c) Scrum Master
- Who owns the Product Backlog?
a) Scrum Master
b) Developers
c) Project Management Office
d) Product Owner
Answer: d) Product Owner
- Who creates the Sprint Backlog?
a) Developers
b) Product Owner alone
c) Scrum Master alone
d) Stakeholders
Answer: a) Developers
- Which statement best describes Developers in Scrum?
a) Only programmers can be Developers
b) Developers are the people who create any aspect of the usable Increment
c) Developers report directly to the Scrum Master for task assignment
d) Developers only test completed work
Answer: b) Developers are the people who create any aspect of the usable Increment
- What is a self-managing Scrum Team responsible for?
a) Waiting for managers to assign every task
b) Avoiding stakeholder feedback
c) Deciding who does what, when and how within the Sprint
d) Creating only status reports
Answer: c) Deciding who does what, when and how within the Sprint
- Which action best reflects the Scrum Master’s service to the Developers?
a) Assigning all tasks each day
b) Reordering the Product Backlog alone
c) Approving every technical decision
d) Coaching self-management and helping remove impediments
Answer: d) Coaching self-management and helping remove impediments
- Which action best reflects the Scrum Master’s service to the Product Owner?
a) Helping the Product Owner find techniques for effective Product Goal and backlog management
b) Taking over Product Backlog ownership
c) Writing all Product Backlog items alone
d) Deciding product value without stakeholder input
Answer: a) Helping the Product Owner find techniques for effective Product Goal and backlog management
- How does the Scrum Master serve the organization?
a) By replacing all managers
b) By helping the organization understand and adopt Scrum effectively
c) By avoiding organizational impediments
d) By preventing stakeholders from interacting with the team
Answer: b) By helping the organization understand and adopt Scrum effectively
- What is the ideal Scrum Team structure?
a) A hierarchy with several subteams
b) A group of specialists working separately
c) A small, cohesive, cross-functional team focused on one objective
d) A committee that meets once per month
Answer: c) A small, cohesive, cross-functional team focused on one objective
- What does cross-functional mean in Scrum?
a) Every person has the same skill
b) Only managers can make decisions
c) All work must be outsourced
d) The team has all skills needed to create value each Sprint
Answer: d) The team has all skills needed to create value each Sprint
- What should the Product Owner do if multiple stakeholders request conflicting features?
a) Order the Product Backlog based on value, goals and stakeholder input
b) Let the loudest stakeholder decide
c) Ask Developers to ignore stakeholders
d) Add everything to the current Sprint
Answer: a) Order the Product Backlog based on value, goals and stakeholder input
- Can the Product Owner delegate work related to Product Backlog management?
a) No, delegation is never allowed
b) Yes, but the Product Owner remains accountable
c) Yes, and accountability also transfers fully
d) Only the Scrum Master can delegate it
Answer: b) Yes, but the Product Owner remains accountable
Scrum Events
- What is the container event for all Scrum work?
a) Daily Scrum
b) Sprint Review
c) Sprint
d) Backlog Refinement
Answer: c) Sprint
- What is the maximum length of a Sprint?
a) One week
b) Two weeks
c) Six months
d) One month
Answer: d) One month
- What is the purpose of Sprint Planning?
a) To plan the work to be performed in the Sprint
b) To inspect the completed Increment
c) To review team salaries
d) To close the project
Answer: a) To plan the work to be performed in the Sprint
- What are the three main topics addressed in Sprint Planning?
a) Cost, contract and compliance
b) Why, what and how
c) Risk, procurement and closure
d) Hiring, training and reporting
Answer: b) Why, what and how
- Who participates in Sprint Planning?
a) Only the Scrum Master
b) Only the Product Owner
c) The entire Scrum Team
d) Only stakeholders
Answer: c) The entire Scrum Team
- What is the purpose of the Daily Scrum?
a) To report status to management
b) To approve the Product Backlog
c) To review annual budgets
d) To inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the Sprint Backlog
Answer: d) To inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the Sprint Backlog
- Who is the Daily Scrum primarily for?
a) Developers
b) Product Sponsor
c) Customers
d) PMO
Answer: a) Developers
- What is the timebox for the Daily Scrum?
