SSCP Security Operations and Administration Practice Question
A security administrator is selecting security metrics for the organization. Which TWO metrics are most useful for measuring the effectiveness of patching? (Select TWO)
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse 'number of security incidents' (a reactive, outcome-based metric) with a proactive patching metric, or they mistakenly think 'help desk ticket volume' reflects patching problems rather than user support load.
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
✓
Average time to patch critical vulnerabilities
Average time to patch critical vulnerabilities (Mean Time to Patch, MTTP) directly measures the speed of remediation, which is a key indicator of patching effectiveness. Patch compliance rate quantifies the percentage of systems that have the required patches installed, reflecting coverage and adherence to policy. Both metrics provide actionable data on the patching process's efficiency and completeness.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Help desk ticket volume
Why it's wrong here
Not directly related to patching.
- ✗
Number of security incidents
Why it's wrong here
Broader metric, not specific to patching.
- ✓
Average time to patch critical vulnerabilities
Why this is correct
Measures speed of remediation.
- ✗
Number of users trained
Why it's wrong here
Related to awareness, not patching.
- ✓
Patch compliance rate
Why this is correct
Directly measures patching coverage.
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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.