Scrum

SSM
SAFe Scrum Master (SSM) 6.0
QUESTION & ANSWERS
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 Topics Number of Questions
Topic 1 : Facilitating Team Events and Flow 71 8 5 4 4
Topic 2 : Supporting the Agile Team in PI Execution 283
Topic 3 : Supporting Agile and DevOps Practices 375
Topic 4 : Improving Team Performance and Collaboration
Topic 5 : Coaching and Mentoring Agile Teams
Mix Questions :
Total

Topic 1
Case Study: Topic 1

Title : Facilitating Team Events and Flow

QUESTION: 1 Topic 1 Facilitating Team Events and Flow

Which of the following Events aligns Teams on a Train?

Option A : Coach Sync

Option B : Iteration Planning

Option C : Architect Sync

Option D : PI Planning

Correct Answer: D

Explanation/Reference:

The Pl Planning is a cadence-based, face-to-face Event that serves as the heartbeat of the Agile Release Train (ART). This Event

aligns all the Teams on the ART to a shared mission and Vision.

QUESTION: 2 Topic 1 Facilitating Team Events and Flow

What is one benefit of having an IP Iteration every PI?

Option A : It creates a chance for Teams to manage quality

Option B : It creates an estimating buffer for meeting PI Objectives

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 Option C : It creates a Timeboxed opportunity for Team growth

Option D : It creates a guardrail for Teams working too hard

Correct Answer: B

Explanation/Reference:

The Innovation and Planning (IP) Iteration is a unique, dedicated iteration that occurs every PI. It provides an estimating buffer

for meeting PI Objectives and dedicated time for innovation, continuing education, PI Planning, and Inspect and Adapt (I&A)

events.

QUESTION: 3 Topic 1 Facilitating Team Events and Flow

What is one recommendation a Scrum Master/Team Coach can give the team to handle a potential PI

Objective with high uncertainty?

Option A : Reprioritize other work

Option B : Move it to uncommitted objectives
Option C : Increase the associated Story size estimates
Option D : Split the objective

Correct Answer: B

Explanation/Reference:

In SAFe®, during PI Planning, each team defines PI Objectives — clear, measurable statements of intended

business outcomes. Some objectives carry higher uncertainty or risk due to technical complexity, dependency,

or unknown factors.

To manage such uncertainty, teams can classify these as uncommitted objectives. This approach maintains

visibility and alignment while signaling to stakeholders that these objectives are goals the team will pursue

but cannot guarantee delivery. This helps set realistic expectations without discouraging ambition or

exploration.

From SAFe guidance:

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 “Teams identify some objectives as uncommitted when there is significant uncertainty. These are not included

in the committed plan but are made visible to stakeholders.”

Therefore, the correct answer is B. Move it to uncommitted objectives, as this is the recommended SAFe

practice for handling objectives with high uncertainty.

Reference: Scaled Agile Framework – PI Objectives

Topic 2
Case Study: Topic 2

Title : Supporting the Agile Team in PI Execution

QUESTION: 4 Topic 2 Supporting the Agile Team in PI Execution

What is a common anti-pattern for teams trying to prepare their draft objectives at PI Planning?

Option A : Too much time is spent analyzing each Story

Option B : Too much time is spent negotiating the sequence of work
Option C : Too much time is spent solutioning risks and dependencies
Option D : Too much time is spent discussing priority of work on the team

Correct Answer: A

Explanation/Reference:

During PI Planning, teams are expected to create draft PI Objectives that summarize the business value

they intend to deliver. However, a common anti-pattern occurs when teams spend too much time analyzing

each Story instead of focusing on higher-level outcomes.

The goal of draft objectives is to express intent, alignment, and expected value—not to finalize every

technical detail or task. Over-analyzing individual stories during PI Planning slows progress, distracts from

collaboration with other teams, and limits the time available for identifying dependencies and risks.

From SAFe guidance:

“Teams should avoid excessive analysis of stories during PI Planning. The focus should be on creating draft

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objectives that align with business value and ART goals.”

Thus, the correct answer is A. Too much time is spent analyzing each Story, as it prevents the team from

maintaining the right level of planning abstraction.

Reference: Scaled Agile Framework – PI Planning

QUESTION: 5 Topic 2 Supporting the Agile Team in PI Execution

Which of the following types of information is shared between the teams on an ART?

