CRISC IT Risk Assessment Practice Question
After implementing a set of controls, the risk owner calculates the residual risk. Which of the following is true about residual risk?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is confusing residual risk with inherent risk — candidates may select 'risk before controls' or assume residual risk can exceed inherent risk, misunderstanding the fundamental relationship between the 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
✓
It is the risk that remains after controls are applied
Residual risk is by definition the risk that remains after controls have been applied and risk treatment has occurred. It represents the exposure the organization accepts or must further mitigate after existing safeguards are considered.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
It is the risk that remains after controls are applied
Why this is correct
Residual risk is the exposure remaining once implemented controls have reduced inherent risk, so it directly satisfies the stem's scenario of a risk owner calculating exposure after controls. It reflects control effectiveness rather than the untreated threat, and must be compared against the risk appetite to decide whether further treatment is required.
- ✗
It is not considered in risk treatment decisions
Why it's wrong here
Residual risk is the central input to risk treatment decisions: it determines whether further controls, transfer or acceptance are warranted. Excluding it would leave the risk owner unable to judge whether current treatment is adequate. It is tempting to dismiss it as a reporting figure, but it drives the accept-or-mitigate decision.
- ✗
It is always higher than inherent risk
Why it's wrong here
Effective controls reduce risk, so residual risk is normally lower than inherent risk, never inherently higher. It could exceed inherent only if controls introduced new exposure, which is not the definition. It is tempting because both share the same measurement scale, inviting confusion about their direction of change.
- ✗
It is the risk before any controls are implemented
Why it's wrong here
That describes inherent risk, the exposure assessed before controls are applied. Residual risk is what remains after controls are implemented and evaluated, so this reverses the two terms. It is tempting because both are measured on the same likelihood and impact axes, differing only in whether controls are already in place.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
One of 1,062 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 and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official ISACA exam blueprint
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.