- A
One
Why wrong: One backup set is insufficient because incremental backups only contain changes since the last backup.
- B
Two
Why wrong: Two is not enough; you need the full and two incrementals.
- C
Four
Why wrong: Four would include Wednesday's backup, which is not needed.
- D
Three
You need Sunday's full backup, Monday's incremental, and Tuesday's incremental to restore to Tuesday night.
Question 86 of 1,000
SSCP Security Operations and Administration Practice Question
This SSCP practice question tests your understanding of security operations and administration. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company has a backup policy that performs a full backup every Sunday and incremental backups on other days. On Wednesday, a server fails. How many backup sets are needed to restore the server to its state on Tuesday night?
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
✓
Three
To restore the server to its state on Tuesday night, you need the full backup from Sunday and the incremental backups from Monday and Tuesday. Incremental backups only capture changes since the last backup (full or incremental), so you must restore them in sequence: full backup first, then Monday's incremental, then Tuesday's incremental. This requires three backup sets total, making option D correct.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
One
Why it's wrong here
One backup set is insufficient because incremental backups only contain changes since the last backup.
- ✗
Two
Why it's wrong here
Two is not enough; you need the full and two incrementals.
- ✗
Four
Why it's wrong here
Four would include Wednesday's backup, which is not needed.
- ✓
Three
Why this is correct
You need Sunday's full backup, Monday's incremental, and Tuesday's incremental to restore to Tuesday night.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is confusing incremental backups with differential backups; candidates often think two sets are enough (full + latest incremental) or mistakenly count the days incorrectly, leading them to choose option B or C instead of recognizing the sequential dependency of incremental chains.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Incremental backups back up only data that has changed since the most recent backup (full or incremental), creating a chain of dependencies. The restore process must replay each incremental in order, as each relies on the previous backup's state. In contrast, differential backups back up all changes since the last full backup, so a restore would require only the full backup and the latest differential, reducing the number of sets but increasing storage per differential. This distinction is critical in disaster recovery planning, where RTO (Recovery Time Objective) and RPO (Recovery Point Objective) trade-offs are evaluated.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A security analyst at a medium-sized enterprise encounters this scenario during an investigation or architecture review. The correct answer reflects best practice for the specific threat or control described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Security exam questions test whether you can match controls to threats in context — not just recall definitions.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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Security Operations and Administration — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SSCP question test?
Security Operations and Administration — This question tests Security Operations and Administration — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Three — To restore the server to its state on Tuesday night, you need the full backup from Sunday and the incremental backups from Monday and Tuesday. Incremental backups only capture changes since the last backup (full or incremental), so you must restore them in sequence: full backup first, then Monday's incremental, then Tuesday's incremental. This requires three backup sets total, making option D correct.
What should I do if I get this SSCP question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This SSCP practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISC2 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 SSCP exam.
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