PSM-II Professional Scrum Master level II (PSM II) Exam

Details
Fee: $250 USD
Passing score: 85%
Time limit: 90 minutes
Number of Questions: 30 (partial credit provide on some questions)
Difficulty: Advanced
Format: Multiple Choice, Multiple Answer and True/False
Language: English only

PSM II Subject Areas
The Scrum Guide and The Nexus Guide
Ways to Learn More to help you prepare
Required course: None
Recommended courses: Professional Scrum Master and Professional Scrum Master II
Recommended Certification: PSM I
Practice assessments: PSM I, PSPO I, PSD I, Scrum Open
Passwords have no expiration date, but are valid for one attempt only

Prove Your Advanced Knowledge of Scrum
The Professional Scrum MasterTM level II (PSM II) assessment is available to anyone who wishes to demonstrate his or her ability to apply the Scrum framework to solving advanced, complex problems in the real world. Those that pass the assessment will receive the industry recognized PSM II Certification as an indication of their advanced knowledge and abilities pertaining to Scrum and the role of the Scrum Master.

Anyone attempting the PSM II should have advanced Scrum knowledge, in-depth Scrum experience and/or have taken the Professional Scrum Master course prior to taking this assessment. However, attending a course is neither necessary nor sufficient for certification. The PSM II assessment is very difficult, and consists of multiple-choice questions based on your knowledge of Scrum and how you would handle real-world situations.

Prepare for the Assessment
The assessment is exhaustive and rigorous. Many questions ask you to think about or interpret the meaning from the Scrum Guide, apply content from the PSM II subject areas, as well as application of your own experience.

Reading the Scrum Guide and taking the Open Assessments alone isn’t enough preparation and we recommend reviewing the content below:

The assessment covers topics from multiple Focus Areas defined by the Professional Scrum Competencies and detailed on the PSM II Suggested Reading page. Questions will be selected at random from the
Focus Areas listed.

Many questions ask you to think about or interpret the meaning from the Scrum Guide and how you would apply Scrum within a Scrum Team.
The Scrum Master learning path contains many additional resources to help you prepare to take the PSM II Assessment.
Since this is an advanced Scrum Master certification, reading content from the Product Owner, Agile Leader, and Development Team Member learning paths may also be helpful.

Attending the 2-day Professional Scrum Master II course is highly recommended. Find additional information to help you prepare for the PSM Assessment and ways to learn about Scrum.

To protect the integrity of the certification process, Scrum.org does not share information about the specific questions that were answered correctly or incorrectly. Learn More

Search the list of existing Professional Scrum certification holders here or see a breakdown on how many people hold certifications.

The cost of PSM II is $250 USD. Assessment passwords do not expire and remain valid until used. See more details below.

When you purchase a password, it is set up in our system and emailed to you within one business day.

Certification
If you pass the PSM II assessment you will receive the industry-recognized “PSM II” certification, along with a PSM II logo that you can use to identify your achievement. In addition, your name will be listed on Scrum.org.

Unlike other Scrum certifications that require only class attendance, Scrum.org certification requires a minimum score on an online assessment. This gives Scrum.org certification teeth and ensures that it has true value in the marketplace.

Search the list of Professional Scrum Certificate Holders

QUESTION 1
A Scrum Master is not only a servant-leader to the Scrum Team and organization, it’s also considered a management position.
Which three activities describe what a Scrum Master manages as reflected by the Scrum Guide? (Choose three.)

A. Reporting on the performance of the Sprint.
B. The way Scrum is understood and enacted within the organization.
C. Managing the capacity and utilization of each Development Team member.
D. Managing the process in which Scrum is applied.
E. Managing the Product Backlog items and work in the Sprint Backlog.
F. Removing organizational impediments that limits the team’s progress and productivity.

