- A
Time spent on training per employee
Why wrong: Time spent does not measure effectiveness or cultural impact.
- B
Number of security policies updated
Why wrong: Policy updates do not directly measure culture or behavior.
- C
Increase in reported phishing attempts by employees
Increased reporting indicates employees are more vigilant and willing to report.
- D
Number of employees who completed training
Why wrong: Completion is a proxy, not a direct indicator of behavior change.
- E
Decrease in incidents caused by human error
A reduction in human-error incidents shows the training is effective in changing behavior.
Question 726 of 1,000
CRISC Risk Response and Reporting Practice Question
This CRISC practice question tests your understanding of risk response and reporting. 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 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)
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.
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.
- ✗
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.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
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.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is confusing 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.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In security awareness programs, leading indicators like phishing simulation click rates and real-world reporting rates are more predictive of risk culture than lagging metrics like training hours. A mature risk culture is characterized by employees acting as sensors—reporting anomalies without fear—which directly reduces mean time to detect (MTTD) and mean time to respond (MTTR) for incidents. The decrease in human-error incidents validates that the training has been internalized into habitual secure practices, aligning with the NIST SP 800-50 framework for security awareness and training effectiveness.
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.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this CRISC question test?
Risk Response and Reporting — This question tests Risk Response and Reporting — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: 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.
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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