- A
Report a lack of segregation of duties
Why wrong: Standard changes often do not require CAB approval.
- B
Recommend immediate rollback of the change
Why wrong: This is drastic and may not be necessary.
- C
Escalate to senior management
Why wrong: Escalation should occur after investigation.
- D
Determine if the change was correctly classified as standard
If it is a standard change, the process was followed.
Question 694 of 984
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 change management audit, an IS auditor finds that a critical system change was approved by the change manager without a CAB meeting. The change was categorized as a standard change. Which of the following should the auditor do FIRST?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"first"Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
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
✓
Determine if the change was correctly classified as standard
The auditor's first step must be to verify whether the change was correctly classified as a standard change, because standard changes are pre-approved and do not require a CAB meeting. If the classification is correct, the process was followed; if not, the lack of CAB approval is a control failure. This aligns with ITIL best practices, where standard changes are low-risk, pre-authorized changes with a defined procedure, and the auditor must confirm the classification before escalating or recommending action.
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.
- ✗
Report a lack of segregation of duties
Why it's wrong here
Standard changes often do not require CAB approval.
- ✗
Recommend immediate rollback of the change
Why it's wrong here
This is drastic and may not be necessary.
- ✗
Escalate to senior management
Why it's wrong here
Escalation should occur after investigation.
- ✓
Determine if the change was correctly classified as standard
Why this is correct
If it is a standard change, the process was followed.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" 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 assume any change approved without a CAB meeting is a control failure, but they overlook the critical first step of verifying whether the change was correctly classified as a standard change, which is pre-approved and does not require CAB involvement.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In ITIL, a standard change is a pre-approved, low-risk change that follows a defined procedure (e.g., patching a known vulnerability with a tested update) and does not require a CAB meeting; the change manager can approve it based on the pre-authorization. The auditor must review the change record against the organization's change classification criteria (e.g., risk level, impact, and pre-defined templates) to ensure the change was not misclassified as standard when it should have been a normal or emergency change. Misclassification can lead to unauthorized changes bypassing CAB review, increasing operational risk.
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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Information Systems Operations and Business Resilience — study guide chapter
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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: Determine if the change was correctly classified as standard — The auditor's first step must be to verify whether the change was correctly classified as a standard change, because standard changes are pre-approved and do not require a CAB meeting. If the classification is correct, the process was followed; if not, the lack of CAB approval is a control failure. This aligns with ITIL best practices, where standard changes are low-risk, pre-authorized changes with a defined procedure, and the auditor must confirm the classification before escalating or recommending action.
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: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
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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