a) 30 minutes
b) 15 minutes
c) 1 hour
d) 4 hours
Answer: b) 15 minutes
- What is the purpose of the Sprint Review?
a) To assign blame for incomplete work
b) To estimate every item in the Product Backlog
c) To inspect the outcome of the Sprint and determine future adaptations
d) To replace the Sprint Retrospective
Answer: c) To inspect the outcome of the Sprint and determine future adaptations
- Who should attend the Sprint Review?
a) Only the Scrum Master
b) Only Developers
c) Only the finance team
d) Scrum Team and key stakeholders
Answer: d) Scrum Team and key stakeholders
- What is the purpose of the Sprint Retrospective?
a) To plan ways to increase quality and effectiveness
b) To demonstrate the product to customers
c) To create the Product Goal
d) To approve vendor contracts
Answer: a) To plan ways to increase quality and effectiveness
- Which event closes the Sprint?
a) Daily Scrum
b) Sprint Retrospective
c) Sprint Planning
d) Product Backlog Refinement
Answer: b) Sprint Retrospective
- What happens to incomplete Product Backlog items at the end of a Sprint?
a) They automatically become Done
b) They must be released immediately
c) They return to the Product Backlog for future consideration
d) They are deleted permanently
Answer: c) They return to the Product Backlog for future consideration
- What is Product Backlog refinement?
a) A required formal Scrum event with a fixed timebox
b) A meeting only for the Scrum Master
c) The same as Sprint Review
d) An ongoing activity to break down, clarify and prepare Product Backlog items
Answer: d) An ongoing activity to break down, clarify and prepare Product Backlog items
- During a Sprint, who may cancel the Sprint?
a) Product Owner
b) Developers
c) Scrum Master
d) Any stakeholder
Answer: a) Product Owner
- When should a Sprint be cancelled?
a) When one Developer is absent
b) When the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete
c) When a stakeholder asks a question
d) When the Daily Scrum takes less than 15 minutes
Answer: b) When the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete
- Which statement about Scrum events is correct?
a) Events are optional status meetings only
b) Events are used to control individuals
c) Events create regular opportunities for inspection and adaptation
d) Events replace transparency
Answer: c) Events create regular opportunities for inspection and adaptation
- What should happen if the Daily Scrum reveals that the team’s plan no longer supports the Sprint Goal?
a) The team should cancel all Scrum events
b) The Product Owner should remove the Sprint Goal
c) Stakeholders should assign tasks
d) Developers should adapt the Sprint Backlog
Answer: d) Developers should adapt the Sprint Backlog
Scrum Artifacts And Commitments
- What are the three Scrum artifacts?
a) Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog and Increment
b) Charter, schedule and budget
c) Risk register, issue log and lessons learned
d) Roadmap, contract and business case
Answer: a) Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog and Increment
- What is the commitment for the Product Backlog?
a) Sprint Goal
b) Product Goal
c) Definition of Done
d) Release Plan
Answer: b) Product Goal
- What is the commitment for the Sprint Backlog?
a) Product Goal
b) Definition of Ready
c) Sprint Goal
d) Project Charter
Answer: c) Sprint Goal
- What is the commitment for the Increment?
a) Product Vision
b) Sprint Length
c) Team Charter
d) Definition of Done
Answer: d) Definition of Done
- What is the Product Backlog?
a) An ordered, emergent list of what is needed to improve the product
b) A fixed list that cannot change
c) A schedule of team vacations
d) A financial contract
Answer: a) An ordered, emergent list of what is needed to improve the product
- What does it mean that the Product Backlog is emergent?
a) It is completed before the first Sprint and never changes
b) It changes as more is learned about the product and its environment
c) It is owned by stakeholders only
d) It contains only technical tasks
Answer: b) It changes as more is learned about the product and its environment
- What is the Product Goal?
a) A daily task list
b) A defect report
c) A long-term objective for the Scrum Team
d) A budget approval document
Answer: c) A long-term objective for the Scrum Team
- What is the Sprint Backlog?
a) The complete list of all possible product work
b) A list of stakeholder complaints
c) A record of completed releases only
d) The Sprint Goal, selected Product Backlog items and the plan for delivering them
Answer: d) The Sprint Goal, selected Product Backlog items and the plan for delivering them
- Who owns and manages changes to the Sprint Backlog during the Sprint?
