Prepare for your Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO) certification with these rigorous sample exam questions. Dive into essential concepts surrounding the pivotal role of the product owner and effective product backlog management.
As the driving force behind Scrum projects, the product owner holds the vision and understands client needs to maximize value delivery. With this critical role in mind, mastering the PSPO certification is a key objective for many IT professionals.
This article provides a glimpse into the exam structure, focusing on product owner responsibilities and Scrum framework application. Test your knowledge with 10 challenging questions tailored to assess your readiness for certification success.
Best of luck as you tackle these tough sample questions and pave the way to becoming a certified Scrum product owner!
Table of Contents
Question 1
According to the Scrum Guide, the product backlog should be:
A. Ordered and transparent
B. Prioritized and transparent
C. Ordered and final
D. Prioritized and final
Answer
A. Ordered and transparent
Explanation
The product backlog must be ordered and transparent.
The product backlog must be ordered in such a way that it is clear which items should be developed first to balance risk, dependencies, stakeholder needs and, most importantly, the optimized delivery of value.
The product backlog must also be transparent so stakeholders, developers and all members of the Scrum team know what the product owner wants to work on over the short and long term.
Here’s what the Scrum Guide says about this (page 6): ‘The Product Owner is accountable for effective Product Backlog management, which includes ordering Product Backlog items and ensuring that the Product Backlog is transparent, visible and understood.’
The Scrum Guide does not use the term prioritized when discussing the product backlog, as there are many different axes upon which to prioritize features. Instead, it uses the more general term ordered.
Furthermore, the product backlog is not final. It is constantly changing as more is learned about stakeholder needs. This is what the Scrum Guide means when it describes the product backlog as emergent.
Question 2
The development team selected far too many product backlog items for the sprint, and only 30% of them will be completed before the sprint review. The poor planning has put the sprint goal at risk. How should the product owner respond?
A. Work with the Scrum team to adjust the sprint goal.
B. Renegotiate the selected sprint backlog items with the developers.
C. Have the Scrum master extend the sprint so the team can complete the planned work.
D. Have the Scrum master cancel the sprint and begin a new sprint planning session.
Answer
B. Renegotiate the selected sprint backlog items with the developers.
Explanation
The sprint goal cannot be changed after it has been finalized.
The Scrum master cannot cancel a sprint. Only the product owner has the power to do that and only if the sprint goal has become obsolete.
Furthermore, a sprint in Scrum cannot be extended once it has started. There is no changing the length of a sprint midway through.
If the Scrum team has too much work, the best thing to do is to work with the product owner to renegotiate and rework the product backlog items selected for the sprint. Try to establish a new plan that makes it possible to achieve the sprint goal.
Remember, it’s not the end of the world if the sprint goal isn’t achieved. It’s just a goal.
Question 3
The product delivered by the Scrum team is failing to meet performance and security expectations. How can the product owner help nonfunctional requirements gain visibility throughout the sprint?
A. Make performance and security part of the sprint goal.
B. Make performance and security part of the product goal.
C. Make performance and security part of the definition of done.
D. Outsource performance and security to a third party.
Answer
C. Make performance and security part of the definition of done.
Explanation
There are three common ways to enforce nonfunctional requirements, such as performance and security:
- Make nonfunctional requirements part of the definition of done.
- Add specific nonfunctional requirements to items in the product backlog.
- Add items to the product backlog to represent nonfunctional requirements.
In Scrum, the team is responsible for all aspects of achieving the definition of done. Nonfunctional requirements cannot be outsourced to another team.
Furthermore, nonfunctional requirements do not make sense as part of the product goal or sprint goal.
Question 4
True or false: Dependencies between various parts of a product to be built should be taken into account when ordering the product backlog.
A. True
B. False
Answer
A. True
Explanation
When building a house, the product owner should be aware of the fact that the walls must be built before the roof is added. Obvious dependencies should be reflected in the ordering of the product backlog.
Question 5
What is the timebox for the sprint planning meeting?
