easyMultiple Choice
CRISC Practice Question: A control test reveals a 100% pass rate for a…
A control test reveals a 100% pass rate for a detective control. What does this indicate?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse a control's effectiveness (pass rate) with risk mitigation, assuming a perfect detection rate means the risk is fully addressed, but detective controls only provide visibility, not prevention or reduction of risk likelihood.
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 control is operating effectively
A 100% pass rate for a detective control indicates that every time the control was tested, it successfully detected the condition or event it was designed to identify. This demonstrates the control is operating effectively, meaning it is functioning as intended and providing the expected level of assurance. For example, if the detective control is an intrusion detection system (IDS) that correctly alerts on all test attack patterns, a 100% pass rate confirms its detection logic and signature updates are working correctly.
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 control is operating effectively
Why this is correct
A 100% pass rate means every sampled instance of the detective control operated as designed, with no exceptions or deviations identified. This evidences that the control is operating effectively, giving the risk practitioner reasonable assurance that the risk it addresses is being detected as intended.
- ✗
The control is too expensive to maintain
Why it's wrong here
Cost is a separate consideration from test results; a 100% pass rate says nothing about the control's expense. The result shows the detective control operated effectively during the tested period, giving assurance over the control's design and operation. Cost-effectiveness would be assessed through budget analysis, not control testing outcomes.
- ✗
The control is compensating for other weaknesses
Why it's wrong here
Compensating controls substitute for a primary control that cannot be implemented; the test result provides no evidence of any such substitution. A 100% pass rate simply confirms the detective control functioned as designed during testing. Compensating control status is determined by control design documentation, not test outcomes.
- ✗
The associated risk has been fully mitigated
Why it's wrong here
A detective control identifies events after they occur; it cannot mitigate risk, only detect it. A 100% pass rate confirms the control detected what it was designed to detect, not that the underlying risk was eliminated. Residual risk remains and must be assessed separately through risk analysis.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.