a) Developers
b) Product Owner only
c) Scrum Master only
d) External stakeholders
Answer: a) Developers
- What is an Increment?
a) A draft plan for future work
b) A concrete step toward the Product Goal that is usable and Done
c) A list of unrefined ideas
d) A meeting agenda
Answer: b) A concrete step toward the Product Goal that is usable and Done
- When may multiple Increments be created?
a) Only once per year
b) Only at project closure
c) During a single Sprint
d) Never
Answer: c) During a single Sprint
- What is the Definition of Done?
a) A list of work started during the Sprint
b) The Product Owner’s personal preference
c) A replacement for the Sprint Goal
d) A formal description of the state of the Increment when it meets required quality measures
Answer: d) A formal description of the state of the Increment when it meets required quality measures
- Why is the Definition of Done important?
a) It creates transparency about what complete work means
b) It eliminates the need for testing
c) It allows unfinished work to be released
d) It replaces the Product Backlog
Answer: a) It creates transparency about what complete work means
- What happens if a Product Backlog item does not meet the Definition of Done?
a) It is automatically accepted
b) It is not part of the Increment
c) It must be released anyway
d) It is removed from Scrum permanently
Answer: b) It is not part of the Increment
- Who must understand the Definition of Done?
a) Only the Scrum Master
b) Only the finance department
c) The Scrum Team
d) Only external vendors
Answer: c) The Scrum Team
- What is the main purpose of artifact commitments?
a) To create more documentation
b) To replace Scrum values
c) To assign people to departments
d) To increase transparency and focus for each artifact
Answer: d) To increase transparency and focus for each artifact
Product Backlog, Value And Stakeholders
- Who is responsible for ordering the Product Backlog?
a) Product Owner
b) Scrum Master
c) Developers only
d) Stakeholders only
Answer: a) Product Owner
- What should guide Product Backlog ordering?
a) Alphabetical order
b) Value, risk, dependencies and the Product Goal
c) Personal preference of Developers only
d) Oldest request first in every situation
Answer: b) Value, risk, dependencies and the Product Goal
- A stakeholder requests a feature that does not support the Product Goal. What should the Product Owner do?
a) Add it immediately to the current Sprint
b) Ignore the stakeholder forever
c) Discuss the request and decide its priority based on value and alignment
d) Ask the Scrum Master to approve it
Answer: c) Discuss the request and decide its priority based on value and alignment
- What is the purpose of a Sprint Goal?
a) To list every individual task
b) To replace the Product Goal
c) To freeze the Product Backlog forever
d) To provide a single objective for the Sprint
Answer: d) To provide a single objective for the Sprint
- Why should Product Backlog items be refined before Sprint Planning?
a) So they are better understood and can be selected with confidence
b) So the Product Backlog never changes
c) So the Scrum Master can assign all tasks
d) So stakeholders no longer need reviews
Answer: a) So they are better understood and can be selected with confidence
- Who may attend Product Backlog refinement?
a) Only the Scrum Master
b) Scrum Team members and others who can help clarify the work
c) Only external auditors
d) Only the project sponsor
Answer: b) Scrum Team members and others who can help clarify the work
- What is the best way for a Product Owner to improve stakeholder alignment?
a) Hide Product Backlog ordering decisions
b) Avoid Sprint Reviews
c) Share product direction, explain priorities and invite feedback regularly
d) Accept all stakeholder requests equally
Answer: c) Share product direction, explain priorities and invite feedback regularly
- What should happen if the Product Goal changes?
a) Scrum must stop permanently
b) The Definition of Done should be deleted
c) The Sprint Retrospective should be cancelled
d) The Product Backlog should be adapted to support the new goal
Answer: d) The Product Backlog should be adapted to support the new goal
- What is a common risk of having more than one Product Owner for one product?
a) Conflicting priorities and unclear accountability
b) Faster value delivery in every case
c) Elimination of stakeholder conflict
d) Less need for Product Backlog management
Answer: a) Conflicting priorities and unclear accountability
- What should the Scrum Team deliver by the end of every Sprint?
