Page 1 of 164
Scaled Agile Framework / SAFe Scrum
Master Certification Prep (SSM) Study Guide
Winter 2026 with complete solution
Q1. A SAFe Scrum Master is primarily responsible for:
A) Managing the team’s daily work assignments
B) Ensuring the team follows SAFe practices and improves
continuously
C) Assigning story points to backlog items
D) Reporting team velocity to stakeholders daily
Answer: B
Rationale: The Scrum Master is a servant leader and coach
who ensures SAFe practices are understood and enacted, while
facilitating continuous improvement.
,Page 2 of 164
Q2. Which two activities are part of the SAFe Scrum Master’s
role? (Choose two)
A) Facilitating the Iteration Retrospective
B) Managing the Program Backlog
C) Helping the team remove impediments
D) Prioritizing the Team Backlog
Answer: A and C
Rationale: Facilitating retrospectives and removing
impediments are core SM duties. Backlog prioritization belongs
to the Product Owner; Program Backlog is managed by
Product Management.
Q3. In SAFe, the Scrum Master collaborates most closely with
which role to coordinate across teams?
A) Release Train Engineer (RTE)
B) System Architect
,Page 3 of 164
C) Lean Portfolio Management
D) Customer
Answer: A
Rationale: The RTE is the Scrum Master for the Agile Release
Train (ART). SMs work with RTEs on cross-team coordination
and PI Planning.
Q4. A team’s Product Owner is frequently absent during
Iteration Planning. What should the Scrum Master do?
A) Plan the Iteration without the PO
B) Coach the PO on their responsibilities and escalate if
needed
C) Ask a senior developer to act as PO
D) Cancel the Iteration
Answer: B
Rationale: The SM coaches all roles. PO absence disrupts value
delivery. Coaching first, then escalation to RTE.
, Page 4 of 164
Q5. Which statement describes a Scrum Master’s service to the
Product Owner?
A) Writing user stories for the PO
B) Helping the PO manage the Team Backlog and make
decisions visible
C) Assigning business value to stories
D) Replacing the PO when they are unavailable
Answer: B
Rationale: The SM helps the PO with backlog management
techniques and transparency, not doing their work.
Q6. A Scrum Master notices the team is consistently
overcommitting during Iteration Planning. What should they
do?
A) Let the team fail to learn
B) Facilitate a discussion on historical velocity and capacity
Scaled Agile Framework / SAFe Scrum
Master Certification Prep (SSM) Study Guide
Winter 2026 with complete solution
Q1. A SAFe Scrum Master is primarily responsible for:
A) Managing the team’s daily work assignments
B) Ensuring the team follows SAFe practices and improves
continuously
C) Assigning story points to backlog items
D) Reporting team velocity to stakeholders daily
Answer: B
Rationale: The Scrum Master is a servant leader and coach
who ensures SAFe practices are understood and enacted, while
facilitating continuous improvement.
,Page 2 of 164
Q2. Which two activities are part of the SAFe Scrum Master’s
role? (Choose two)
A) Facilitating the Iteration Retrospective
B) Managing the Program Backlog
C) Helping the team remove impediments
D) Prioritizing the Team Backlog
Answer: A and C
Rationale: Facilitating retrospectives and removing
impediments are core SM duties. Backlog prioritization belongs
to the Product Owner; Program Backlog is managed by
Product Management.
Q3. In SAFe, the Scrum Master collaborates most closely with
which role to coordinate across teams?
A) Release Train Engineer (RTE)
B) System Architect
,Page 3 of 164
C) Lean Portfolio Management
D) Customer
Answer: A
Rationale: The RTE is the Scrum Master for the Agile Release
Train (ART). SMs work with RTEs on cross-team coordination
and PI Planning.
Q4. A team’s Product Owner is frequently absent during
Iteration Planning. What should the Scrum Master do?
A) Plan the Iteration without the PO
B) Coach the PO on their responsibilities and escalate if
needed
C) Ask a senior developer to act as PO
D) Cancel the Iteration
Answer: B
Rationale: The SM coaches all roles. PO absence disrupts value
delivery. Coaching first, then escalation to RTE.
, Page 4 of 164
Q5. Which statement describes a Scrum Master’s service to the
Product Owner?
A) Writing user stories for the PO
B) Helping the PO manage the Team Backlog and make
decisions visible
C) Assigning business value to stories
D) Replacing the PO when they are unavailable
Answer: B
Rationale: The SM helps the PO with backlog management
techniques and transparency, not doing their work.
Q6. A Scrum Master notices the team is consistently
overcommitting during Iteration Planning. What should they
do?
A) Let the team fail to learn
B) Facilitate a discussion on historical velocity and capacity
