CISA Information System Auditing Process Practice Question
During an operational audit of an IT department, the auditor finds that system uptime is 99.9% but the department missed two critical project deadlines. Which conclusion is most appropriate?
⚠ Common exam trap
CISA often tests the efficiency-versus-effectiveness distinction, tempting candidates to equate high uptime with overall effectiveness when the question deliberately includes missed objectives.
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 department is efficient but may not be effective
Efficiency is about doing things right (resource utilization, uptime, throughput), while effectiveness is about doing the right things (achieving objectives such as project deadlines). The department kept systems running (efficient) but missed critical deadlines (not effective), so the correct conclusion is that it is efficient but may not be effective. This distinction is central to ISACA's performance management concepts.
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 department has a material weakness in controls
Why it's wrong here
Missed project deadlines indicate project management or governance weaknesses, but a material weakness requires a deficiency, or combination, that creates a reasonable possibility of material misstatement — an internal control over financial reporting threshold. It tempts because operational failures can signal control breakdowns, yet uptime evidence alone cannot establish that severity.
- ✓
The department is efficient but may not be effective
Why this is correct
Uptime measures how well resources were used to keep systems running, indicating efficiency, while missed deadlines show the department failed to achieve its objectives, indicating ineffectiveness. Efficiency and effectiveness are distinct axes, so the department can be efficient yet ineffective.
- ✗
The department is operating effectively based on uptime
Why it's wrong here
Uptime measures availability, not whether projects deliver on schedule; missed deadlines indicate ineffective project delivery regardless of service continuity. It is tempting because 99.9% availability looks strong against service-level targets, but uptime is the correct conclusion only when the audit scope is availability management.
- ✗
The department should be outsourced
Why it's wrong here
No basis for such a conclusion.
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This CISA question is part of Courseiva's 934-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official ISACA exam blueprint
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.