Scrum.org PSM II Study Guide: Advanced Scrum Master Scenarios
Prepare for PSM II by practicing Scrum Master facilitation, coaching, team self-management, organizational improvement, and advanced scenarios.
Scrum.org Professional Scrum Master II (PSM II) is an advanced Scrum Master certification. It tests your ability to apply Scrum, support teams, and address organizational challenges in complex real-world situations. Compared with PSM I, it relies less on recalling definitions and more on judgment: when to facilitate, when to coach, how to preserve team self-management, and how to improve Scrum’s effectiveness.
This guide follows the official Scrum.org PSM II assessment information. PSM I is not a formal prerequisite, but Scrum.org recommends PSM I-level knowledge. In-depth Scrum Master experience is valuable preparation.
Who is this exam for?
PSM II suits people already working as Scrum Masters or supporting Scrum Teams and organizations over time. If you are still learning the Scrum Guide, event purposes, and team accountabilities, build a PSM I foundation and gain practical experience before attempting the advanced assessment.
Exam format
PSM II has 30 questions and a 90-minute time limit. Formats include multiple choice, multiple answer, and true/false; some questions offer partial credit. The passing score is 85%. English is available through Scrum.org; Simplified Chinese is offered through scrum.org.cn, subject to availability. The certification is lifetime with no annual renewal.
What the assessment covers
PSM II draws on the Scrum framework, developing people and teams, managing products with agility, developing and delivering products professionally, and evolving the agile organization. It tests how a Scrum Master can:
- Preserve empiricism and Scrum values in complex environments.
- Facilitate effective conversations, conflict resolution, and collaboration.
- Use coaching and mentoring to develop self-management rather than decide for the team.
- Support the Product Owner and stakeholders in creating value.
- Help teams address technical risk, quality, and usable Increments.
- Help the organization understand and improve its use of Scrum.
How to reason through advanced scenarios
Look for the cause behind the symptom
A team may miss its Sprint Goal because the goal is unclear, too much work was selected, dependencies remain unresolved, quality is weak, or the organization is disrupting the team. Do not immediately reach for more process or manager-assigned tasks. Make the situation transparent, understand the cause through conversation, and involve the people best placed to address it.
Preserve self-management and accountability boundaries
The Scrum Master can facilitate how the team works, help people understand Scrum, and support impediment removal, but does not commit work or assign tasks for Developers. The Product Owner is accountable for effective Product Backlog management and maximizing value. The Scrum Master can coach and facilitate without taking over product decisions.
Address conflict and organizational impediments
Conflict is not automatically harmful. Facilitate a fact-based conversation about goals and impact so the people involved can agree on a workable improvement. Organizational impediments may need leadership support. Explain their impact on value flow, quality, or effectiveness and help the organization change the systemic conditions causing the problem.
Consider quality and technical practices
Do not hide quality problems by lowering the Definition of Done. Help the team inspect technical debt, automation, testing, and completion criteria so quality remains transparent and improves over time. The Scrum Master need not choose technical solutions, but should help the team and organization understand how quality affects sustained value delivery.
Concepts that are easy to confuse
- Facilitation and running a meeting: Facilitation enables a useful conversation; it is more than keeping time against an agenda.
- Coaching and giving an answer: Coaching helps someone think through a problem; advice or instruction should fit the person’s needs and situation.
- Self-management and no support: Self-management still needs goals, transparency, and accountability; the Scrum Master supports without taking over.
- Impediments and team commitments: The Scrum Master helps remove impediments, while the team remains accountable for its plan and delivery.
- Organizational change and enforcing a process: Improvement should address real organizational problems and Scrum values; formal compliance alone is not effective adoption.
Four-week study plan
| Week | Focus | Practice |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Revisit the Scrum Guide, accountabilities, events, artifacts, and empiricism | State the purpose of each element and the impact when it is undermined |
| 2 | Facilitation, self-management, coaching, conflict, and team development | Compare possible interventions and their consequences in team scenarios |
| 3 | Product Owner collaboration, technical risk, organizational impediments, and change | Practice communicating across teams and with leaders |
| 4 | Scrum Open, official focus areas, and timed scenarios | Explain the best action, accountability boundaries, and why alternatives fail |
Do not treat mock exam answers as a single script. PSM II is about applying Scrum principles and comparing how actions affect transparency, self-management, value delivery, and organizational learning.
Exam readiness checklist
- Preserve Scrum principles and accountability boundaries under pressure or conflict.
- Explain when to facilitate, coach, mentor, or help remove an impediment.
- Help teams and organizations improve without taking over their responsibilities.
- Connect product value, technical quality, and team effectiveness.
- Complete 30 scenario-based questions in 90 minutes and explain your reasoning.
What to practice next
First identify whether a problem sits with the team, Product Owner, or organizational system. Then choose a next step that best improves transparency and self-management. Start PSM-II practice