a) A presentation only
b) A usable Increment that meets the Definition of Done
c) A fixed number of story points
d) A final project report
Answer: b) A usable Increment that meets the Definition of Done
Scrum Master, Facilitation And Coaching
- Which behavior best represents servant leadership by a Scrum Master?
a) Controlling all decisions
b) Assigning all tasks to Developers
c) Removing impediments and helping the team become more effective
d) Preventing stakeholder collaboration
Answer: c) Removing impediments and helping the team become more effective
- A team repeatedly avoids discussing difficult issues in retrospectives. What should the Scrum Master do?
a) Cancel retrospectives
b) Report individuals to management immediately
c) Replace the Sprint Review with a retrospective
d) Create a safer environment for honest inspection and adaptation
Answer: d) Create a safer environment for honest inspection and adaptation
- A manager outside the Scrum Team keeps assigning work directly to Developers during the Sprint. What should the Scrum Master do?
a) Coach the manager and team on Scrum accountabilities and self-management
b) Accept the behavior without discussion
c) Remove Developers from Sprint Planning
d) Ask the Product Owner to stop ordering the backlog
Answer: a) Coach the manager and team on Scrum accountabilities and self-management
- A Scrum Team’s Daily Scrum has become a status report to the Scrum Master. What should the Scrum Master do?
a) Continue collecting individual status
b) Coach Developers to use it for inspecting progress and adapting their plan
c) Cancel the Daily Scrum permanently
d) Ask stakeholders to run the meeting
Answer: b) Coach Developers to use it for inspecting progress and adapting their plan
- A Product Owner is unavailable to clarify backlog items. What should the Scrum Master do?
a) Make all product decisions personally
b) Allow Developers to guess requirements silently
c) Help the Scrum Team and Product Owner improve collaboration and availability
d) Remove the Product Owner accountability
Answer: c) Help the Scrum Team and Product Owner improve collaboration and availability
- What is an impediment in Scrum?
a) Any completed backlog item
b) A stakeholder request
c) A normal Sprint event
d) Anything that prevents or slows the Scrum Team’s progress toward its goals
Answer: d) Anything that prevents or slows the Scrum Team’s progress toward its goals
- What should a Scrum Master do with organizational impediments?
a) Help make them visible and work with the organization to remove them
b) Ignore them because they are outside the team
c) Ask Developers to work harder
d) Cancel the Sprint immediately
Answer: a) Help make them visible and work with the organization to remove them
- What is the Scrum Master’s role in facilitation?
a) Dictate every decision
b) Help groups have effective conversations and decisions
c) Avoid all conflict
d) Replace the Product Owner
Answer: b) Help groups have effective conversations and decisions
- A Scrum Team is new and confused about accountabilities. What should the Scrum Master do?
a) Assign a project manager to control the team
b) Stop using Scrum events
c) Teach and coach the Scrum Team on Scrum accountabilities and how they interact
d) Ask stakeholders to define every task
Answer: c) Teach and coach the Scrum Team on Scrum accountabilities and how they interact
- What should a Scrum Master do when Scrum is being used only as terminology without real transparency or adaptation?
a) Accept mechanical compliance as sufficient
b) Remove all events
c) Ask the team to write longer reports
d) Coach the team and organization on the purpose behind Scrum practices
Answer: d) Coach the team and organization on the purpose behind Scrum practices
Planning, Estimation And Forecasting
- In Scrum, estimates are primarily used to:
a) Support planning, forecasting and shared understanding
b) Measure individual performance
c) Guarantee exact delivery dates
d) Replace Product Backlog ordering
Answer: a) Support planning, forecasting and shared understanding
- Who decides how much work to select for a Sprint?
a) Scrum Master alone
b) Developers, in collaboration with the Product Owner during Sprint Planning
c) Stakeholders alone
d) Functional Manager alone
Answer: b) Developers, in collaboration with the Product Owner during Sprint Planning
- What is a forecast in Scrum?
a) A fixed promise that cannot change
b) A contract penalty
c) A prediction based on current understanding that may change as more is learned
d) A replacement for the Product Goal
Answer: c) A prediction based on current understanding that may change as more is learned
- A Scrum Team consistently carries unfinished work into the next Sprint. What should be inspected?
a) Only the team logo
b) Only stakeholder job titles
c) Only contract language
d) Sprint planning, item size, capacity and Definition of Done
Answer: d) Sprint planning, item size, capacity and Definition of Done
- What is the best use of velocity?
