Professional Scrum Master Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield Professional Scrum Master facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. When a Scrum Team is working on a product with multiple components, how should accountabilities be distributed? → The Scrum Team collectively owns all components needed to deliver the Increment
2. The Scrum Master notices the team frequently skips the Sprint Retrospective to meet delivery pressure. What should the Scrum Master do? → Help the team understand the value of continuous improvement and protect the Retrospective
3. In Scrum, who is accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Scrum Team? → The Product Owner
4. A Scrum Master notices that the team consistently fails to meet their Sprint Goals. What is the BEST course of action? → Facilitate a discussion during the Sprint Retrospective to identify root causes
5. What does 'empiricism' mean in the context of Agile product management? → Making product decisions based on evidence from actual work and outcomes
6. Which of the following is NOT a responsibility of the Developers in Scrum? → Prioritizing items in the Product Backlog
7. What is the Scrum Team's responsibility regarding the Product Goal? → The entire Scrum Team should understand and work toward the Product Goal
8. What happens to undone work at the end of a Sprint? → It is returned to the Product Backlog and re-ordered by the Product Owner
9. Which statement best describes the relationship between Scrum events and empiricism? → Each event is a formal opportunity for inspection and adaptation
10. How does continuous refinement of the Product Backlog support Agile product management? → It keeps upcoming items well understood and sized so the team can plan effectively
11. What happens to empirical process control when a Scrum Team's Definition of Done is vague or inconsistent? → Transparency is compromised, making inspection unreliable
12. A stakeholder approaches a Developer directly and asks them to add a feature mid-Sprint. What should the Developer do? → Redirect the stakeholder to the Product Owner
13. A Scrum Team operates within a large organization that mandates specific engineering practices. How should the Definition of Done be established? → The Scrum Team's Definition of Done must comply with organizational standards as a minimum
14. A stakeholder asks a Developer directly to add an urgent feature during the current Sprint. What should happen? → The Developer should direct the stakeholder to the Product Owner to discuss prioritization
15. A Product Owner updates the Product Backlog every day based on new stakeholder feedback. Which empirical pillar does this practice most directly reflect? → Adaptation
16. A Product Owner wants to add a critical bug fix mid-Sprint directly to the Sprint Backlog without consulting the Developers. Is this acceptable? → No, only the Developers manage the Sprint Backlog
17. A stakeholder asks to see a feature that was completed during the Sprint but does not yet meet the Definition of Done. What is the correct response? → It cannot be presented at Sprint Review as part of the Increment
18. During the Sprint Retrospective, the team discovers the Definition of Done is inadequate. What should they do? → Update the Definition of Done during the Retrospective itself
19. Why must the Product Goal be achieved or abandoned before a new Product Goal is set? → To maintain focus — having multiple concurrent Product Goals dilutes the team's purpose
20. If the Definition of Done for an Increment is part of the standards of the organization, what is the Scrum Team's responsibility towards it? → All Scrum Teams must follow the organizational standard as a minimum and can add to it.
21. Which of the following best describes the role of the Product Owner in Sprint Planning? → Presenting the highest-priority Product Backlog items and clarifying their intent
22. During the Sprint Review, who should attend? → The Scrum Team and key stakeholders invited by the Product Owner
23. A team finishes all Sprint Backlog items with three days remaining. What should they do regarding the Sprint artifacts? → Pull in additional Product Backlog items that support the Sprint Goal
24. A Product Owner wants to skip the Sprint Retrospective to save time. What principle of Scrum does this violate? → The empirical pillar of adaptation and the commitment to continuous improvement
25. A Developer consistently bypasses the Definition of Done to meet Sprint deadlines. Who is responsible for addressing this? → The entire Scrum Team, as they own and must adhere to the Definition of Done
26. A Development Team delivers an Increment that does not meet the Definition of Done. What should the Scrum Master do? → Coach the team on the importance of transparency and adherence to the Definition of Done
27. Which outcome indicates that a Scrum Master is effectively leading as a servant-leader? → The team is self-managing, continuously improving, and delivering value consistently
28. A new product feature has been released but user adoption is low. What should a Product Owner do FIRST? → Investigate why adoption is low using data and user feedback before making changes
29. A team has no organizational standard for Definition of Done. What should happen? → The Scrum Team must create a Definition of Done appropriate for the product
30. What is the Scrum Team's accountability regarding the Sprint Backlog? → Developers own the Sprint Backlog and update it throughout the Sprint