CISA Practice Question: Information Systems Acquisition, Development, and Implementation
In a waterfall SDLC, when should user acceptance testing (UAT) typically occur?
⚠ Common exam trap
CISA often tests the sequencing of SDLC test phases, and candidates confuse UAT with system testing or place it after deployment because they conflate 'acceptance' with 'post-implementation review'.
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
✓
After system testing and before deployment
In a waterfall SDLC, UAT is the final validation step performed by end users after the system has been fully built and verified by the development team. System testing confirms the solution meets technical specifications, and only then do users validate it against business requirements in a production-like environment. Deployment follows only after users formally accept the system, ensuring defects are caught before go-live.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
After deployment
Why it's wrong here
UAT validates the system against business requirements before release; running it after deployment means defects surface in production, where rollback and rework costs are highest. It is tempting because post-implementation review does occur, but that verifies benefits realisation, not acceptance.
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After coding but before unit testing
Why it's wrong here
Unit testing verifies individual components and precedes integration and system testing; UAT cannot run before it. It is tempting because both occur after coding. Waterfall sequences UAT last, after system testing confirms the integrated application works.
- ✓
After system testing and before deployment
Why this is correct
In a waterfall SDLC, phases execute sequentially, so UAT follows completed system testing, confirming the built system meets business requirements before release. Placing it after system testing and before deployment satisfies the stem's waterfall sequencing constraint, ensuring defects are caught prior to production cutover.
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During the requirements phase
Why it's wrong here
Requirements gathering precedes any build, so no testable system exists for users to accept. It is tempting because UAT validates that requirements are met. In waterfall, UAT occurs after system testing, once the completed application is available.
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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.