The maximum specific growth rate of a microbe in a given growth condition is of primary relevance for biological research and bioprocess development. In the case of the unicellular yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, this physiological parameter is routinely calculated in (almost) every laboratory, but this procedure conceals several challenges that are often neglected in scientific works, which might lead to misinterpretation of the reported data and of phenomena. We present here several pitfalls involved in µMAX calculation and interpretation, which was achieved through comparative analyses of: 1) the use of different methodologies for determining cell concentration, 2) different calibration procedures to correlate indirect (e.g. absorbance) to direct (e.g. dry cell mass) cell concentration measurements, 3) different statistical methods for determining the significance of µMAX differences, 4) the influence of culture media composition, and 5) the influence of the cultivation system (e.g. microplate, shake-flask or bioreactor). It becomes clear that each of these factors has a great influence on µMAX calculation and interpretation. We also present a case study involving three yeast strains and three different carbon sources, illustrating that opposite conclusions can be drawn in a screening procedure, if proper caution is not taken during data generation and analysis. Last but not least, we conclude this work with a series of recommendations that we believe could make experimental planning, data generation, µMAX calculation and interpretation more meaningful and scientifically sound, contributing to the improvement of yeast research and of microbiology in general.