SMC Scrum Master Certified (SMC) Free Practice Exam Questions (2026 Updated)

SBOK defines risk as an uncertain event or set of events that can affect project objectives. Importantly, risk is not necessarily negative. Risks with potentially favorable consequences are classified as opportunities, whereas risks capable of producing adverse outcomes are called threats. SCRUMstudy explicitly distinguishes these two categories.

In this scenario, additional orders have not yet materialized, so they remain uncertain. However, if they occur, they would generate a positive business consequence attributable to successful project performance. That makes the event a positive risk—an opportunity.

An issue differs from a risk because an issue has already occurred and therefore is no longer uncertain. “Weakness” may be used in analytical techniques such as SWOT Analysis but is not the correct risk classification in this scenario. A threat would apply if the uncertain event could negatively affect objectives.

Because future orders represent uncertainty with a beneficial potential impact, the correct classification is Opportunity.

Study Guide reference: Risk - > Definition of Risk - > Opportunities and Threats; Risk Identification and Assessment.

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Successful release depends fundamentally on the Scrum Team creating the agreed deliverables so that completed and accepted work can eventually be transitioned to the customer or other relevant business stakeholders. The Release phase's Ship Deliverables process handles accepted deliverables, while the Product Owner coordinates deployment with the customer.

Option B describes activities associated with the Product Owner following validation and backlog/release-plan management rather than the specific condition the Scrum Master must ensure for successful creation of releasable work.

Option C is incorrect because the Release Planning Schedule is developed during Conduct Release Planning, involving the Product Owner and Scrum Core Team; it is not simply created by the Scrum Team during Ship Deliverables.

Option D incorrectly assigns acceptance authority. During Demonstrate and Validate Sprint, the Product Owner, not the Scrum Team, accepts or rejects completed User Stories against their Acceptance Criteria.

Therefore, ensuring that the Scrum Team creates the committed deliverables as agreed provides the necessary basis for later acceptance and release.

Study Guide reference: Release - > Ship Deliverables; Implement - > Create Deliverables; Review and Retrospect - > Demonstrate and Validate Sprint.

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SCRUMstudy defines the Scrum Master primarily as a facilitator who ensures that the Scrum Team is provided with an environment conducive to successfully completing product development.

Options A and B describe Product Owner responsibilities. The Product Owner is responsible for maximizing business value, representing the Voice of the Customer, articulating customer requirements, and maintaining the business justification of the project. The Scrum Master supports these processes but does not own them.

Option C also improperly combines responsibilities. In larger Scrum initiatives, scaled roles such as Chief Scrum Master, Program Scrum Master, Chief Product Owner, or Program Product Owner may coordinate corresponding roles across teams or projects. A standard Scrum Master is not responsible for maintaining business justification across multiple Product Owners.

The Scrum Master's central duties instead include facilitating Scrum processes and meetings, coaching participants, removing impediments, protecting the team from disruptive interference, and maintaining a working environment in which a self-organizing team can succeed.

Therefore, D precisely reflects the SBOK definition.

Study Guide reference: Organization - > Core Roles - > Scrum Master; Product Owner; Supporting/Servant Leadership.

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The intended SMC answer is C — Ensure back-up resources are available. During the Form Scrum Team process, the Scrum Master facilitates selection and formation of the team, supports the Collaboration Plan and Team Building Plan, and ensures that appropriate backup resources are available where necessary. SCRUMstudy's current role-responsibility mapping explicitly assigns this responsibility to the Scrum Master.

Option A is primarily associated with the Product Owner, who defines the Project Vision and is accountable for aligning the project with business objectives. Option D is also a Product Owner responsibility: the Product Owner defines User Story Acceptance Criteria based on customer and business requirements, although the Scrum Master facilitates their creation and protects them from inappropriate modification during a Sprint.

There is nuance around option B: modern SBOK responsibility tables state that the Scrum Master helps identify business stakeholders. However, this legacy exam item is specifically testing the Form Scrum Team responsibility and its established keyed answer is C. The distinction is that identifying and formally representing business stakeholder interests remains primarily aligned with Product Owner/project initiation activities, whereas ensuring backup resources is explicitly stated as a Scrum Master duty.

