CRISC Risk Response and Reporting Practice Question
A risk manager is evaluating a control that addresses a high-risk finding from an internal audit. Which of the following is the MOST important factor in determining whether the control is effective?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse 'alignment with best practices' (Option D) with proof of effectiveness, but CRISC requires evidence of actual control performance, not just theoretical compliance.
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
✓
Key control indicators (KCIs) such as control deficiency rate and test results
B is correct because the effectiveness of a control is determined by its ability to reduce risk to an acceptable level, which is directly measured by key control indicators (KCIs) such as the control deficiency rate and test results. These metrics provide empirical evidence of whether the control is operating as intended and mitigating the identified high-risk finding. Without such performance data, any assessment of effectiveness is speculative.
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 vendor's reputation for providing reliable security solutions
Why it's wrong here
Vendor reputation is not a measure of control effectiveness.
- ✓
Key control indicators (KCIs) such as control deficiency rate and test results
Why this is correct
KCIs measure actual control performance and are the most direct indicators of effectiveness.
- ✗
The cost of the control relative to the asset value
Why it's wrong here
Cost is a factor in cost-benefit analysis but not the primary measure of effectiveness.
- ✗
The control's alignment with industry best practices
Why it's wrong here
Best practices are a benchmark but do not guarantee effectiveness in a specific environment.
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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.