- A
RTO = 2 hours, RPO = 1 hour
Correct. RTO is recovery time, RPO is data loss tolerance.
- B
RTO = 1 hour, RPO = 1 hour
Why wrong: RTO should be 2 hours.
- C
RTO = 1 hour, RPO = 2 hours
Why wrong: Swapped definitions.
- D
RTO = 2 hours, RPO = 2 hours
Why wrong: RPO is 1 hour, not 2.
Question 56 of 1,000
How to Calculate RTO and RPO from Maximum Acceptable Downtime and Data Loss?
This SSCP practice question tests your understanding of incident response and recovery. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 is developing a DR plan for a critical database. The maximum acceptable downtime is 2 hours, and the maximum data loss is 1 hour. What are the RTO and RPO?
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
✓
RTO = 2 hours, RPO = 1 hour
The Recovery Time Objective (RTO) is the maximum acceptable downtime, which is 2 hours. The Recovery Point Objective (RPO) is the maximum acceptable data loss, which is 1 hour. Therefore, option A correctly identifies RTO = 2 hours and RPO = 1 hour.
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.
- ✓
RTO = 2 hours, RPO = 1 hour
Why this is correct
Correct. RTO is recovery time, RPO is data loss tolerance.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
RTO = 1 hour, RPO = 1 hour
Why it's wrong here
RTO should be 2 hours.
- ✗
RTO = 1 hour, RPO = 2 hours
Why it's wrong here
Swapped definitions.
- ✗
RTO = 2 hours, RPO = 2 hours
Why it's wrong here
RPO is 1 hour, not 2.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is confusing RTO (time to recover) with RPO (data loss tolerance), leading candidates to swap the two values or assume they must be equal.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
RTO defines the duration within which a system must be restored after a disaster to avoid unacceptable consequences, while RPO defines the maximum age of data that must be recovered, dictating backup frequency. In practice, achieving an RPO of 1 hour often requires continuous data protection (CDP) or frequent transaction log shipping, whereas an RTO of 2 hours might involve automated failover to a warm standby database. Misunderstanding these metrics can lead to inadequate backup strategies or unrealistic recovery expectations.
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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Incident Response and Recovery — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SSCP question test?
Incident Response and Recovery — This question tests Incident Response and Recovery — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: RTO = 2 hours, RPO = 1 hour — The Recovery Time Objective (RTO) is the maximum acceptable downtime, which is 2 hours. The Recovery Point Objective (RPO) is the maximum acceptable data loss, which is 1 hour. Therefore, option A correctly identifies RTO = 2 hours and RPO = 1 hour.
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
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
1 more ways this is tested on SSCP
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. After a ransomware incident, an organization decides to restore data from backups. The RPO (Recovery Point Objective) is 4 hours. What does this RPO indicate?
medium- ✓ A.Backups must be taken at least every 4 hours to ensure data loss does not exceed 4 hours
- B.The organization can tolerate 4 hours of downtime
- C.The system must be restored within 4 hours of the incident
- D.The recovery process will take a maximum of 4 hours
Why A: The Recovery Point Objective (RPO) defines the maximum acceptable amount of data loss measured in time. An RPO of 4 hours means the organization can tolerate losing up to 4 hours of data, so backups must be taken at least every 4 hours to ensure that in the worst case, no more than 4 hours of data is lost. This directly dictates the backup frequency, not the recovery time or downtime.
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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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