200-201 Security Policies and Procedures Practice Question
A healthcare organization is developing an incident response plan. The security manager wants to ensure that the plan includes a phase where the team practices and tests their response capabilities before an actual incident occurs. According to the NIST incident response lifecycle, which phase involves preparing and preventing incidents through activities like training and exercises?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that Post-Incident Activity includes training, but that phase is about reviewing and learning from the incident, not practicing beforehand.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Preparation
According to the NIST incident response lifecycle, Preparation is the phase dedicated to establishing and maintaining incident response capabilities, including training, exercises, and plan development. The other phases are reactive and occur during or after an incident. Therefore, the security manager should focus on Preparation to ensure the team is ready before an incident happens.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Post-Incident Activity
Why it's wrong here
Post-Incident Activity is the final phase where the team reviews the incident, documents lessons learned, and improves processes. While it can lead to improved preparation for future incidents, it is not the phase where training and exercises are conducted. This phase occurs after the incident is resolved, focusing on retrospective analysis rather than proactive practice.
- ✗
Containment, Eradication, and Recovery
Why it's wrong here
Containment, Eradication, and Recovery is the phase where the team limits the damage, removes the threat, and restores normal operations. This phase occurs after an incident has been detected and analyzed. It does not involve preparatory training or exercises, as it is focused on active response actions rather than readiness activities.
- ✗
Detection and Analysis
Why it's wrong here
Detection and Analysis is the phase where the team identifies and validates potential security incidents. It involves monitoring, alert triage, and initial investigation. While preparation influences detection capabilities, this phase does not primarily involve training and exercises. It focuses on identifying incidents, not on practicing response.
- ✓
Preparation
Why this is correct
Preparation is the first phase of the NIST incident response lifecycle. It encompasses establishing an incident response capability, developing plans, training personnel, and conducting exercises. In this scenario, the security manager wants to ensure the team practices and tests capabilities, which is exactly what happens during Preparation. This phase sets the foundation for effective incident handling.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Cisco exam blueprint
This 200-201 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Cisco certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 200-201 exam.