- A
The change is outside the approved budget
Why wrong: Budget concerns are typically handled by financial management, not the CAB.
- B
The change request lacks a rollback plan
A rollback plan is required to mitigate risks in case of failure.
- C
The change has a low priority
Why wrong: Priority is assigned by the requester; CAB may still approve low-priority changes.
- D
The change has not been tested in a staging environment
Testing is crucial to identify potential issues before production deployment.
- E
The change was requested by a junior staff member
Why wrong: The requester's seniority is not a valid reason to deny a change.
Question 919 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.
Which TWO of the following are valid reasons to deny a change request during the CAB approval process?
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
✓
The change request lacks a rollback plan
A change request must include a rollback plan to ensure that if the change fails or causes unexpected issues, the system can be safely restored to its previous state. Without a documented rollback procedure, the change introduces unacceptable operational risk, making it a valid reason for the CAB to deny approval.
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.
- ✗
The change is outside the approved budget
Why it's wrong here
Budget concerns are typically handled by financial management, not the CAB.
- ✓
The change request lacks a rollback plan
Why this is correct
A rollback plan is required to mitigate risks in case of failure.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
The change has a low priority
Why it's wrong here
Priority is assigned by the requester; CAB may still approve low-priority changes.
- ✓
The change has not been tested in a staging environment
Why this is correct
Testing is crucial to identify potential issues before production deployment.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
The change was requested by a junior staff member
Why it's wrong here
The requester's seniority is not a valid reason to deny a change.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the distinction between operational risk (like missing a rollback plan or skipping staging tests) versus administrative or financial concerns (like budget or requester seniority) to see if candidates understand the CAB's technical risk assessment focus.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The rollback plan is a critical component of the change management process defined in ITIL and ISO/IEC 20000, often documented in a change template that includes pre- and post-implementation testing steps. In practice, a missing rollback plan can lead to extended outages, as seen when a network ACL change without a revert script accidentally locked out administrators, requiring console access to recover. The CAB's role is to assess risk, and a change without a rollback plan is inherently higher risk because it lacks a defined safety net.
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: The change request lacks a rollback plan — A change request must include a rollback plan to ensure that if the change fails or causes unexpected issues, the system can be safely restored to its previous state. Without a documented rollback procedure, the change introduces unacceptable operational risk, making it a valid reason for the CAB to deny approval.
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.
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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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