CERTIFIED INFORMATION SECURITY
MANAGER (CISM) EXAMINATION
PRACTICE Exam QUESTIONS with
Answers and Rationales Question And
Correct Answers (Verified Answers) Plus
Rationales 2026 Q&A |Instant
Download Pdf
1.
Which of the following is the MOST important responsibility of an information
security manager when integrating security into business processes?
A. Ensuring compliance with security best practices
B. Educating senior management on security trends
C. Aligning security requirements with business objectives
D. Implementing technical controls
Rationale: Security must support business goals; alignment ensures acceptable
risk levels while enabling operations.
2.
What is the PRIMARY purpose of an information security governance framework?
A. To define technical standards
B. To ensure security supports business objectives
C. To assign incident responsibilities
D. To enforce regulatory requirements
Rationale: Governance establishes direction so security formally supports and
aligns with business strategy.
,3.
Which metric BEST measures the effectiveness of an information security
program?
A. Number of vulnerabilities detected
B. Number of incidents reported
C. Reduction in business impact from security incidents
D. Number of policies published
Rationale: Effectiveness is measured by minimized business impact, not activity
counts.
4.
A critical system’s RPO (Recovery Point Objective) is 15 minutes. What should the
information security manager ensure?
A. Backups occur hourly
B. Data can be restored to within 15 minutes of loss
C. System downtime does not exceed 15 minutes
D. Staff are trained on backup procedures
Rationale: RPO defines acceptable data loss; recovery must meet the 15-minute
threshold.
5.
What is the MOST important factor when defining an information security
strategy?
A. Industry best practices
B. Technology capabilities
C. Customer expectations
D. Business goals and risk appetite
Rationale: Strategy must support business needs and acceptable risk levels.
6.
Which of the following BEST supports risk-based decision-making?
A. Compliance checklists
B. A formally defined risk appetite statement
, C. Incident response metrics
D. Threat intelligence feeds
Rationale: Risk appetite guides which risks are accepted, mitigated, or
transferred.
7.
Which of the following should be the FIRST step in developing an information
security program?
A. Drafting policies
B. Conducting a vulnerability assessment
C. Understanding business requirements
D. Creating awareness materials
Rationale: The program must be built around business needs and priorities.
8.
Who should approve the enterprise information security policy?
A. IT director
B. Information security manager
C. Executive management
D. Security steering committee
Rationale: Executive management provides authority and ownership for
enterprise-wide policies.
9.
Which action MOST improves the maturity of a security program?
A. Increasing number of tools
B. Hiring more staff
C. Performing internal audits
D. Implementing continuous improvement processes
Rationale: Maturity is reached through repeatable and continually improved
processes.
10.
MANAGER (CISM) EXAMINATION
PRACTICE Exam QUESTIONS with
Answers and Rationales Question And
Correct Answers (Verified Answers) Plus
Rationales 2026 Q&A |Instant
Download Pdf
1.
Which of the following is the MOST important responsibility of an information
security manager when integrating security into business processes?
A. Ensuring compliance with security best practices
B. Educating senior management on security trends
C. Aligning security requirements with business objectives
D. Implementing technical controls
Rationale: Security must support business goals; alignment ensures acceptable
risk levels while enabling operations.
2.
What is the PRIMARY purpose of an information security governance framework?
A. To define technical standards
B. To ensure security supports business objectives
C. To assign incident responsibilities
D. To enforce regulatory requirements
Rationale: Governance establishes direction so security formally supports and
aligns with business strategy.
,3.
Which metric BEST measures the effectiveness of an information security
program?
A. Number of vulnerabilities detected
B. Number of incidents reported
C. Reduction in business impact from security incidents
D. Number of policies published
Rationale: Effectiveness is measured by minimized business impact, not activity
counts.
4.
A critical system’s RPO (Recovery Point Objective) is 15 minutes. What should the
information security manager ensure?
A. Backups occur hourly
B. Data can be restored to within 15 minutes of loss
C. System downtime does not exceed 15 minutes
D. Staff are trained on backup procedures
Rationale: RPO defines acceptable data loss; recovery must meet the 15-minute
threshold.
5.
What is the MOST important factor when defining an information security
strategy?
A. Industry best practices
B. Technology capabilities
C. Customer expectations
D. Business goals and risk appetite
Rationale: Strategy must support business needs and acceptable risk levels.
6.
Which of the following BEST supports risk-based decision-making?
A. Compliance checklists
B. A formally defined risk appetite statement
, C. Incident response metrics
D. Threat intelligence feeds
Rationale: Risk appetite guides which risks are accepted, mitigated, or
transferred.
7.
Which of the following should be the FIRST step in developing an information
security program?
A. Drafting policies
B. Conducting a vulnerability assessment
C. Understanding business requirements
D. Creating awareness materials
Rationale: The program must be built around business needs and priorities.
8.
Who should approve the enterprise information security policy?
A. IT director
B. Information security manager
C. Executive management
D. Security steering committee
Rationale: Executive management provides authority and ownership for
enterprise-wide policies.
9.
Which action MOST improves the maturity of a security program?
A. Increasing number of tools
B. Hiring more staff
C. Performing internal audits
D. Implementing continuous improvement processes
Rationale: Maturity is reached through repeatable and continually improved
processes.
10.
