- A
Accepted risk
Why wrong: Accepted risk is a subset of residual risk that is formally accepted.
- B
Residual risk
Residual risk remains after mitigation.
- C
Inherent risk
Why wrong: Inherent risk is before controls.
- D
Control risk
Why wrong: Not a standard term.
Question 636 of 1,000
SSCP Risk Identification, Monitoring, and Analysis Practice Question
This SSCP practice question tests your understanding of risk identification, monitoring, and analysis. 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.
Which term describes the risk that remains after implementing risk mitigation controls?
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
✓
Residual risk
Residual risk is the risk that remains after all risk mitigation controls have been applied. It represents the portion of the original risk that cannot be eliminated or reduced further, and it must be accepted by management if it falls within the organization's risk appetite.
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.
- ✗
Accepted risk
Why it's wrong here
Accepted risk is a subset of residual risk that is formally accepted.
- ✓
Residual risk
Why this is correct
Residual risk remains after mitigation.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Inherent risk
Why it's wrong here
Inherent risk is before controls.
- ✗
Control risk
Why it's wrong here
Not a standard term.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse 'residual risk' with 'accepted risk,' but accepted risk is the subset of residual risk that management formally approves to tolerate, not the risk that remains after controls.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Residual risk is calculated as inherent risk minus the risk reduction provided by controls, often expressed as a formula: Residual Risk = Inherent Risk - Control Effectiveness. In real-world scenarios, organizations use quantitative risk analysis (e.g., ALE = SLE × ARO) to compute residual risk and determine if additional controls are needed or if the risk should be accepted. For example, after deploying a firewall (control), the residual risk of a network breach might be reduced from high to low, but never zero due to zero-day vulnerabilities.
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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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SSCP question test?
Risk Identification, Monitoring, and Analysis — This question tests Risk Identification, Monitoring, and Analysis — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Residual risk — Residual risk is the risk that remains after all risk mitigation controls have been applied. It represents the portion of the original risk that cannot be eliminated or reduced further, and it must be accepted by management if it falls within the organization's risk appetite.
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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