Question 54 of 1,000

Information Systems Operations and Business Resilience →hardMultiple SelectObjective-mapped

CISA Practice Question: Information Systems Operations and Business Resilience

This CISA practice question tests your understanding of information systems operations and business resilience. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 is planning a full interruption test of its disaster recovery plan. Which THREE of the following should the IS auditor recommend as best practices for this type of test? (Select three.)

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.

A
Notify all relevant stakeholders in advance
Stakeholders need to be aware to coordinate.
B
Conduct the test during peak business hours to simulate real conditions
Why wrong: This could cause unacceptable disruption; tests are often scheduled off-peak.
C
Define clear test objectives and success criteria
Clear objectives are essential for a meaningful test.
D
Have a rollback plan in case of failure
A rollback plan is critical to restore normal operations if the test fails.
E
Ensure the test is scheduled after a major system upgrade to validate changes
Why wrong: Tests should be independent of upgrades, but not necessarily after.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

Notify all relevant stakeholders in advance

Option A is correct because notifying all relevant stakeholders in advance is a best practice for a full interruption test. This ensures that business units, IT teams, and external vendors are prepared for the planned outage, minimizing confusion and allowing coordinated execution. Without prior notification, the test could cause unnecessary panic or operational disruption, undermining the controlled nature of the exercise.

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.

✓
Notify all relevant stakeholders in advance
Why this is correct
Stakeholders need to be aware to coordinate.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Conduct the test during peak business hours to simulate real conditions
Why it's wrong here
This could cause unacceptable disruption; tests are often scheduled off-peak.
✓
Define clear test objectives and success criteria
Why this is correct
Clear objectives are essential for a meaningful test.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Have a rollback plan in case of failure
Why this is correct
A rollback plan is critical to restore normal operations if the test fails.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Ensure the test is scheduled after a major system upgrade to validate changes
Why it's wrong here
Tests should be independent of upgrades, but not necessarily after.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates may confuse a full interruption test with a tabletop or simulated test, incorrectly assuming that notifying stakeholders (Option A) reduces realism, when in fact it is a critical safety control for a live failover exercise.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

A full interruption test involves actually failing over to the alternate site and processing live transactions, which requires a synchronized cutover of DNS, storage replication (e.g., using synchronous or asynchronous replication protocols like SRDF or NetApp SnapMirror), and network routing. The rollback plan (Option D) must include steps to reverse the failover, such as re-synchronizing data from the DR site back to the primary site using reverse replication, and updating DNS TTL values to ensure a clean fallback. In practice, organizations often use a 'fire drill' approach where stakeholders are notified but the test is still disruptive, balancing realism with safety.

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: Notify all relevant stakeholders in advance — Option A is correct because notifying all relevant stakeholders in advance is a best practice for a full interruption test. This ensures that business units, IT teams, and external vendors are prepared for the planned outage, minimizing confusion and allowing coordinated execution. Without prior notification, the test could cause unnecessary panic or operational disruption, undermining the controlled nature of the exercise.

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: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.

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

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