PSM I: Professional Scrum Master I Practice Exam

What the PSM I exam covers

• Understanding and Applying the Scrum Framework431 questions
• Developing People and Teams129 questions
• Managing Products with Agility159 questions

Free PSM I sample questions

A sample of 10 questions with answers and explanations. Sign up free to practice all 719.

1. Question 1Understanding and Applying the Scrum Framework

   On what two foundations is Scrum built, according to the Scrum Guide?

   • AEmpiricism and lean thinkingCorrect
   • BPredictive planning and detailed upfront requirements gathering
   • CCommand-and-control management and a fixed project schedule
   • DDocumentation completeness and formal stage-gate approvals
   ✓ Correct answer: A

   The Scrum Guide states that Scrum is founded on empiricism and lean thinking. Empiricism asserts that knowledge comes from experience and that decisions are made on what is observed, which is why Scrum works in short cycles and inspects the result. Lean thinking reduces waste and focuses on the essentials, which is why Scrum is deliberately minimal - it defines only what is needed and leaves the rest to the team.

   Why the other options are wrong

   • BPredictive planning with detailed upfront requirements is the opposite of empiricism, which learns from what is observed.
   • CCommand-and-control contradicts self-management, which the Scrum Team relies on to decide how work is done.
   • DStage-gate approvals and documentation completeness are traditional governance mechanisms rather than Scrum's foundations.
2. Question 2Developing People and Teams

   The Developers ask the Scrum Master to attend a technical design session and make the final call on the architecture. How should the Scrum Master respond?

   • ADecline the decision, and help the Developers find a way to reach it themselvesCorrect
   • BMake the call, since the team has explicitly asked for a decision
   • CRefer the decision to the Product Owner as the accountable party
   • DBring in an architect from outside the team to decide
   ✓ Correct answer: A

   Being invited to decide does not make deciding the right thing to do - the Developers are accountable for how the work is performed, and taking the decision creates a dependency that will recur. What is useful is helping them decide: proposing a way to evaluate the options, suggesting a small experiment, or facilitating the discussion. Attending to facilitate is fine; attending to rule is not.

   Why the other options are wrong

   • BThe team asking for a decision does not transfer the accountability, and making the call creates a lasting dependency.
   • CArchitecture is a technical decision belonging to the Developers rather than to the Product Owner.
   • DAn external decision-maker undermines the team's cross-functionality and self-management.
3. Question 3Understanding and Applying the Scrum Framework

   The Product Owner asks the Developers to skip testing this Sprint to hit a deadline. What should happen?

   • AThe Developers decline, since the Definition of Done governs qualityCorrect
   • BThe Developers comply, since the Product Owner sets priorities
   • CThe Scrum Master decides whether the exception is acceptable
   • DThe team votes on whether to accept the shortened process
   ✓ Correct answer: A

   The Developers are accountable for instilling quality by adhering to a Definition of Done, and that accountability is not overridden by scheduling pressure. The Product Owner decides what is built and in what order; they do not decide that finished work may be unfinished. The productive conversation is about reducing scope to meet the deadline, which is entirely legitimate.

   Why the other options are wrong

   • BThe Product Owner orders what is built; quality standards are the Developers' accountability.
   • CThe Scrum Master has no authority to grant quality exceptions.
   • DThe team does not vote to shorten the process; the Definition of Done stands and scope is the variable.
4. Question 4Understanding and Applying the Scrum Framework

   True or false: The Product Owner may delegate Product Backlog ordering to others, but remains accountable.

   • ATrueCorrect
   • BFalse
   ✓ Correct answer: A

   The Guide says the Product Owner may do the Product Backlog management work themselves or may delegate it to others, and that either way the Product Owner remains accountable. That distinction between doing the work and holding the accountability is what keeps one person answerable for the product's value even in a large organization.

   Why the other options are wrong

   • BDelegation of the work is explicitly permitted; what cannot be delegated is the accountability.
5. Question 5Understanding and Applying the Scrum Framework

   What does the Guide say about who performs Product Backlog refinement?

   • AThe Developers who will do the work are responsible for the sizingCorrect
   • BRefinement is performed exclusively by the Product Owner before Sprint Planning takes place
   • CRefinement is delegated to a business analysis team so the Developers are not interrupted
   • DRefinement is facilitated by the Scrum Master, who documents the resulting item descriptions
   ✓ Correct answer: A

   The Guide states that the Developers who will be doing the work are responsible for the sizing, and that the Product Owner may influence them by helping them understand and select trade-offs. Refinement is therefore collaborative, with the Product Owner supplying intent and the Developers supplying feasibility.

   Why the other options are wrong

   • BExclusively the Product Owner would remove the Developers' sizing responsibility from the activity.
   • CDelegating refinement to a business analysis team recreates the handoff cross-functionality removes.
   • DThe Scrum Master may facilitate but is not the one who documents or owns the item descriptions.
6. Question 6Understanding and Applying the Scrum Framework

   Which correctly describes the difference between Done and released?

