mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
SSCP Practice Question: A security administrator is reviewing backup…
A security administrator is reviewing backup procedures for a database server. The current backup policy mandates a full backup every Sunday and differential backups Tuesday through Friday. On Wednesday, a failure occurs, and the database is lost. The last successful full backup was completed on Sunday, and the last differential backup was completed on Tuesday. How many backup sets are needed to restore the database to its state as of Tuesday?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse differential backups with incremental backups, leading candidates to think they need all backups from Sunday through Tuesday (3 or 4 sets), when differential backups only require the last full and the most recent differential.
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
✓
2
To restore the database to its state as of Tuesday, you need the last full backup (Sunday) and the last differential backup (Tuesday). A differential backup contains all changes since the last full backup, so applying the Tuesday differential to the Sunday full backup recovers all data up to Tuesday. The Wednesday failure does not affect the Tuesday state, and no other backups are required.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
4
Why it's wrong here
More than necessary.
- ✗
3
Why it's wrong here
Only two sets are required.
- ✓
2
Why this is correct
Full backup plus the latest differential backup.
- ✗
1
Why it's wrong here
A differential backup requires the last full backup.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
This SSCP question is part of Courseiva's 920-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.