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Free SSM Practice Questions

10 free, exam-style SAFe Scrum Master (SSM) (SSM) practice questions with answers and explanations. No signup required. Work through them below, then take the full free SSM practice test to study every exam domain.

The SSM exam has 45 questions and runs 1 hour 30 minutes.

These 10 free SSM questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the SAFe Scrum Master (SSM) blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.

Domain 1: Introducing Scrum in SAFe® (22-28%)

Question 1

Which of the following is one of the four current SAFe Core Values?

  1. Built-in Quality
  2. Program Execution
  3. Continuous Delivery
  4. Transparency
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D - Transparency

Question 2

A team makes its work-in-process visible on a board and caps how many items can be in each column at once. Which SAFe Lean-Agile principle is the team applying?

  1. Base milestones on objective evaluation of working systems
  2. Make value flow without interruptions
  3. Unlock the intrinsic motivation of knowledge workers
  4. Apply cadence, synchronize with cross-domain planning
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Make value flow without interruptions

Domain 2: Defining the Scrum Master / Team Coach role (26-30%)

Question 3

During an iteration, a team member repeatedly misses commitments because another department keeps pulling them into unplanned work. What is the Scrum Master's BEST first action?

  1. Coach the team to surface and address the impediment through its own events
  2. Escalate the issue to the Release Train Engineer so leadership can intervene
  3. Reassign the member's stories to teammates so the iteration goal is still met
  4. Ask the Product Owner to lower the team's commitment for the next iteration
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A - Coach the team to surface and address the impediment through its own events

Question 4

A new team member asks the Scrum Master directly how to solve a technical design problem the team is debating. Which response BEST reflects a coaching stance rather than mentoring?

  1. "What options has the team weighed, and what trade-offs do you see?"
  2. "In my experience, the approach that has always worked is the second one."
  3. "Let me pair with you afterward and I'll show you how I would build it."
  4. "I'll document the standard pattern so everyone follows the same design."
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A - "What options has the team weighed, and what trade-offs do you see?"

Question 5

How does the role of a Scrum Master on an Agile Release Train differ MOST from that of a Scrum Master on a single independent Scrum team?

  1. The SAFe Scrum Master owns and prioritizes the team backlog in the Product Owner's place
  2. The SAFe Scrum Master approves which completed features get released to customers
  3. The SAFe Scrum Master also has responsibilities toward the other teams on the train
  4. The SAFe Scrum Master defines the technical architecture the teams are required to follow
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - The SAFe Scrum Master also has responsibilities toward the other teams on the train

Domain 3: Supporting Team Events (17-21%)

Question 6

A team finishes an 8-point story and a 2-point story, and completes about half of a 5-point story by the end of the iteration. What velocity should be recorded for this iteration?

  1. 15
  2. 12.5
  3. 8
  4. 10
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D - 10

Question 7

Which statement BEST describes the difference between the Iteration Review and the Iteration Retrospective?

  1. The review inspects the product with stakeholders; the retrospective inspects the process
  2. The review improves the team's process; the retrospective demonstrates the increment
  3. The review is optional for mature teams; the retrospective is required each iteration
  4. The review is run by the Product Owner; the retrospective by the Business Owners
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A - The review inspects the product with stakeholders; the retrospective inspects the process

Domain 4: Supporting ART Events (25-29%)

Question 8

At the end of PI Planning, the ART's confidence vote produces an average of 2.4 on the fist-of-five scale. What should happen next?

  1. The plan is committed because most individuals voted three or higher
  2. The teams rework the plan until adequate confidence is reached
  3. Business Owners lower the assigned business values to raise confidence
  4. The vote is repeated immediately without changing the plan
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - The teams rework the plan until adequate confidence is reached

Question 9

During PI Planning, a team identifies a dependency risk and decides one engineer will take responsibility for tracking and managing it going forward. Using ROAM, how is this risk categorized?

  1. Resolved
  2. Owned
  3. Mitigated
  4. Accepted
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Owned

Question 10

The Inspect & Adapt event is made up of three parts. Which part occurs FIRST?

  1. The retrospective and problem-solving workshop that identifies improvement items
  2. The quantitative and qualitative measurement review of the Program Increment
  3. The confidence vote that opens planning for the next Program Increment
  4. The PI System Demo
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D - The PI System Demo

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