Option A : A commitment to business agility

Option B : A set of regulations
Option C : A set of metrics
Option D : A common mission using a single backlog

Correct Answer: D

Explanation/Reference:

Within a SAFe Agile Release Train (ART), all teams work together toward a common mission guided by a

single Program Backlog. This shared backlog aligns every team’s work to the same vision, ensuring

coordination and synchronization.

This structure fosters transparency, dependency management, and alignment across all teams, allowing them

to collaborate effectively while maintaining autonomy within their scope. The ART operates under the

principle of “aligning with a common mission and cadence.”

From SAFe guidance:

“All teams on an ART share a common vision and a single Program Backlog that defines the work necessary

to realize that vision.”

Thus, the correct answer is D. A common mission using a single backlog.

Reference: Scaled Agile Framework – Agile Release Train (ART)

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Topic 3
Case Study: Topic 3

Title : Supporting Agile and DevOps Practices

QUESTION: 6 Topic 3 Supporting Agile and DevOps Practices

What is one benefit of moving from waterfall methods to Agile delivery?

Option A : Ability to support customer communications regularly

Option B : Ability to efficiently share designs with contributors
Option C : Ability to deliver value to customers earlier
Option D : Ability to easily manage requirements across teams

Correct Answer: C

Explanation/Reference:

The key benefit of transitioning from Waterfall to Agile delivery is the ability to deliver value to customers earlier and more

frequently.

Traditional waterfall approaches deliver value only at the end of long development cycles, increasing risk and

reducing adaptability. In contrast, Agile uses iterative and incremental delivery, allowing teams to release

small increments of working solutions regularly. This provides faster feedback loops, improves

responsiveness to change, and enhances customer satisfaction.

From SAFe guidance:

“Agile delivery enables teams to deliver value continuously and early, ensuring that customer feedback can be

incorporated to improve outcomes and minimize risk.”

Therefore, the correct answer is C. Ability to deliver value to customers earlier, as this encapsulates one of

the main advantages of Agile over waterfall.

Reference: Scaled Agile Framework – Agile Product Delivery

Topic 4
Case Study: Topic 4

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Title : Improving Team Performance and Collaboration

QUESTION: 7 Topic 4 Improving Team Performance and Collaboration

What is one Scrum value that can help Agile Teams create transparency?

Option A : Persistence
Option B : Respect
Option C : Communication
Option D : Empathy

Correct Answer: B

Explanation/Reference:

Respect is one of the five Scrum values that can help Agile Teams create transparency. Respect means that

team members value each other’s opinions, skills, and contributions, and treat each other with dignity and

professionalism. Respect also means that team members are honest and open with each other, and share

information and feedback without hiding or withholding anything. By respecting each other, Agile Teams can

foster a culture of trust and collaboration, where everyone feels comfortable to express their ideas, concerns,

and issues, and work together to solve them. Transparency is essential for Agile Teams to inspect and adapt

their work, and to align their actions with the vision and goals of the organization.

Scrum Values Poster | [Link]

Core Values - Scaled Agile Framework

Exam Study Guide: SSM (6.0) - SAFe® Scrum Master

Topic 5
Case Study: Topic 5

Title : Coaching and Mentoring Agile Teams

QUESTION: 8 Topic 5 Coaching and Mentoring Agile Teams

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 What is one way a servant leader can support Team members in decision-making?

Option A : Give each Team member the opportunity to contribute

Option B : Perform regular retrospectives on behalf of the Team

Option C : Identify solutions to problems the Team surfaces

Option D : Support Teams in affinity mapping their concerns

Correct Answer: A

Explanation/Reference:

Scrum Master/Team Coach listens to and supports Team members in decision identification and in SAFe 6.0 context this means

to encourage everyone to express their opinions.

MIXED Questions

QUESTION: 9

What role would a traditional program manager most likely take on in SAFe?

Option A : Release Train Engineer or Value Stream Engineer.

Option B : Scrum master
Option C : Business Owner
Option D : Product Manager

Correct Answer: A

QUESTION: 10

An honest effort at careful problem definition will avoid the "ready, fire, aim" approach that is so common in
problem-solving.

Option A : True
Option B : False

Correct Answer: A

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QUESTION: 11

What is the main reason why some Teams never reach Stage 4 (Performing) in the stages of High Performing
Teams?

Option A : Because the Team is not structured correctly

Option B : Because leadership is spontaneous
Option C : Because there are conflicts
Option D : Because no one guides them

Correct Answer: D

Explanation/Reference:

An effective guidance for the Team, by a servant leader, is key and must-have in reaching to Stage 4 (Performing) Team stage.