a) Forecasting future work for the same team
b) Comparing individual Developers
c) Ranking teams across the organization
d) Replacing stakeholder feedback
Answer: a) Forecasting future work for the same team
- Why should Product Backlog items selected for a Sprint be small enough to complete within the Sprint?
a) To avoid collaboration
b) To improve transparency and support delivery of Done work
c) To make the Sprint longer
d) To eliminate the Sprint Goal
Answer: b) To improve transparency and support delivery of Done work
- What is the best action when new information emerges during the Sprint?
a) Ignore all new information
b) Cancel the Daily Scrum
c) Inspect whether the Sprint Backlog plan should adapt while preserving the Sprint Goal
d) Remove the Definition of Done
Answer: c) Inspect whether the Sprint Backlog plan should adapt while preserving the Sprint Goal
- What should happen if stakeholders want to change future product direction after a Sprint Review?
a) Developers must change the completed Increment
b) The Scrum Master must reject the feedback
c) The Sprint Retrospective should be cancelled
d) The Product Owner should consider the feedback when adapting the Product Backlog
Answer: d) The Product Owner should consider the feedback when adapting the Product Backlog
Scaling, Adoption And Continuous Improvement
- What is a common sign that Scrum adoption is weak?
a) Scrum events occur, but transparency, inspection and adaptation do not happen
b) The team inspects progress frequently
c) The Product Owner orders the backlog
d) The team delivers Done Increments
Answer: a) Scrum events occur, but transparency, inspection and adaptation do not happen
- A company wants to use Scrum but keep all decisions with managers outside the Scrum Team. What is the likely problem?
a) It improves Scrum automatically
b) It weakens self-management and accountability
c) It removes the need for a Product Owner
d) It strengthens empiricism
Answer: b) It weakens self-management and accountability
- What should be the focus of continuous improvement in Scrum?
a) Only increasing meeting count
b) Only reducing documentation
c) Product quality, team effectiveness and ways of working
d) Only satisfying one stakeholder
Answer: c) Product quality, team effectiveness and ways of working
- What is one useful outcome from a Sprint Retrospective?
a) A new Product Owner
b) A cancelled Product Goal
c) A vendor invoice
d) A concrete improvement action for the next Sprint
Answer: d) A concrete improvement action for the next Sprint
- A team identifies too many improvement actions in a retrospective. What should it do?
a) Select a manageable number of high-impact actions
b) Attempt every action immediately
c) Ignore all actions
d) Move all actions to the Product Backlog without discussion
Answer: a) Select a manageable number of high-impact actions
- What is the purpose of Scrum in an organization?
a) To create more hierarchy
b) To help people and teams generate value through adaptive solutions for complex problems
c) To eliminate customer feedback
d) To replace all product strategy
Answer: b) To help people and teams generate value through adaptive solutions for complex problems
- When multiple Scrum Teams work on the same product, what should they share?
a) Separate Product Owners for conflicting priorities
b) Different Product Backlogs for the same product vision
c) The same Product Goal, Product Backlog and Definition of Done
d) Separate definitions of quality with no alignment
Answer: c) The same Product Goal, Product Backlog and Definition of Done
- A Scrum Team depends on another department for every release decision, causing delays. What should the Scrum Master do?
a) Ignore the dependency
b) Ask Developers to stop releasing
c) Cancel Sprint Reviews
d) Help make the dependency visible and work with the organization to improve flow
Answer: d) Help make the dependency visible and work with the organization to improve flow
- Which situation best shows effective Scrum?
a) The team delivers a Done Increment, inspects feedback and adapts the Product Backlog
b) The team creates many reports but no usable Increment
c) The team skips reviews to save time
d) Managers assign tasks during the Daily Scrum
Answer: a) The team delivers a Done Increment, inspects feedback and adapts the Product Backlog
- What is the best final preparation strategy for the CSM test?
a) Memorize only meeting names
b) Understand Scrum values, accountabilities, events, artifacts, commitments and the purpose behind them
c) Study only project management formulas
d) Avoid the Scrum Guide
Answer: b) Understand Scrum values, accountabilities, events, artifacts, commitments and the purpose behind them