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CRISC Is an example of a leading indicator? Practice Question
Which of the following is an example of a leading indicator?
⚠ Common exam trap
ISACA's CRISC exam often tests the distinction between leading and lagging indicators by presenting lagging metrics (like incident counts or audit findings) as plausible answers, trapping candidates who confuse reactive measures with proactive predictors.
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
✓
Percentage of employees trained.
A leading indicator is a proactive metric that predicts future risk events or control effectiveness. The percentage of employees trained is a leading indicator because it measures a preventive control (security awareness) that reduces the likelihood of future incidents, such as phishing or data breaches. In contrast, lagging indicators like incident counts or loss amounts reflect past events.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Number of security incidents.
Why it's wrong here
This is a lagging indicator reflecting past events.
- ✓
Percentage of employees trained.
Why this is correct
Training coverage can predict future compliance or security outcomes.
- ✗
Audit findings count.
Why it's wrong here
Audit findings report past control deficiencies.
- ✗
Loss amount from fraud.
Why it's wrong here
This is a lagging indicator of realized fraud losses.
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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.