The answer is identifying the maximum acceptable outage (MAO) for each process. This is correct because a primary objective of a business impact analysis is to quantify the operational and financial impacts of a disruption, which directly determines the maximum tolerable downtime for each critical function. The MAO then drives the recovery time objectives (RTOs) and prioritization of recovery efforts, ensuring the most vital processes are restored first. On the CRISC exam, this concept tests your understanding of how the BIA translates business needs into technical recovery targets; a common trap is confusing the BIA’s output (MAO) with the recovery strategy itself. Remember that the BIA identifies the “how long can we be down” before setting the “how fast we must recover.” A useful memory tip is: BIA finds the MAO, then RTO follows.
CRISC IT Risk Assessment Practice Question
This CRISC practice question tests your understanding of it risk assessment. 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.
An organization is performing a business impact analysis (BIA) for its critical applications. Which TWO of the following are primary objectives of a BIA?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "primary"
Why it matters: Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Prioritize recovery of business processes based on criticality.
Option A is correct because a primary objective of a BIA is to prioritize the recovery of business processes based on their criticality to the organization. This prioritization directly informs the recovery time objectives (RTOs) and resource allocation for each process, ensuring that the most critical functions are restored first during a disruption.
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.
✓
Prioritize recovery of business processes based on criticality.
The clue word "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Calculate the annualized loss expectancy (ALE).
Why it's wrong here
ALE is a quantitative risk metric, not a BIA objective.
✗
Select appropriate risk response strategies.
Why it's wrong here
Risk response selection follows risk assessment.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse the BIA with the broader risk assessment process, mistakenly selecting options like determining threat likelihood or calculating ALE, which are distinct activities performed after the BIA is complete.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The BIA is a systematic process that identifies critical business functions, their dependencies, and the maximum tolerable downtime (MTD) or maximum acceptable outage (MAO) for each. This data feeds directly into the development of recovery strategies and the assignment of recovery priorities, often using a tiered classification (e.g., Tier 1: must recover within 4 hours). In practice, the BIA also captures operational and financial impacts, such as revenue loss per hour or regulatory penalties, which are used to justify recovery investments.
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.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
IT Risk Assessment — This question tests IT Risk Assessment — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Prioritize recovery of business processes based on criticality. — Option A is correct because a primary objective of a BIA is to prioritize the recovery of business processes based on their criticality to the organization. This prioritization directly informs the recovery time objectives (RTOs) and resource allocation for each process, ensuring that the most critical functions are restored first during a disruption.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "primary". Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. Which of the following is the PRIMARY purpose of conducting a business impact analysis (BIA) during the IT risk assessment process?
easy
✓ A.To determine the criticality and recovery time objectives of business processes
B.To identify vulnerabilities in IT systems
C.To identify potential threat actors
D.To inventory all IT assets
Why A: Option B is correct because the BIA identifies critical business processes and their recovery priorities. Option A is wrong because vulnerability assessment is separate. Option C is wrong because threats are identified in threat modeling. Option D is wrong because asset inventory is part of asset management.
Last reviewed: Jun 25, 2026
Question Discussion
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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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