Study Guide reference: Organization - > Scrum Master Responsibilities; Initiate - > Form Scrum Team.

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Option C contains the intended SBOK responsibility mapping. The Sponsor provides resources and financial support for the project. The Scrum Guidance Body (SGB) establishes organizational guidance, including recommendations concerning business justification techniques and other Scrum practices. The Scrum Master facilitates creation of project deliverables and helps manage risks, changes, and impediments through Scrum processes.

Customers and users constitute important business stakeholders whose requirements and expected value feed the Prioritized Product Backlog. In the formal core-role model, the Product Owner consolidates, articulates, and prioritizes those requirements as the Voice of the Customer; therefore, statement b should be understood in this question's stakeholder-input context rather than as transferring Product Owner accountability to customers. SCRUMstudy identifies the Product Owner as the role responsible for representing stakeholder interests and maintaining prioritized requirements.

The other mappings incorrectly assign funding, guidance, or facilitation responsibilities.

Thus the intended mapping is Sponsor - > c; SGB - > d; Customers/Users - > b; Scrum Master - > a.

Study Guide reference: Business Justification - > Responsibilities of Scrum Roles; Organization - > Sponsor, Business Stakeholders, Scrum Guidance Body, Scrum Master.

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A sustainable pace is a level of effort that the Scrum Team can maintain consistently without burnout, chronic overtime, deterioration in quality, or progressively declining effectiveness. Therefore, option C most accurately reflects the concept: Sprint effort should normally be comparable with previous Sprints and remain comfortable and repeatable for the team.

Sustainable pace does not mean continually increasing workload as experience grows. Productivity may improve as the team learns, but that improvement should arise from better collaboration, technical practices, reduced waste, and accumulated knowledge—not from continually demanding greater physical effort.

Likewise, sustainable pace does not imply that effort must steadily decrease. Different Sprint contents will vary, but the team's workload should remain within a manageable long-term capacity.

SCRUMstudy links sustainable pace directly to quality. Excessive overtime and end-loaded testing tend to increase defects and reduce maintainability, while regular development and testing throughout Sprints produce a more stable working environment.

Thus C expresses the central idea: consistent, repeatable, healthy effort across Sprints.

Study Guide reference: Quality - > Sustainable Pace; Scrum Master Responsibilities Relevant to Quality.

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A Probability Impact Grid evaluates each identified risk according to two primary dimensions: its probability of occurrence and its potential impact on project objectives. SBOK explains that each dimension may be assigned a numerical or categorical rating and that probability and impact can then be combined to derive a risk-severity score.

That makes the technique particularly appropriate for the flood-and-landslide scenario. The team can estimate how likely these events are and assess the severity of their consequences for safety, cost, schedule, infrastructure, or environmental objectives. The resulting score helps determine prioritization and the urgency of mitigation.

Probability Trees model multiple possible outcomes as branches and calculate associated expected values. Pareto Analysis ranks identified risks by magnitude to focus attention on the most significant contributors. Expected Monetary Value converts uncertainty into a financial expectation by multiplying monetary impact by probability.

All four can support risk analysis, but the question specifically emphasizes evaluating probability and impact on project objectives, which directly matches the Probability Impact Grid.

Study Guide reference: Risk - > Risk Assessment - > Probability Impact Grid.

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The Prioritized Product Backlog is not a tool of the Create Deliverables process. In the legacy SBOK process structure underlying this question, the principal Create Deliverables tools include Team Expertise, Software, Other Development Tools, and Scrum Guidance Body Expertise. Other Development Tools may include techniques such as refactoring and Design Patterns.

Team Expertise represents the collective technical and functional knowledge used by Scrum Team members to transform Sprint work into finished deliverables. Software tools may support scheduling, collaboration, tracking, information distribution, and project execution. Design Patterns provide reusable approaches for resolving recurring design problems and can therefore support creation of deliverables.

