- A
The recovery point objective (RPO) was set too low, causing data loss.
Why wrong: RPO relates to data loss, not the time to recover (RTO).
- B
The backup data was not encrypted, leading to corruption during restoration.
Why wrong: Encryption does not typically cause delays; corruption could, but it is less common than capacity issues.
- C
The tabletop exercise was not conducted before the full interruption test.
Why wrong: While tabletop exercises are valuable, their absence does not directly cause RTO failure; the root cause is typically technical or procedural.
- D
The alternate site did not have adequate processing capacity to handle the workload.
Insufficient capacity at the alternate site directly impacts recovery time and is a frequent finding in full interruption tests.
CISA Practice Question: Information Systems Operations and Business Resilience
This CISA practice question tests your understanding of information systems operations and business resilience. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
An organization has implemented a business continuity plan (BCP) and disaster recovery plan (DRP). During a recent full interruption test, the IT team discovered that the recovery time objective (RTO) for a critical application was not met. What is the MOST likely reason for this failure?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"most likely"Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
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
The alternate site did not have adequate processing capacity to handle the workload.
The most likely reason the RTO was not met is that the alternate site lacked sufficient processing capacity to handle the workload. RTO measures the time to restore service availability; if the failover site cannot support the required compute, memory, or I/O throughput, restoration will be delayed or fail outright. This is a common capacity planning failure in DR testing, where the alternate site is sized for minimal operations but not for the full production load.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The recovery point objective (RPO) was set too low, causing data loss.
Why it's wrong here
RPO relates to data loss, not the time to recover (RTO).
- ✗
The backup data was not encrypted, leading to corruption during restoration.
Why it's wrong here
Encryption does not typically cause delays; corruption could, but it is less common than capacity issues.
- ✗
The tabletop exercise was not conducted before the full interruption test.
Why it's wrong here
While tabletop exercises are valuable, their absence does not directly cause RTO failure; the root cause is typically technical or procedural.
- ✓
The alternate site did not have adequate processing capacity to handle the workload.
Why this is correct
Insufficient capacity at the alternate site directly impacts recovery time and is a frequent finding in full interruption tests.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse RTO with RPO or assume procedural gaps (like missing a tabletop exercise) are the root cause, when the actual failure is a technical capacity limitation at the alternate site.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, RTO is driven by the time to restore application state and data, which depends on network bandwidth, storage I/O, and compute resources at the DR site. In a full interruption test, the alternate site must handle the same transactional load as the primary; if its CPU or memory is under-provisioned, the application may start but fail to meet performance thresholds, effectively missing the RTO. Real-world scenarios often involve virtualized environments where DR sites use oversubscribed hosts, leading to resource contention during failover.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the CISA exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this CISA question test?
Information Systems Operations and Business Resilience — This question tests Information Systems Operations and Business Resilience — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The alternate site did not have adequate processing capacity to handle the workload. — The most likely reason the RTO was not met is that the alternate site lacked sufficient processing capacity to handle the workload. RTO measures the time to restore service availability; if the failover site cannot support the required compute, memory, or I/O throughput, restoration will be delayed or fail outright. This is a common capacity planning failure in DR testing, where the alternate site is sized for minimal operations but not for the full production load.
What should I do if I get this CISA question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This CISA practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISACA 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 CISA exam.
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