easyMultiple Choice
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
Number of security incidents is lagging: incidents have already occurred and caused impact. Leading indicators measure precursor conditions, such as vulnerability counts or patch compliance, that forecast future incidents. Incident counts would be the correct example if the question asked for a lagging indicator.
- ✓
Percentage of employees trained.
Why this is correct
Percentage of employees trained measures a preventive control's coverage before incidents occur, making it a leading indicator. It satisfies the stem's requirement by predicting future risk exposure rather than reporting past outcomes, unlike lagging metrics such as incident counts or breach losses, which only confirm events already realised.
- ✗
Audit findings count.
Why it's wrong here
Audit findings count reports deficiencies already identified, making it lagging rather than leading. Leading indicators track forward-looking drivers such as control test pass rates or open remediation ageing. Audit findings would be the correct example if the question asked for a lagging indicator.
- ✗
Loss amount from fraud.
Why it's wrong here
Loss amount from fraud is a lagging indicator: it records harm already realised. Leading indicators measure conditions that precede and predict loss, such as control failures or risk trends. Fraud loss would be the correct example if the question asked for a lagging indicator instead.
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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.