A. 15 minutes
B. 8 hours
C. 4 hours
D. 3 hours
Answer
B. 8 hours
Explanation
Here is the timebox for the various Scrum meetings:
- 15 minutes for the daily Scrum.
- 8 hours for sprint planning.
- 4 hours for the sprint review.
- 3 hours for the sprint retrospective.
The maximum length of a sprint is capped at one calendar month.
Question 6
Which of the following should be defined and agreed upon before the first sprint planning meeting ends?
A. The definition of ready
B. The definition of done
C. The definition of Agile
D. The definition of Scrum
Answer
B. The definition of done
Explanation
The Scrum Guide says nothing about definition of ready or definition of Agile. It does provide a definition of Scrum, but that is not up for debate.
To begin any work, the Scrum team must have a definition of done that explains when work on a product backlog item is complete.
Many organizations provide a definition of done to the Scrum team before the first sprint begins. If not, the Scrum team must provide one of their own before development work can begin.
Here’s what the Scrum Guide says (page 12): ‘If the Definition of Done is not an organizational standard, the Scrum Team must create a Definition of Done appropriate for the product.’
Question 7
Items in the product backlog should be ordered according to which of the following?
A. The value the product backlog item brings to stakeholders
B. The timeliness of the product backlog items
C. The risk associated with its development and integration
D. The dependencies an item has on other parts of the product being built
E. All of the above
Answer
E. All of the above
Explanation
If a website must be updated with a Halloween theme, the timeliness of that product backlog item is important.
If a risky change has the potential to disrupt the site, its development might be pushed off while an important marketing campaign is active.
If a house needs a roof, the dependency on the walls should be ordered first.
The value a product backlog item brings to stakeholders should also be part of the ordering criteria.
There are many ways to order items in the product backlog.
Question 8
According to the Scrum Guide, which of the following are activities for the product owner to perform during the sprint?
A. Write out product backlog items as clearly defined user stories.
B. Assign points to product backlog items in Jira.
C. Have a work-buddy order the product backlog.
D. Estimate the time it takes to complete product backlog items.
Answer
C. Have a work-buddy order the product backlog.
Explanation
The Scrum Guide makes no references to user stories, Jira or points. There are no rules against teams using these tools if they like, but the Scrum Guide does not require it.
Estimations are not done by the product owner. Estimations are done by the developers.
The Scrum Guide does say the product owner can delegate tasks, such as ordering the product backlog to others, so long as they remain responsible for the results. The only option here that is consistent with the Scrum Guide is option C.
Question 9
If the developers have issues with the definition of done, when should they discuss their concerns with the product owner?
A. During the daily Scrum
B. During the sprint review
C. During sprint planning
D. During the sprint retrospective
Answer
D. During the sprint retrospective
Explanation
According to the Scrum Guide, the sprint retrospective is the right time to discuss ‘individuals, interactions, processes, tools and their definition of done.’
Question 10
Which of the following can be added to the sprint backlog of the next sprint during the current sprint?
A. The original sprint goal, if it was not achieved.
B. Unfinished items in the sprint backlog.
C. Process improvement suggested during the sprint retrospective.
D. Nothing in the sprint backlog is carried over from one sprint to the next.
Answer
C. Process improvement suggested during the sprint retrospective.
Explanation
One of the Scrum values is focus. Scrum developers are discouraged from looking beyond the current sprint, as their primary focus should be the current sprint goal.
Furthermore, when a new sprint starts, all unfinished items in the sprint backlog are removed, and the team is expected to come up with a new sprint goal.
The sprint backlog is a blank slate at the start of every sprint, with one small exception: Process improvements suggested during the sprint retrospective in one sprint can be added to the sprint backlog of the next sprint.
What does the Scrum Guide say about sprints and the sprint backlog (on page 10)? ‘The Scrum Team identifies the most helpful changes to improve its effectiveness. The most impactful improvements are addressed as soon as possible. They may even be added to the Sprint Backlog for the next Sprint.’