Correct Answer: B,D,F

QUESTION 2
An organization has just hired you as a new Scrum Master to help them transition their teams from their
current traditional process to Scrum. The teams are currently structured to specialize in a single function. This
is also known as component teams where a team would only address a single layer (i.e. design, frontend,
backend, database, testing, etc.). You’ve introduced the concept of cross-functional teams where all the skills
needed to produce business functionality, from end to end, are inside of a single team.
What should you keep in mind when transitioning from siloed teams to cross-functional teams? (Choose two.)

A. It is easier to compare the performance between cross-functional teams in order to identify to which teams to assign tasks and which teams need additional coaching.
B. Newly formed teams will need time to stabilize before reaching their peak performance. During the initial stages of forming, performance will suffer and productivity may be low, although even then delivery of
business value is still likely to increase.
C. Without feature teams, you cannot do Scrum. Postpone Scrum adoption until the teams are reorganized in feature teams.
D. People from the different layers and components will need time to become accustomed to working and delivering unified functionality together as one Scrum Team thus productivity may suffer.

Correct Answer: B,D

QUESTION 3
Paul is a Product Owner for multiple products. Each product is allocated a dedicated Scrum Team and a set
budget. Based on the average velocity of a previous product release, Paul had estimated a new product to
take 9 Sprints to complete. The average velocity of the previous product release was 50 completed units of
work per Sprint. Over the first 3 Sprints, the Development Team reported an average velocity of 40 completed
units per Sprint, while not fully completing the required integration tests. The Development Team estimates
that integration testing would require additional effort to make the increments shippable. The Development
Team is unsure if the required velocity is achievable.
What is the most effective way to recover?

A. In the next Sprints, the Development Team strives to make the selected work as close to ‘done’ as possible
and at the minimum 90% completed. Any undone work is divided into new Product Backlog Items that will
be deferred to the last Sprint in order to maintain stable velocity.

B. The Development Team informs Paul that the progress he has perceived to date is not correct. The
Increment is not releasable. They give Paul their estimate of the effort it would take to get the previous
work ‘done’, and suggest doing that work first before proceeding with new features. The team also reestimates
the effort to make the remaining Product Backlog items ‘done’, including all integration effort. In
the end, it is Paul’s call to continue the project or to cancel.

C. The Scrum Master will manage the Sprint Backlog and assign work to the Development Team members to
ensure maximum utilization of each member. He/she will keep track of unused resources so that it does not
impact the budget. Unused budget can be allocated for additional Sprints if needed.

D. The Scrum Master sets the open work aside to be performed in one or more release Sprints. They remind
Paul to find funding for enough Release Sprints in which this remaining work can be done. Up to one
release Sprint per three development Sprints may be required. It is Paul’s role to inform users and
stakeholders of the impact on the release date.

Correct Answer: B

QUESTION 4
Paul, a Product Owner of one of the Scrum Teams, has been attending the Daily Scrum. During the Daily
Scrum, the Development Team members have been reporting their daily work to Paul so that he is aware of
their Sprint progress and what each member is working on.
What is the best action for the Scrum Master to take?

A. Ask Paul to stop attending the Daily Scrum.
B. Coach Paul and Development Team members on the purpose of the Scrum events and let them figure out what to do in this situation.
C. Allow the Paul to participate in the Daily Scrum as he is responsible for the success of the product.
D. Facilitate the Daily Scrums to avoid any conflicts between the Development Team members and Paul.

Correct Answer: B

QUESTION 5
Steven, the Scrum Master, is approached by one of the Development Team members saying that they are not
completing regression tests for all of the work they are performing to the level defined in the Definition of Done.
They have discussed this with the Product Owner and decided to remove regression testing from the Definition of Done.
Which two actions are the most appropriate for Steven to take? (Choose two.)

A. Reject the decision as the long term maintainability of the product will be negatively impacted by modifying the Definition of Done.
B. Accept the decision as a mutual agreement has been made between the Development Team and the Product Owner.
C. Ask the Development Team and the Product Owner what problem they are trying to solve by altering the Definition of Done and removing regression testing from it. In what ways will this decision impact
transparency and quality?
D. Ask the Development Team and the Product Owner if they are still able to produce potentially shippable product increments by altering the Definition of Done?

Correct Answer: C,D