The Prioritized Product Backlog serves a different function: it represents the prioritized project requirements maintained by the Product Owner. During the Sprint itself, the Scrum Team executes work from the Sprint Backlog, which contains the committed work for that Sprint.

Therefore, although the Prioritized Product Backlog ultimately drives what enters future Sprints, it is not classified as a Create Deliverables tool.

Study Guide reference: Implement - > Create Deliverables - > Inputs and Tools.

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This scenario represents Risk Mitigation because concrete responses are being developed to reduce or manage the consequences of identified risks.

SBOK defines risk mitigation as developing an appropriate strategy to deal with risk. Mitigation can include proactive responses designed to reduce probability or impact and reactive contingency actions to be implemented if the event occurs.

Strengthening or safeguarding the infrastructure is a proactive mitigation measure because it reduces the potential physical impact of earthquakes or tsunamis. Establishing a contingency reserve provides resources that can be used reactively if the disaster actually occurs.

Risk Assessment would involve evaluating probability and potential impact but would not itself implement safeguards. Risk Prioritization would determine which identified risks require the greatest attention. Risk Avoidance would involve eliminating the underlying exposure entirely—for example, redesigning the project so that the threatened infrastructure was no longer exposed to the disaster risk.

Because the proposed actions reduce impact and prepare contingency capability rather than eliminating the risk altogether, Risk Mitigation is correct.

Study Guide reference: Risk - > Risk Management - > Risk Mitigation; Proactive and Reactive Risk Responses.

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Velocity measures the amount of estimated work successfully completed by a Scrum Team during a Sprint. Where User Stories are estimated in story points, Sprint velocity is normally calculated by totaling the story-point values of the User Stories completed during that Sprint. SCRUMstudy explicitly describes velocity in these terms.

Velocity is particularly useful because historical values can support future Sprint planning and release forecasting. After several Sprints, a reasonably stable team can use its observed velocity to estimate how much work it is realistically capable of completing in a similar Sprint.

Business Value Delivered measures value rather than effort points. Number of Stories counts items without considering their relative size—a Sprint containing five small stories is not necessarily equivalent to one containing five large stories. A Sprint Burndown Chart shows remaining work over time during the Sprint rather than defining the quantity of story points successfully delivered.

Therefore, the metric that directly captures the number of completed story points per Sprint is Velocity.

Study Guide reference: Plan and Estimate - > Estimation; Implement - > Sprint Metrics; Velocity and Story Points.

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Option A most accurately reflects the Product Owner's authority during backlog refinement and change management. The Product Owner decides which stakeholder input is relevant, evaluates suggested changes, and determines which changes should progress as formal Change Requests or be incorporated into the Prioritized Product Backlog.

Option B is incorrectly worded. The Scrum Master protects committed Sprint requirements and Acceptance Criteria throughout the active Sprint, not merely during the Sprint Review Meeting. The distinction matters because the Sprint Review occurs at the end of the Sprint and is specifically intended to validate completed deliverables and obtain feedback.

Option C describes development work that belongs to the Scrum Team. Stakeholders provide requirements, feedback, and Change Requests; they do not directly incorporate features into Sprint Deliverables.

Option D improperly gives the Scrum Team unilateral business authority over an urgent requirement change. Significant business changes are evaluated through the Product Owner/change-management mechanism. If a change is critical enough to invalidate current Sprint work, the Sprint can be terminated and replanned through the applicable Scrum governance process.

Therefore, A is the correctly matched responsibility.

Study Guide reference: Change - > Integrating Change; Product Owner Responsibilities; Groom/Refine Prioritized Product Backlog.

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The Prioritized Product Backlog is based primarily on value, risk or uncertainty, and dependencies. SCRUMstudy explicitly identifies these three factors when explaining the structure and prioritization of the backlog.

Value represents the business benefit expected from delivering the functionality. Higher-value items may be prioritized earlier so that useful business outcomes begin to accrue sooner. Risk and uncertainty are considered because addressing uncertain or high-risk work earlier can expose assumptions, enable mitigation, and prevent late discovery of critical problems. Dependencies influence sequencing because some requirements cannot be effectively developed before prerequisite functionality is available.

