CISM Primary purpose of risk assessment Practice Question
Which of the following is the PRIMARY purpose of an information security risk assessment?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse the purpose of a risk assessment with the purpose of risk treatment or compliance, leading them to select 'comply with regulatory requirements' as the primary purpose, when in fact compliance is a secondary benefit, not the core objective.
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
✓
To identify and evaluate risks in terms of likelihood and impact
The primary purpose of an information security risk assessment is to identify and evaluate risks in terms of their likelihood and impact. This process enables an organization to prioritize risks and determine appropriate risk treatment options, such as mitigation, transfer, acceptance, or avoidance, based on a clear understanding of the risk landscape. Without this evaluation, any subsequent risk management decisions would lack a defensible basis.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
To eliminate all identified risks
Why it's wrong here
Eliminating all risks is impractical and not the primary purpose; risk assessment informs risk treatment decisions.
- ✗
To comply with regulatory requirements
Why it's wrong here
Compliance may be a driver but is not the primary purpose; the core is informed decision-making.
- ✗
To assign blame for security incidents
Why it's wrong here
Risk assessment is proactive, not punitive.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The CISM exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓To identify and evaluate risks in terms of likelihood and impactCorrect answer▾
✗To eliminate all identified risksWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Eliminating all risks is impractical and not the primary purpose; risk assessment informs risk treatment decisions.
✗To comply with regulatory requirementsWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Compliance may be a driver but is not the primary purpose; the core is informed decision-making.
✗To assign blame for security incidentsWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Risk assessment is proactive, not punitive.
Analysis generated from the official CISMblueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every CISM question from scratch — 871 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CISM 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 CISM exam.