QUESTION: 12

The skills of a good Scrum Master include which three attributes?

Option A : Share, pair, communicate

Option B : Communicate, coordinate, cooperate

Option C : Represent, direct, govern

Option D : Self-organize, self-manage, self-direct

Correct Answer: B

Explanation/Reference:

The Scrum Master role is a unique Agile Team member who spends much of their time helping other Team members

communicate, coordinate, and cooperate. Generally, the Scrum Master assists the Team in meeting their delivery goals.

Study Guide: SAFe 6.0 article with the complete explanation: [Link]

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QUESTION: 13

How should decentralized decision-making be used with respect to system design?

Option A : When defining subsystems and interfaces

Option B : When allocating functions to subsystems
Option C : When identifying the selection of common platforms
Option D : When development teams are empowered, self-organized, and allow the design to emerge

Correct Answer: D

Explanation/Reference:

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QUESTION: 14

The Development Team may need to learn or acquire new skills. Where is this list of skills found?

Option A : As part of the outcome of the PI Planning pre-meeting

Option B : In the Improvement Roadmap
Option C : As part of the outcome of the Team Retrospective
Option D : In the HR Training and Development Plan

Correct Answer: C

Explanation/Reference:

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QUESTION: 15

What activity calls for using ROAM technique?

Option A : Refining the Program Backlog.

Option B : Managing the ART sync.
Option C : Categorizing program risks during PI Planning.
Option D : Managing teams by the Release Train Engineer.

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 Correct Answer: C

QUESTION: 16

(Select 2) What are the right scenarios for using SAFe Foundations Training Materials?

Option A : Train Scrum Masters in servant leadership following "SAFe for Teams" training.
Option B : Make an initial presentation on SAFe to the organization.
Option C : Familiarize Release Train Engineers with the PI Planning process.
Option D : Familiarize executives with SAFe.
Option E : Train the teams prior to PI Planning.

Correct Answer: B,D

QUESTION: 17

An effective SAFe scrum master helps the team improve on their journey towards excellence through
continuous integration, continuous development and what else?

Option A : Continuous exploration

Option B : continuous release
Option C : wip limits
Option D : state of the art build tools

Correct Answer: A

QUESTION: 18

Who participates in the Inspect and Adapt event?

Option A : Agile teams, Release Train Engineers, System and Solution Architect/Engineering
Option B : Product Managers and Product Owners
Option C : Only stakeholders and Agile team members
Option D : Everyone involved in building the system

Correct Answer: C

Explanation/Reference:

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QUESTION: 19

Good coaches do not give people the answer, but instead they do what?

Option A : They hold them to their commitments

Option B : They make the decisions
Option C : They guide people to the solution
Option D : they limit the number of questions

Correct Answer: C

QUESTION: 20

In SAFe 6.0, which activity is a Scrum Master's responsibility?

Option A : Owning the Team Sync

Option B : Coordinating with other Teams

Option C : Prioritizing the Team Backlog

Option D : Facilitating the Scrum of Scrums

Correct Answer: B

Explanation/Reference:

Coordinating with the other Teams is in responsibility of a Scrum Master.

QUESTION: 21

What provides objective evidence that the system is iterating?

Option A : PO Sync
Option B : Scrum of Scrums
Option C : Daily Stand-ups
Option D : System Demo

Correct Answer: D

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Explanation/Reference:

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QUESTION: 22

How does work flow from one state to the next in a Team Kanban board?

Option A : During the Daily Stand-up, team members make decisions and discuss how to move the work
Option B : The Scrum Master moves the work from one state to the next to ensure ongoing progress
within the team
Option C : Team members of a state pull work from the previous state when they can do so without
impacting their current state WIP constraint
Option D : People working in the first state move the work to the next work state

Correct Answer: C

Explanation/Reference:

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QUESTION: 23

Kanban is a _____________ system that visualizes work flow and uses WIP limits at different work flow steps to
facilitate the flow.

Option A : integrated
Option B : private
Option C : pull Option
D : push

Correct Answer: C

QUESTION: 24

What would imply a change to the ART Budget?

Option A :

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 Extending the duration of a PI.

Option B : Changing total ART resources

Option C : Switching to a different PI cadence.
Option D : Reducing the scope of a Program Epic.
Option E : Prioritizing Features based on Cost of Delay.

Correct Answer: D

QUESTION: 25

What are the 3 Factors that lead to better performance and personal satisfaction? (CHOOSE 3)

Option A : Autonomy
Option B : Challenges
Option C : Mastery
Option D : Purpos

Correct Answer: A,C,D

QUESTION: 26

Who is responsible for assisting to establish Continuous Integration in SAFe?