“Deliverables” are results produced through execution of backlog items; they are not one of the three primary prioritization factors specified in the SBOK model.

The combination of value, risk, and dependencies reflects Scrum's broader principles of value-based prioritization and adaptive planning. Prioritization is therefore more sophisticated than merely ordering requirements by desired functionality.

Consequently, statements I, II, and III are correct.

Study Guide reference: Business Justification - > Value-based Prioritization; Initiate - > Create Prioritized Product Backlog; Risk - > Risk-adjusted Backlog.

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SBOK distinguishes risks from issues primarily through uncertainty. A risk is an uncertain future event that may affect project objectives. An issue is an existing, well-defined condition that is already occurring and therefore does not require a probability assessment.

Statements I and II contain future uncertainty: the representatives might not be ready, and the painting crew might be delayed by rain. These events have not occurred and therefore qualify as risks.

Statements III and IV describe current facts. Funding was not approved, making this an existing problem. Requirements are unclear, so ambiguity is already affecting the project. SCRUMstudy actually uses these examples when explaining the distinction: delayed crews and potentially unprepared representatives are risks, while unapproved funding and unclear requirements are issues.

Risk management is proactive—identify, assess, prioritize, mitigate, and communicate uncertain events before they materialize. Issues require active resolution because they are already real.

Therefore, I and II are the risks.

Study Guide reference: Risk - > Difference between Risks and Issues.

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C is the intended answer in the legacy SMC question bank, but this item contains an important conflict with the SBOK rule and should not be memorized without that qualification.

The SBOK change-management guidance states that requirements and Acceptance Criteria for User Stories completed in the current Sprint should not be altered retroactively. Specifically, the Scrum Master should prevent a completed User Story from being rejected merely because it fails newly changed requirements. Instead, the relevant Product Backlog Item should be revised to reflect the changed requirement and scheduled for a future Sprint.

Published versions of this legacy SMC practice item key C, which captures its intended notion that changed requirements belong in the Prioritized Product Backlog for later development. However, the phrase “deliverable is rejected on the basis of the changed requirements” is inconsistent with SBOK's explicit rule.

Therefore, for this historical exam item, C is the expected choice, but the technically correct SBOK principle is: evaluate current work against the original Acceptance Criteria and handle the changed requirement through a revised/new backlog item in a future Sprint.

Study Guide reference: Change - > Managing Changes During a Sprint; Acceptance Criteria Stability; Refine Prioritized Product Backlog.

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A Risk Breakdown Structure (RBS) is specifically designed to organize identified risks into logical categories based on common characteristics or sources. SCRUMstudy describes an RBS as a technique in which risks are grouped according to categories or commonalities—for example, financial, technical, operational, safety, regulatory, or external risks. This hierarchical categorization makes a potentially large collection of risks easier to analyze and manage.

The other options serve different purposes. A Risk Checklist helps ensure that commonly encountered risks are not overlooked. A Risk Prompt List stimulates thinking about possible risk sources. Brainstorming generates potential risks through collaborative discussion among knowledgeable participants. None of those techniques is primarily intended to categorize and structure already identified risks according to similarities.

The wording “categorize and organize” is therefore decisive. Once risks have been identified, an RBS provides a structured view that facilitates further assessment, ownership, prioritization, and response planning.

Consequently, Risk Breakdown Structure is the appropriate technique.

Study Guide reference: Risk - > Risk Identification - > Risk Breakdown Structure; Risk Checklists; Risk Prompt Lists; Brainstorming.

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Time-boxing does not exist to avoid change. Scrum explicitly accepts that change is inevitable, particularly in complex projects where stakeholder understanding and market requirements evolve. Time-boxing provides controlled boundaries within which work remains stable, while allowing change to be incorporated at appropriate inspection and planning points.

