PSM II Sample Questions With Full Explanations
Welcome to this PSM II (Professional Scrum Master II) practice set. These questions are designed to mirror the difficulty and style of the real Scrum.org assessment, focusing on the "why" and "how" of Scrum mastery rather than just the mechanics. You will be tested on your ability to apply Scrum principles in complex, real-world situations, handle organizational impediments, and coach teams to self-management. Pay close attention to the nuances in each option, as the "best" answer often requires a deep understanding of the Scrum Guide and the role of the Scrum Master as a servant leader.
Question 1
A Development Team has been working together for six sprints. They are consistently delivering the forecasted work, but the Product Owner feels they are not producing the most valuable product possible. Upon investigation, you notice the team is not asking questions during the Sprint and simply takes the Product Backlog Items in order from the top. What is the most likely root cause of this issue? If you're preparing for this exam, PSM I Sample Questions With Full Explanations is essential reading.
A. The Product Owner is not making themselves available for consultation.
B. The team is not mature enough to handle a complex product.
C. The Definition of Done is too weak, allowing low-quality work.
D. The team is not actively engaging with the Product Backlog to understand the value and intent.
Answer: D
Explanation: The symptom of "taking items in order" without questions indicates a lack of active collaboration and understanding of the product vision. A mature Scrum Team collaborates with the Product Owner to refine and understand the "why" behind the work. The root cause is the team's passive behavior, not the Product Owner's availability (A) or a lack of skill (B). A weak Definition of Done (C) is a separate issue related to quality, not value.
Question 2
During the Sprint Review, a key stakeholder requests a major new feature that would require the team to abandon the current Sprint Goal. The Product Owner looks to you for guidance. What is the most appropriate action for the Scrum Master to take?
A. Advise the Product Owner to accept the change and cancel the Sprint, as the stakeholder is key.
B. Remind the Product Owner that they have the authority to cancel the Sprint, but only if the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete.
C. Tell the stakeholder to wait until the next Sprint Planning to add the item to the Product Backlog.
D. Instruct the team to add the new feature to the current Sprint Backlog immediately.
Answer: B
Explanation: The Product Owner is the sole authority over the Product Backlog and has the power to cancel a Sprint, but this power is reserved for when the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete, not for accommodating every new request. The Scrum Master coaches the Product Owner to make the decision based on value and the Sprint Goal's relevance. Ignoring the stakeholder (C) or forcing the work in (D) are not agile responses to change.
Question 3
You are coaching a new Scrum Team that is struggling with self-management. They frequently ask you for permission on how to implement technical solutions and who should handle specific tasks. What is the best way to foster their self-management?
A. Assign tasks to specific developers to ensure the work is evenly distributed.
B. Provide detailed technical instructions to ensure they don't make mistakes.
C. Ask powerful questions to help them solve the problems themselves and step back from decision-making.
D. Make the decisions for them to maintain speed and reduce conflict.
Answer: C
Explanation: The Scrum Master's role is to coach the team towards self-management. Providing answers (B) or making decisions (D) creates dependency. Assigning tasks (A) is a command-and-control behavior that contradicts self-management. Using powerful questions empowers the team to own their processes and develop their problem-solving skills.
Question 4
A team has a stable velocity and a high-quality Definition of Done. However, the organization is structured by functional silos (e.g., Business Analysis, Development, Testing). The team members are assigned to the Scrum Team but still report to their functional managers who dictate their daily tasks. What is the primary challenge for the Scrum Master here?
A. The team lacks the necessary technical skills to complete the work.
B. The functional managers are not attending the Daily Scrum. This connects to what we discuss in CompTIA Project+ Sample Questions With Full Explanations.
C. The organizational structure is impeding the team's ability to self-organize around the Sprint Goal.
D. The team's velocity is not high enough for the organization's expectations.
Answer: C
Explanation: While the team is "stable," the influence of functional managers means the team cannot truly self-manage and focus on the Sprint Goal. The Scrum Master's primary challenge is to address this organizational impediment by coaching stakeholders and management on the principles of empiricism and self-management. The issue is structural, not about skills (A), meetings (B), or speed (D).
Question 5
A Product Owner is consistently absent from Sprint Planning and the Sprint Review. They only communicate with the team via email. The team is becoming frustrated and is making assumptions about requirements. What is the most important consequence of this behavior that the Scrum Master should address?
A. The team will likely miss their Sprint forecast.
B. The Product Backlog will become unstructured and unclear.
C. The team is unable to inspect and adapt the product based on direct stakeholder feedback.
D. The Scrum Master will have to take on the role of the Product Owner.
Answer: C
Explanation: The Sprint Review is a critical inspection point, and the Product Owner's absence removes the opportunity for direct collaboration and feedback, which is essential for empiricism. While A and B are possible consequences, they are secondary to the core issue of losing the empirical feedback loop. The Scrum Master must coach the Product Owner on their accountabilities and the value of direct interaction.
