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CISM Practice Question: Which TWO of the following are key performance…
Which TWO of the following are key performance indicators (KPIs) commonly used to measure the effectiveness of incident management processes?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse 'Mean Time to Respond' (MTTR) with 'Mean Time to Resolve' (also often abbreviated MTTR), but in CISM context, MTTR for incident management specifically refers to response time, not resolution time, and candidates may incorrectly select SLA compliance or volume metrics as KPIs for process effectiveness.
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
✓
Mean Time to Detect (MTTD)
Mean Time to Detect (MTTD) measures the average time between the occurrence of an incident and its detection by monitoring systems or personnel. A lower MTTD indicates faster detection, which is critical for minimizing damage and is a direct KPI for incident management effectiveness. Mean Time to Respond (MTTR) measures the average time from detection to the start of remediation actions, reflecting the efficiency of the response process.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Percentage of incidents resolved within SLA
Why it's wrong here
While an operational metric, it is not as universally recognized as MTTD/MTTR for measuring incident management effectiveness.
- ✓
Mean Time to Detect (MTTD)
Why this is correct
MTTD measures how quickly an incident is detected, a key indicator of detection capability.
- ✓
Mean Time to Respond (MTTR)
Why this is correct
MTTR measures how quickly an incident is responded to after detection, a key indicator of response efficiency.
- ✗
Total cost of incidents
Why it's wrong here
Cost is an outcome measure, not a direct KPI for process effectiveness.
- ✗
Number of incidents per month
Why it's wrong here
This is a volume metric, not a measure of process effectiveness.
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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.