   • ADone is the quality state; releasing is a separate Product Owner decisionCorrect
   • BDone and released mean the same thing, since a Done Increment is always in production
   • CReleased is the quality state, and Done describes the Developers' internal completion
   • DDone applies to items and released applies to Sprints, so the terms never overlap
   ✓ Correct answer: A

   Work is Done when it meets the Definition of Done, which makes it usable and potentially releasable. Whether it reaches customers is a value decision, and the Guide notes an Increment may be delivered to stakeholders before the Sprint ends. Done is a precondition for release rather than a synonym for it.

   Why the other options are wrong

   • BA Done Increment is potentially releasable; whether it ships is a separate decision.
   • CThe quality state is defined by the Definition of Done rather than by release status.
   • DDone applies to work at any granularity, so the distinction is not about items versus Sprints.
7. Question 7Understanding and Applying the Scrum Framework

   Which correctly describes how a Scrum Team creates transparency about progress toward the Product Goal?

   • ABy delivering Increments and inspecting progress at each Sprint ReviewCorrect
   • BBy publishing a percentage complete figure against the Product Backlog every week
   • CBy counting how many Product Backlog items remain below the current Product Goal
   • DBy tracking how many hours the Developers have spent since the Goal was established
   ✓ Correct answer: A

   The Guide says the Scrum Team and stakeholders review what was accomplished in the Sprint and how progress toward the Product Goal stands. Increments make that progress concrete, which is what makes the conversation an inspection rather than a report of estimates.

   Why the other options are wrong

   • BA weekly percentage complete figure against an emergent Backlog measures a moving denominator.
   • CCounting remaining items ignores that the Backlog changes as understanding improves.
   • DHours spent measures effort, which says nothing about progress toward the product's future state.
8. Question 8Understanding and Applying the Scrum Framework

   Which correctly describes what happens if the Developers change the Sprint Backlog without telling the Product Owner?

   • ATransparency suffers, and scope changes should be renegotiated with the Product OwnerCorrect
   • BNothing is wrong, since the Sprint Backlog belongs entirely to the Developers
   • CThe Sprint must be cancelled, since the agreed plan has been broken unilaterally
   • DThe Scrum Master must restore the original plan agreed at Sprint Planning
   ✓ Correct answer: A

   The Developers own the plan and adapt it daily, which needs no permission. What does need a conversation is scope, since the Guide says it may be clarified and renegotiated with the Product Owner as more is learned. Silent scope change removes the Product Owner from a value decision.

   Why the other options are wrong

   • BThe Sprint Backlog belonging to the Developers does not extend to changing scope without the Product Owner.
   • CCancellation applies when the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete rather than when a plan changes.
   • DRestoring the original plan would block the daily adaptation the Developers are accountable for.
9. Question 9Developing People and Teams

   Which is the best way for a Scrum Master to build trust with a sceptical Scrum Team?

   • ARemove a real impediment the team has been living with for some timeCorrect
   • BExplain the Scrum Guide thoroughly at the first opportunity available
   • CAgree with everything the team says until it accepts the new Scrum Master
   • DDemonstrate authority early so the team understands the role's standing
   ✓ Correct answer: A

   Causing the removal of impediments is a stated Scrum Master service, and doing it visibly shows the accountability is useful rather than ceremonial. A team that has seen a long-standing obstacle actually disappear becomes far more willing to engage with the harder conversations. Explanation lands better after evidence than before it. Trust here is earned rather than asserted.

   Why the other options are wrong

   • BA thorough explanation of the Guide before any demonstrated usefulness rarely persuades a sceptic.
   • CAgreeing with everything abandons the coaching the accountability exists to provide.
   • DDemonstrating authority contradicts a role the Guide describes as serving rather than directing.
10. Question 10Managing Products with Agility

    How should a Product Owner respond when a stakeholder wants to attend the Daily Scrum to track their item?

    • AOffer better visibility instead, since the event is for the DevelopersCorrect
    • BArrange attendance, since transparency means stakeholders may attend any event
    • CRefuse without explanation, since Scrum defines who attends each event
    • DAttend on the stakeholder's behalf and report back after each Daily Scrum
    ✓ Correct answer: A

    The Daily Scrum is a fifteen-minute event for the Developers to inspect progress and adapt their plan. The stakeholder's underlying need is visibility, which the Sprint Backlog and the Sprint Review serve directly. Meeting the need through the right channel keeps both the event and the relationship intact. Refusing without offering an alternative solves neither.

    Why the other options are wrong

    • BTransparency concerns the artifacts rather than granting attendance at every event.
    • CRefusing without explanation leaves the stakeholder's legitimate need for visibility unmet.
    • DAttending and reporting back makes the Product Owner a relay for information the artifacts show.

Who this PSM I practice exam is for

This practice set is for anyone preparing for the PSM I: Professional Scrum Master I exam at the advanced level - from first-time candidates building a foundation to experienced Project & Service Management practitioners doing a final review before test day. If you learn best by working through realistic questions and reading why each answer is right or wrong, it is built for you.

How to use this PSM I practice exam

1. Start with the free sample questions above to gauge your current baseline.
2. Read the full explanation on every question, including why each wrong option is wrong.
3. Track your weak domains and focus your study where you are losing the most marks.
4. Once you are scoring consistently well, take a timed, full-length mock exam.
5. Use your readiness score to decide when you are ready to book the real PSM I exam.

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