CRISC Risk Response and Reporting Practice Question
A risk practitioner is evaluating the effectiveness of a security awareness program. Which TWO indicators would BEST measure whether the program is positively influencing risk culture? (Select TWO)
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse activity-based metrics (time spent, completion rates) with outcome-based metrics (behavior change, incident reduction), which is a common CRISC pitfall when evaluating program 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
✓
Increase in reported phishing attempts by employees
An increase in reported phishing attempts indicates that employees are more vigilant and willing to report suspicious activity, which is a direct behavioral measure of a positive risk culture. A decrease in incidents caused by human error shows that the training has effectively changed behavior and reduced risk exposure. Both indicators reflect actual risk-aware actions rather than mere completion metrics.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Time spent on training per employee
Why it's wrong here
Time spent does not measure effectiveness or cultural impact.
- ✗
Number of security policies updated
Why it's wrong here
Policy updates do not directly measure culture or behavior.
- ✓
Increase in reported phishing attempts by employees
Why this is correct
Increased reporting indicates employees are more vigilant and willing to report.
- ✗
Number of employees who completed training
Why it's wrong here
Completion is a proxy, not a direct indicator of behavior change.
- ✓
Decrease in incidents caused by human error
Why this is correct
A reduction in human-error incidents shows the training is effective in changing behavior.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
One of 983 original CRISC practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.