SCRUMstudy defines time-boxing as allocating a fixed amount of time to an activity or process. It prevents unlimited expansion of tasks and supports disciplined management of uncertainty and deadlines.

For example, once a Sprint begins, its scope is protected so the Scrum Team can maintain focus. New requirements can still be incorporated into the Prioritized Product Backlog and prioritized for a subsequent Sprint. Therefore, time-boxing manages change rather than attempting to eliminate it.

It also limits exposure to uncertain work by forcing regular inspection of results and preventing indefinite analysis or development. Deadlines become visible and predictable because Scrum events and Sprints have bounded durations.

Thus, “using time-boxing as a medium to avoid changes” contradicts Scrum's adaptive philosophy and is the exception.

Study Guide reference: Principles - > Time-boxing; Change - > Flexibility and Stability.

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The Retrospect Project Meeting is the meeting described in the relevant SBOK edition as not Time-boxed and capable of being conducted either in person or virtually. Its objective is broader than a Sprint-level retrospective: participants evaluate the overall project, document lessons learned, discuss positive and negative experiences, and identify opportunities to improve future projects.

SCRUMstudy specifically describes this meeting as not being Time-boxed and notes that it may take place physically or in a virtual format.

The other choices are Time-boxed Scrum events. The Daily Standup has a strict short duration. Sprint Planning is Time-boxed according to Sprint length, and Sprint Review/Demonstrate and Validate Sprint is also conducted within a defined time-box.

The rationale is that Retrospect Project occurs after the broader project lifecycle and may involve examining substantial lessons, organizational practices, knowledge transfer, transition matters, and stakeholder feedback. It therefore does not carry the same fixed execution-cycle constraint as recurring Sprint events.

Accordingly, the correct answer is B.

Study Guide reference: Review and Retrospect/Release - > Retrospect Project Meeting; Lessons Learned; Continuous Improvement.

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Scrum is especially valuable where requirements are uncertain, changing, innovative, or dependent on continuing stakeholder feedback. All three scenarios possess one or more of these characteristics.

Vault Safe involves a new and innovative product. Innovation normally brings technical uncertainty and evolving understanding, making iterative development and frequent inspection advantageous. Paint Pro operates in a competitive market where features may have to change frequently; Scrum allows the Prioritized Product Backlog to evolve as market information changes. Money Manager combines expanding functional needs with changing security requirements, creating precisely the kind of dynamic environment in which short Sprints, backlog reprioritization, and stakeholder feedback help reduce risk.

SCRUMstudy explicitly states that Scrum can be applied to products, services, and projects across industries and across varying levels of size and complexity. It is not restricted to simple software projects or projects with completely known requirements.

Thus each project can benefit from iterative delivery, continuous feedback, adaptation, and value-based prioritization. Because A, B, and C are all suitable, the correct response is D.

Study Guide reference: Introduction to Scrum - > Applicability of Scrum; Principles - > Iterative Development and Empirical Process Control.

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Option C is false because User Story Acceptance Criteria are primarily defined by the Product Owner, based on the Product Owner's understanding of customer and business requirements. The Product Owner then communicates the User Stories and their criteria to the Scrum Team, and agreement and clarification are obtained. SCRUMstudy explicitly identifies Acceptance Criteria as objective conditions developed by the Product Owner.

The Scrum Master facilitates the process and ensures that agreed Acceptance Criteria are not inappropriately changed during an active Sprint, but the Scrum Master does not jointly own their definition with the Scrum Team.

Option D accurately reflects Scrum's iterative delivery approach: work is developed in short, time-boxed Sprints. Options A and B describe the more centralized quality and formal change-management characteristics typically associated with traditional project-management models in the SBOK comparison.

This distinction is important because Scrum incorporates quality continuously through Done Criteria, Acceptance Criteria, iterative development, inspection, adaptation, and frequent stakeholder feedback instead of treating quality primarily as a late project-control activity.

Study Guide reference: Quality - > Quality in Scrum versus Traditional Project Management; Acceptance Criteria; Product Owner Responsibilities.

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Scrum Master Certified (SMC®) — 100 Questions