ISC2 CC Business Continuity, DR & Incident Response Practice Question
A financial services firm conducts an annual test of its business continuity plan. Management wants to evaluate how well the team performs its roles and procedures during a simulated disruption without actually moving operations to alternate sites. Which type of exercise BEST meets this requirement?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse the levels of exercise realism, treating a tabletop as sufficient for evaluating performance when the scenario calls for operational execution.
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
✓
A simulation exercise that tests the team's execution of procedures without activating alternate sites
A simulation or functional exercise tests the team's ability to execute procedures and fulfill roles in a realistic scenario without the expense and disruption of activating alternate sites. It bridges the gap between discussion-based tabletop exercises and full-scale exercises by focusing on operational performance. This matches management's requirement to evaluate team performance while keeping operations in place.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
A tabletop exercise where participants discuss their roles and responses to a simulated scenario
Why it's wrong here
A tabletop exercise does evaluate roles and procedures through discussion, but it is typically a low-stress, discussion-based walkthrough rather than a performance-based evaluation of how the team actually executes procedures. The scenario asks for evaluating how well the team performs, which suggests a more operational test than a purely discussion-based tabletop. It also may not stress the procedural execution to the degree management is seeking.
- ✓
A simulation exercise that tests the team's execution of procedures without activating alternate sites
Why this is correct
A simulation exercise, sometimes called a functional exercise, tests the performance of specific teams and procedures in a realistic scenario without the full disruption of relocating to an alternate site. It evaluates how well participants execute their roles and use their plans, which directly matches management's goal. It provides more operational realism than a tabletop while avoiding the cost and disruption of a full-scale activation.
- ✗
A full-scale exercise that activates the alternate processing site and relocates critical staff
Why it's wrong here
A full-scale exercise does involve relocating staff and activating alternate sites, which is more disruptive and costly than what management requested. The requirement explicitly states that operations should not be moved to alternate sites, so a full-scale exercise exceeds the scope. While it provides the most realistic validation, it does not match the stated objective of evaluating team roles without site relocation.
- ✗
A structured walkthrough in which each team member reviews the plan document individually
Why it's wrong here
A structured walkthrough is a review activity where participants examine the plan for accuracy and completeness, often reading and discussing sections. It does not evaluate performance under a simulated disruption and does not stress roles or procedures in an operational context. It is useful for plan maintenance but insufficient for assessing how well the team would actually perform during an incident.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Risk Management and Security Controls
Key term
BCP
BCP is a proactive process that creates a framework to ensure critical business functions continue during and after a disruptive event.
Key term
Business continuity
Business continuity is the capability of an organization to continue delivering essential services during and after a disruptive event.
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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official ISC2 exam blueprint
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