- A
Industry best practices
Why wrong: Best practices may guide control selection, but not directly prioritization.
- B
Cost-benefit analysis of controls
Cost-benefit helps determine which treatments provide the best value.
- C
Residual risk after control implementation
Residual risk indicates the remaining exposure after controls.
- D
Risk level (inherent or residual)
Higher risk levels are typically prioritized.
- E
Number of vulnerabilities
Why wrong: Number of vulnerabilities alone is not a prioritization factor.
Question 591 of 1,000
CRISC IT Risk Assessment Practice Question
This CRISC practice question tests your understanding of it risk assessment. 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.
A company is prioritizing risk treatment actions. Which THREE factors should be considered when prioritizing risks?
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
✓
Cost-benefit analysis of controls
Option B is correct because cost-benefit analysis ensures that the resources invested in controls are justified by the reduction in risk, which is a core principle of risk management. Without this analysis, an organization might over-invest in low-impact risks or under-invest in high-impact ones, leading to inefficient allocation of budget and effort.
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.
- ✗
Industry best practices
Why it's wrong here
Best practices may guide control selection, but not directly prioritization.
- ✓
Cost-benefit analysis of controls
Why this is correct
Cost-benefit helps determine which treatments provide the best value.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Residual risk after control implementation
Why this is correct
Residual risk indicates the remaining exposure after controls.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Risk level (inherent or residual)
Why this is correct
Higher risk levels are typically prioritized.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Number of vulnerabilities
Why it's wrong here
Number of vulnerabilities alone is not a prioritization factor.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse 'number of vulnerabilities' (a technical count) with 'risk level' (which incorporates impact and likelihood), leading them to select Option E instead of recognizing that risk level is the primary driver for prioritization.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In practice, risk prioritization often uses a risk matrix that plots likelihood against impact, but this must be combined with residual risk calculations after controls are applied. For example, a vulnerability with a CVSS score of 9.0 might be deprioritized if compensating controls (e.g., network segmentation, WAF) reduce the residual risk to an acceptable level, while a lower-scored vulnerability affecting a critical asset might be escalated first.
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 practitioner preparing for the CRISC exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
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.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this CRISC question test?
IT Risk Assessment — This question tests IT Risk Assessment — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Cost-benefit analysis of controls — Option B is correct because cost-benefit analysis ensures that the resources invested in controls are justified by the reduction in risk, which is a core principle of risk management. Without this analysis, an organization might over-invest in low-impact risks or under-invest in high-impact ones, leading to inefficient allocation of budget and effort.
What should I do if I get this CRISC 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.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This CRISC 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 CRISC exam.
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