- A
The backup frequency is not aligned with the RPO.
Why wrong: This is a restatement of the issue, but the risk is data loss.
- B
The disaster recovery plan has not been tested.
Why wrong: Testing is important, but the immediate risk is the RPO gap.
- C
Recovery time exceeds the MTD.
Why wrong: Recovery time of 4 hours exceeds 2-hour MTD, but data loss is more critical.
- D
Data loss exceeds the RPO.
The RPO of 15 minutes is not met by 12-hour backups, risking significant data loss.
Question 459 of 1,000
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.
During a business impact analysis (BIA), the IS auditor identifies that the maximum tolerable downtime (MTD) for an online payment system is 2 hours, and the recovery point objective (RPO) is 15 minutes. The current disaster recovery solution uses nightly backups (12-hour RPO) and can restore the system in 4 hours. Which risk is most critical?
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
✓
Data loss exceeds the RPO.
The current solution has a 12-hour RPO (nightly backups), but the business requires an RPO of 15 minutes. This means up to 11 hours and 45 minutes of transaction data could be lost, far exceeding the acceptable data loss threshold. While the recovery time of 4 hours also exceeds the MTD of 2 hours, the most critical risk is data loss because the gap between the actual RPO and the required RPO is proportionally larger and directly impacts transaction integrity and financial reconciliation.
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 backup frequency is not aligned with the RPO.
Why it's wrong here
This is a restatement of the issue, but the risk is data loss.
- ✗
The disaster recovery plan has not been tested.
Why it's wrong here
Testing is important, but the immediate risk is the RPO gap.
- ✗
Recovery time exceeds the MTD.
Why it's wrong here
Recovery time of 4 hours exceeds 2-hour MTD, but data loss is more critical.
- ✓
Data loss exceeds the RPO.
Why this is correct
The RPO of 15 minutes is not met by 12-hour backups, risking significant data loss.
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 focus on the recovery time exceeding the MTD (Option C) because it seems more obvious, but the RPO gap is more critical because data loss has a longer-lasting financial and operational impact than temporary downtime.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In a payment system, the RPO defines the maximum acceptable data loss measured in time, typically enforced by transaction log shipping or synchronous replication. Nightly backups with a 12-hour RPO mean that in a disaster, all transactions from the last 12 hours are lost, which could include thousands of unprocessed payments, leading to financial discrepancies and customer disputes. The MTD of 2 hours includes the time to restore from backup and bring the system online, but even if the system is restored within 2 hours, the data loss from the 12-hour backup gap is irreversible without point-in-time recovery capabilities.
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: Data loss exceeds the RPO. — The current solution has a 12-hour RPO (nightly backups), but the business requires an RPO of 15 minutes. This means up to 11 hours and 45 minutes of transaction data could be lost, far exceeding the acceptable data loss threshold. While the recovery time of 4 hours also exceeds the MTD of 2 hours, the most critical risk is data loss because the gap between the actual RPO and the required RPO is proportionally larger and directly impacts transaction integrity and financial reconciliation.
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.
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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