CRISC Risk Response and Reporting Practice Question
After implementing a new access control system, the IT risk manager needs to measure its effectiveness. Which THREE of the following are Key Control Indicators (KCIs) that would be appropriate?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse KRIs (which measure risk exposure, like patch lag) with KCIs (which measure control effectiveness), leading candidates to select metrics that are not directly tied to the control's operational performance.
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
✓
Exception rate for access requests
The exception rate for access requests directly measures how often access requests deviate from established policies, indicating the effectiveness of the access control system in enforcing least privilege and authorization rules. A high exception rate suggests weaknesses in the control design or operation, making it a key control indicator (KCI) for access management.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Patch lag time for critical systems
Why it's wrong here
Patch lag is a Key Risk Indicator (KRI), not a KCI.
- ✓
Exception rate for access requests
Why this is correct
Exception rate indicates how often controls are bypassed.
- ✓
Control deficiency rate identified in audits
Why this is correct
Deficiency rate directly reflects control failures.
- ✓
Test results from control testing
Why this is correct
Pass/fail rates from testing measure effectiveness.
- ✗
User satisfaction survey scores
Why it's wrong here
User satisfaction is not a standard KCI for control effectiveness.
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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.