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CRISC Practice Question: During a control monitoring review, a risk…
During a control monitoring review, a risk analyst discovers that the control owner has not been performing the required monthly reconciliations. What should the analyst do FIRST?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse 'first step' with 'most impactful action' and choose to escalate or update the register immediately, failing to recognize that understanding the reason for non-performance is a prerequisite for any subsequent action.
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
✓
Contact the control owner to understand the reason for non-performance.
The first step in any control monitoring review is to investigate the root cause of a control failure before taking further action. Contacting the control owner allows the risk analyst to determine whether the non-performance was due to a process issue, resource constraint, or a deliberate decision, which informs the appropriate remediation. Jumping to escalation or documentation without understanding the context could lead to incorrect risk treatment or unnecessary disruption.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Contact the control owner to understand the reason for non-performance.
Why this is correct
Understanding the cause helps determine the appropriate response.
- ✗
Escalate to the risk committee for immediate action.
Why it's wrong here
Escalation should occur after initial investigation.
- ✗
Update the risk register to reflect control deficiency.
Why it's wrong here
The register should be updated after confirming the issue.
- ✗
Recommend removal of the control as it is not being followed.
Why it's wrong here
Removing the control increases risk; remediation should be tried first.
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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.