Option A : Shared Services

Option B : Agile Teams
Option C : The System Architect/Engineer
Option D : The System Team

Correct Answer: D

Explanation/Reference:

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QUESTION: 27

Building Enterprise-Class Software and cyber-physical systems are one of the most complex challenges our
industry faces today.

Option A : True

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 Option B : False

Correct Answer: A

Explanation/Reference:

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QUESTION: 28

(Select 3) Which of the following have acceptance criteria?

Option A : Business Capabilities

Option B : Portfolio Enabler Epics
Option C : Strategic Themes
Option D : Enabler Features
Option E : Spikes
Option F : Program Epics

Correct Answer: A,D

QUESTION: 29

Which technique is used to identify root causes during the Problem Solving workshop?

Option A : Five Whys

Option B : Value Stream Identification
Option C : Value Stream Mapping
Option D : Weighted Shortest Job First

Correct Answer: A

Explanation/Reference:

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QUESTION: 30

How does the Scrum Master help teams address the challenges from modern enterprises?

Option A : By promoting a continuous release

Option B : By facilitating a team-s progress towards goals
Option C : By building high performing trains
Option D : By actively addressing impediments

Correct Answer: C

Explanation/Reference:

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QUESTION: 31

. What is the main reason for the System Demo?

Option A : To provide an optional quality check Option

B : To fulfill the SAFe PI Planning requirements Option
C:
To enable faster feedback by integration across teams

Option D : To give Product Owners the opportunity to provide feedback on the team increment

Correct Answer: C

QUESTION: 32

Which Event is a Scrum Master responsible for facilitating?

Option A : Scrum of Scrums

Option B : Iteration Planning

Option C : System Demo

Option D : PI Planning

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 Correct Answer: B

Explanation/Reference:

Out of the options, Iteration Planning is the only Team level Event where Scrum Master is responsible for facilitating.

The PI Planning is mainly under RTE's responsibility, but it's important to remember that the Scrum Master is a servant leader

and in practice is usually responsible for facilitating the PI Planning, if necessary or requested by the RTE.

QUESTION: 33

Who facilitates the PO Sync meeting?

Option A : Scrum Master

Option B : Product Owner
Option C : Business Owners
Option D : Release Train Engineer

Correct Answer: D

QUESTION: 34

Who defines the final scope of a committed Iteration?

Option A : The Agile Team

Option B : The Scrum Master
Option C : The Product Owner
Option D : The Solution Owner

Correct Answer: A

QUESTION: 35

What are three Team Retrospective anti-patterns? (Choose three.)

Option A : When the Scrum Master decides what the Retrospective topic(s) will be and directs the team on
specific improvement items to work on
Option B : When the team-s people manager comes in to observe
Option C : When only part of the team attends
Option D : When the team commits to working on 1-2 improvement items and adds them to the next
Iteration Backlog
Option E : When the team reviews their interactions during the last Iteration and identifies 1-2

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 improvement items to work on as a team
Option F : When the team reviews their interactions during the last Iteration and
identifies 1-2 improvement items for the Product Owner to work on

Correct Answer:
A,B,C
Explanation/Reference:

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QUESTION: 36

What is the purpose of the plan-do-check-adjust cycle?

Option A : To provide regular, predictable dev cadence to produce an
increment of value Option B : To give the ART members a process tool to keep
the train on the tracks Option C : To create a continuous flow of work to
support the delivery pipeline
Option D : To allow the team to perform some final backlog refinement for upcoming iteration
planning

Correct
Answer: A

QUESTION: 37
A team's Product Owner (PO) takes an unexpected leave of absence for the last week of the
Iteration. Three of the team's stories have been completed and are waiting to be accepted. The
Scrum Master asks the Product Manager (PM) to attend the Iteration Review and accept the
stories. The PM responds that he is not familiar enough with the intent to feel comfortable
accepting these responsibilities. He suggests keeping the Iteration open for an additional week
and waiting for the PO to come back. What should the team's Scrum Master do?

Option A : Work with the Release Train Engineer to find

a solution Option B :
The Scrum Master should accept the stories after the team demonstrates the stories
Option C : Ask another PO in the Agile Release Train to accept
the stories Option D : Strongly urge the PM to attend the Demo
and accept the stories

Correct
Answer: A

Explanation/Reference:
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planning