The correct recommendation is that a new business impact analysis be conducted to validate and update the DRP. This is because the BIA serves as the foundational assessment that identifies critical business processes, their dependencies, and the maximum tolerable downtime, directly informing recovery time objectives and recovery point objectives. Without a current BIA, even if no major changes are perceived, subtle shifts in operational workflows, regulatory requirements, or resource availability can silently erode the DRP’s effectiveness, making it unreliable during an actual disruption. On the CISA exam, this scenario tests your understanding that the BIA is not a one-time artifact but a living document requiring periodic review—auditors must challenge the assumption that “no major changes” equals continued validity. A common trap is accepting the IT manager’s justification without recognizing that incremental changes accumulate over time. Memory tip: “BIA before DRP—if the BIA is stale, the DRP will fail.”
CISA Governance and Management of IT Practice Question
This CISA practice question tests your understanding of governance and management of it. 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 an IT audit, the auditor discovers that the IT department has not conducted a business impact analysis (BIA) for three years. The organization's disaster recovery plan (DRP) is based on the previous BIA. The IT manager argues that the DRP is still valid because no major changes have occurred. What should the auditor recommend?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Recommend that a new BIA be conducted to validate and update the DRP.
A business impact analysis (BIA) is the foundation of a valid disaster recovery plan (DRP). Without a current BIA, the DRP may not reflect the organization's current critical processes, recovery time objectives (RTOs), or recovery point objectives (RPOs). Even if no major changes are perceived, subtle shifts in dependencies, resource availability, or regulatory requirements can render the DRP ineffective. Therefore, the auditor should recommend conducting a new BIA to validate and update the DRP.
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.
✓
Recommend that a new BIA be conducted to validate and update the DRP.
Why this is correct
A current BIA is essential to identify changes in business processes and threats, ensuring the DRP is aligned.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Accept the IT manager's rationale and close the finding.
Why it's wrong here
The BIA must be current to ensure the DRP remains effective; ignoring the gap is risky.
✗
Recommend terminating the current DRP until the BIA is completed.
Why it's wrong here
Terminating the DRP without a replacement would leave the organization without any recovery plan.
✗
Recommend accepting the risk and documenting the decision.
Why it's wrong here
Simply accepting the risk without reassessment may expose the organization to unmitigated impacts.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may assume the IT manager's claim of 'no major changes' is sufficient, but the CISA exam emphasizes that a BIA must be periodically reviewed (typically annually) regardless of perceived stability, because hidden dependencies or gradual changes can still affect recovery requirements.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
A BIA identifies critical business functions and quantifies the impact of disruptions, defining RTOs (e.g., 4 hours for order processing) and RPOs (e.g., 15 minutes for transaction logs). Without a current BIA, the DRP may assume outdated RTOs/RPOs, leading to inadequate resource allocation (e.g., insufficient backup bandwidth or failover capacity). In real-world scenarios, even minor changes like a new cloud service dependency or a shift in regulatory compliance (e.g., GDPR data retention) can invalidate the DRP's assumptions.
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 small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
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.
Governance and Management of IT — This question tests Governance and Management of IT — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Recommend that a new BIA be conducted to validate and update the DRP. — A business impact analysis (BIA) is the foundation of a valid disaster recovery plan (DRP). Without a current BIA, the DRP may not reflect the organization's current critical processes, recovery time objectives (RTOs), or recovery point objectives (RPOs). Even if no major changes are perceived, subtle shifts in dependencies, resource availability, or regulatory requirements can render the DRP ineffective. Therefore, the auditor should recommend conducting a new BIA to validate and update the DRP.
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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. During a risk assessment, an IS auditor identifies that the IT department has not performed a business impact analysis (BIA) for critical systems. Which of the following is the MOST significant risk?
hard
A.Non-compliance with software licensing
B.Increased likelihood of security breaches
C.Inability to calculate total cost of ownership
✓ D.Uncertainty regarding recovery time objectives for critical systems
Why D: Option D is correct because without a BIA, recovery time objectives (RTOs) are uncertain, leading to potential unacceptable downtime. Option A is a consequence but not the primary risk. Option B is incorrect because BIA is for recovery, not cost. Option C is less direct.
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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