CRISC IT Risk Assessment Practice Question
In assessing control effectiveness, an IS auditor evaluates both design adequacy and operating effectiveness. Which of the following indicates that a control is operating effectively?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse control design (what is planned or documented) with control operation (what actually happens in practice), leading candidates to select policy or approval as evidence of effectiveness.
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
✓
The control has been tested and works as designed
Operating effectiveness means the control has been tested and consistently produces the intended result in practice. Even if a control is well-designed, it may fail during actual operation due to misconfiguration, human error, or environmental changes. Testing confirms that the control functions as designed under real conditions, which is the definitive indicator of operating effectiveness.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The control is approved by management
Why it's wrong here
Approval is part of governance, not effectiveness.
- ✓
The control has been tested and works as designed
Why this is correct
Testing confirms operating effectiveness.
- ✗
The control is inexpensive to implement
Why it's wrong here
Cost does not measure effectiveness.
- ✗
The control is documented in policy
Why it's wrong here
Documentation relates to design adequacy.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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