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Deceptive questions ?

Last post 05:13 pm May 9, 2018 by Thomas Starkweather
4 replies
08:31 pm May 7, 2018

I am preparing to take the PSM I test. A pet peeve of any certification that I have is the use of marginally wording or deception.  For example I have seen some sample question that says list who should not be part of sprint reviews.  (Key Stakeholders - Yes (agree)    CEO - No (do not agree. the CEO is the kingpin of Key Stakeholder))

Another example is pick the best answer from a group of valid answers. To me if they are all valid answers the best answer will depend on circumstance.

 

Thus the question : What should I expect in terms of vague, marginal wording questions?   Do all the questions on any of the certifications go through thorough vetting to eliminate poorly written questions.

 


08:36 pm May 7, 2018

Hello Thomas,

Each question and answer that appears on our assessments has been created by and thoroughly reviewed by groups of vetted Professional Scrum Experts from around the world. To maintain our high standards, these questions undergo continuous refinement to ensure they align with the most recent version of the Scrum Guide, and that there are clear correct and incorrect answer options.

Bear in mind that passing our professional-level assessments for certification is an indication of a certain level of mastery of Scrum. Many questions will ask you to interpret concepts from the Scrum Guide and apply them to a scenario presented in the question. As these are difficult assessments, simply reading the Scrum guide with little or no practical experience, or without supplemental study, is often not enough to achieve a passing score.


08:08 pm May 8, 2018

Another example on a practice exam.

 

The Development Team must be no smaller than 3 and no larger than 9 members

 

The answer was false and I guess this is correct. Everyone states a strong recommendation of 3 to 9 but not a must.

This is what I would classify as an unfair question.


02:12 pm May 9, 2018

Thomas, unsure why you classify that as an unfair question.

The Scrum Guide clearly states that the "optimal" Development Team size is between 3 and 9 members.   It doesn't state that the Development Team "must" be between 3-9 members.

Just a suggestion, but when taking your certification, pay close attention to phrases that are prescriptive in nature.   Scrum is a framework, and while it does have clear rules on what Scrum is, there are areas where practices are only recommended and not prescribed.


05:13 pm May 9, 2018

I took the exam and would like to give out sum kudos for scrum.org.  All the questions were fair and strait forward. I have seen other organizations go out of their way to be tricky. I assume this optimizes their profits since many people need to take the exams multiple times.  One item I would like to see and it may be there on PSM II and III is a prerequisite of actual work experience for the certification. Sort of like the PMP.  I am not really a fan of certifications since to me they really do not prove anything on ones true capabilities. For example the PSM I test I think I could of easily passed when I was a freshmen in high school but I know for certain I would be a useless scrum master without life experiences.


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