Question 6
Two senior developers on a Scrum Team are constantly arguing during the Daily Scrum about the best way to implement a complex algorithm. The rest of the team is silent. What is the best action for the Scrum Master to take?
A. Ask the two developers to take their detailed discussion offline after the Daily Scrum.
B. Facilitate the discussion in the Daily Scrum until a consensus is reached.
C. Decide on the best technical approach for them to end the conflict.
D. Tell the two developers to respect each other's opinions and move on.
Answer: A
Explanation: The Daily Scrum is for inspecting progress towards the Sprint Goal, not for solving complex technical problems in detail. The Scrum Master should coach the team to keep the Daily Scrum focused and time-boxed. The detailed discussion should happen between the relevant developers after the meeting, where they can focus without disrupting the rest of the team. Facilitating the argument (B) wastes the team's time, and making decisions (C) is not the Scrum Master's role.
Question 7
A Scrum Team is working on a product with a very long release cycle. They have completed several Sprints but have not released any value to the end-users. The Product Owner is happy with the progress, but the stakeholders are getting anxious. What is the best way for the Scrum Master to address this?
A. Suggest that the team release the product at the end of the current Sprint, even if it is incomplete.
B. Coach the Product Owner to identify a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and create a plan to release it sooner.
C. Reassure the stakeholders that the team is working hard and the release will happen when it is ready.
D. Ask the team to increase their velocity so the release can happen sooner.
Answer: B If this interests you, PSM I Passing Score: How Many Questions You Can Afford to Miss goes into more detail.
Explanation: A core principle of Scrum is delivering value frequently. The Scrum Master should coach the Product Owner to find ways to slice the work into smaller, releasable increments. This addresses the core concern of stakeholders by focusing on value delivery, not just activity. Reassuring them (C) does not solve the problem, and increasing velocity (D) without a plan to release is meaningless.
Question 8
A Scrum Master is working with a team that has a high level of technical debt. The team feels pressure to deliver new features and is cutting corners on testing and refactoring. What is the most effective way for the Scrum Master to help the team address this issue?
A. Add a specific number of hours to the Sprint Backlog for "refactoring" tasks.
B. Ask the Product Owner to add a technical debt epic to the Product Backlog.
C. Coach the team to include quality practices in their Definition of Done and make it non-negotiable.
D. Encourage the team to work overtime to pay off the debt.
Answer: C
Explanation: Technical debt is a quality issue that should be addressed by the team's own standards. The Definition of Done is the team's promise of quality. By strengthening it to include testing, refactoring, and other quality practices, the team ensures that no new debt is created and forces the Product Owner to prioritize the existing debt. Adding tasks (A) or an epic (B) without changing the team's definition of "done" is a temporary fix that will not solve the root cause.
Question 9
You are the Scrum Master for a team that has been together for a year. They are highly effective and self-managing. The team rarely needs your help with day-to-day activities. What should you focus your time on now?
A. Attend all the team's meetings to ensure they are following the Scrum framework correctly.
B. Focus on removing organizational impediments and coaching the wider organization on agility.
C. Let the team be and only check in with them every few weeks.
D. Start pairing with individual developers to improve their technical skills.
Answer: B
Explanation: A mature Scrum Master shifts their focus from the team (which is self-managing) to the organization. Their primary value is in removing impediments that the team cannot remove themselves and coaching the organization to understand and embrace an agile mindset. This leverages the Scrum Master's role as a change agent. Over-managing (A) or ignoring (C) are both incorrect, and technical coaching (D) is not the primary focus of a Scrum Master.
Question 10
A stakeholder asks the team to report their progress in a traditional "percentage complete" format for each task. The team is unsure how to respond. What is the best coaching advice from the Scrum Master?
A. Agree to provide the percentage to keep the stakeholder happy.
B. Coach the team to explain that in Scrum, progress is measured by the value delivered in a potentially releasable Increment, not by task completion percentages.
C. Suggest using a Gantt chart in addition to the Scrum Board to show progress.
D. Tell the stakeholder that the team doesn't have time to report progress.
Answer: B
Explanation: The Scrum Master should coach both the team and the stakeholder. "Percentage complete" is a traditional project management metric that can be misleading and is not consistent with Scrum's empirical nature. The team should be coached to communicate the value of the Increment and the forecast of the Sprint Goal, which is a more meaningful measure of progress. This is an opportunity for the Scrum Master to facilitate a shift in the organization's mindset.
This set covers key PSM II domains, including coaching, facilitation, organizational change, and the Scrum Master's role in fostering an empirical culture. The real exam will challenge you to think critically about the "best" answer in complex situations, often where multiple options seem plausible. Remember to always anchor your decisions in the Scrum Guide and the principles of transparency, inspection, and adaptation.
Once you have worked through these questions, use the free Professional Scrum Master II readiness check to spot any weak topics before you book.
Finish your study plan with Professional Scrum Master II (PSM II) sample questions — they are the last step before booking your exam.
For a schedule that fits your available preparation time, use the free Professional Scrum Master II study plan.