Quick Answer
The answer is false positive and true positive. These two are the valid incident classification categories in Microsoft Sentinel because they directly indicate whether an alert accurately reflects a genuine security threat or is a misidentification. A true positive confirms a real attack, while a false positive flags benign activity as malicious, both essential for tuning analytics rules and reducing alert fatigue. On the Microsoft Security Operations Analyst SC-200 exam, this concept tests your understanding of incident management fundamentals, often appearing as a straightforward multiple-choice question where distractors like "Informational," "Benign positive," or "Unknown" are common traps—these are not official classification categories in Sentinel. Remember that Sentinel only uses two clear-cut labels for classification: true or false positive, so if you see any other term, it is likely incorrect. A simple memory tip: think of a binary verdict—either the alert is right (true) or wrong (false).
This SC-200 practice question tests your understanding of respond to security incidents. 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.
Which TWO are valid incident classification categories in Microsoft Sentinel?
Benign positive
Why wrong: Not a standard category.
Unknown
Why wrong: Not a classification category.
True positive
Standard classification.
Informational
Why wrong: Not a classification category.
False positive
Standard classification.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
True positive
Options B and D are correct. 'False positive' and 'True positive' are standard classification categories. Option A is wrong because 'Informational' is not a classification category. Option C is wrong because 'Benign positive' is not a standard category. Option E is wrong because 'Unknown' is not a classification category.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Benign positive
Why it's wrong here
Not a standard category.
Unknown
Why it's wrong here
Not a classification category.
True positive
Why this is correct
Standard classification.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Informational
Why it's wrong here
Not a classification category.
False positive
Why this is correct
Standard classification.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
Identify which SC-200 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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FAQ
Respond to security incidents — This question tests Respond to security incidents — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: True positive — Options B and D are correct. 'False positive' and 'True positive' are standard classification categories. Option A is wrong because 'Informational' is not a classification category. Option C is wrong because 'Benign positive' is not a standard category. Option E is wrong because 'Unknown' is not a classification category.
Identify which SC-200 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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
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. Which TWO are valid incident classification categories in Microsoft Sentinel? (Select TWO.)
easyWhy D: Option B is correct because True Positive is a valid classification. Option E is correct because Benign Positive is also a valid classification. Option A is wrong because False Positive is a classification, but not listed as a category in the question context? Actually, False Positive is also valid, but we need exactly two correct. According to Microsoft Sentinel incident classification, True Positive, False Positive, Benign Positive are common. But the question asks for TWO, and the correct ones here are True Positive and Benign Positive. Option C is wrong because Malicious is not a standard classification. Option D is wrong because Informational is not a classification.
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Last reviewed: Jun 21, 2026
This SC-200 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft 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 SC-200 exam.
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