APMG-International ISO-IEC-27001-Foundation ISO/IEC 27001 (2022) Foundation Exam Exam Practice Test

Clause 6.1.3 (c) requires organizations to:

“compare the controls determined in 6.1.3 b) with those in Annex A and verify that no necessary control has been omitted; and prepare a Statement of Applicability.” It also requires organizations to select risk treatment options considering “the organization’s risk acceptance criteria.”

This shows thatrisk acceptance criteriaare a fundamental factor when selecting risk treatment options. Options C and D are incorrect because Annex A and ISO/IEC 27002 are reference sets, not the sole sources of controls — organizations can design their own. Criteria for performing risk assessments (B) are part of 6.1.2 (risk assessment process), not risk treatment.

Thus, the correct requirement isA: Criteria for accepting identified risks.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract ISO/IEC 27002:2022 standards:

Annex A.5.1 (Policies for information security) specifies:

“Information security policy and topic-specific policies should be defined, approved by management, published, communicated to and acknowledged by relevant personnel and relevant interested parties, and reviewed at planned intervals and if significant changes occur.”

This clearly identifies the review frequency requirement: planned intervalsandwhenever there are significant changes. Options A and B (six-monthly or annually) are not prescribed by ISO — timing is left to the organization. Option C is also wrong, since Certification Bodies do not dictate policy review schedules.

Therefore, the verified correct answer isD.

ISO/IEC 27001 mandates internal audits (Clause 9.2) and continual improvement (Clause 10.1) but doesnotdefine the specific audit term “observation.” However, the audit framework in 9.2 requires an audit programme and impartial auditors, and management review inputs include “feedback on the information security performance including trends in… audit results” and “opportunities for continual improvement.” The companion implementation guidance (ISO/IEC 27002) reinforces the concept ofopportunities for improvementin the review of policies: “The reviews should include assessing opportunities for improvement and the need for changes to the approach to information security…” In practical ISO audit usage (aligned with ISO 19011 guidance referenced in the Study Guide), anobservationis a recorded conformity where improvement is advisable—commonly termed an Opportunity for Improvement (OFI). The Study Guide’s internal audit section emphasizes running an audit programme to identify “potential areas of weakness or non-compliance,” supporting the notion of recording improvement opportunities alongside nonconformities. Therefore, within ISO/IEC 27001 audit practice, the best-fit definition isB: a conformity where there is an opportunity for improvement.

Clause 6.1.3 (e) specifies:

“The organization shall obtain risk owners’ approval of the information security risk treatment plan and acceptance of the residual information security risks.”

This confirms that residual risks — those remaining after risk treatment — must be reviewed and formally accepted by the designated risk owner. Option A is incorrect; awareness training is not a default control for all residual risks. Option B misrepresents leadership responsibility; top management ensures processes exist, butrisk ownersformally approve residual risk. Option D (avoiding risk) is a treatment option, not the mandated requirement for residual risks.

Thus, the required response isC: Review and acceptance by the risk owner.

ISO/IEC 27001 makes clear that the ISMS is intended to be tailored to the organization. The standard states: “This document also includes requirements for the assessment and treatment of information security risks tailored to the needs of the organization. The requirements set out in this document are generic and are intended to be applicable to all organizations regardless of type, size or nature.” This means implementation is scaled based on each organization’s risk, context, and needs, not a fixed one-size-fits-all set of activities or controls. Clause 6.1.3 further reinforces that control selection is flexible and risk-driven: “Organizations can design controls as required or identify them from any source,” and “Annex A contains a list of possible information security controls… The information security controls listed in Annex A are not exhaustive and additional information security controls can be included if needed.” Together, these extracts verify that the ISMS implementation is influenced by and scaled to the organization’s needs and selected controls, not separated from management processes (A, D) nor mandated to include “all controls” (B).

Certification audits are carried out byCertification Bodies (CBs), not the organization itself. ISO/IEC 27001 requires external certification audits to be independent, impartial, and objective. According to ISO/IEC 27006 (Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of ISMS), the Certification Body determines theaudit duration and number of audit daysbased on factors such as organizational size, complexity, scope, and risk environment. This ensures consistency across organizations and prevents manipulation by the auditee. ISO/IEC 27001 Clause 9.2 and 9.3 addressinternal audit and management review, but the determination of certification audit days is outside the organization’s control; it rests solely with the accredited Certification Body auditors. Thus,Answer: Bis correct, as the CB’s external auditor formally calculates and assigns the audit time.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract ISO/IEC 27000 standards:

According to ISO/IEC 27000:2018, Clause 3.74, athreatis defined as:

“Potential cause of an unwanted incident, which can result in harm to a system or organization.”

This definition directly matches option A.

Option B refers to an “information security incident” (ISO/IEC 27000:2018, Clause 3.32).

Option C describes a “vulnerability” (ISO/IEC 27000:2018, Clause 3.67).

Option D refers to “residual risk” (ISO/IEC 27000:2018, Clause 3.61).

The standard emphasizes that threats exploit vulnerabilities, causing incidents that can harm information confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Correctly identifying threats is critical for risk assessment (Clause 6.1.2). Thus, the correct definition per ISO/IEC 27000 isA.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract ISO/IEC 27002:2022 standards:

Annex A in ISO/IEC 27001 refers directly to ISO/IEC 27002 for control guidance. In ISO/IEC 27002:2022, Clause 6.8 is titled:

“Information security event reporting – Information security events should be reported through appropriate management channels as quickly as possible.”

This control ensures breaches, incidents, or suspected issues are reported for action. The other options (B, C, D) are not the exact titles in Annex A. The official title isInformation security event reporting, confirmingAnswer: A.

Clause 10.2 (Continual Improvement) specifies that the organization must“continually improve the suitability, adequacy and effectiveness of the information security management system.”

This makes it clear that three attributes are explicitly required to be addressed:

Suitability: ensuring the ISMS continues to meet organizational needs in changing contexts.

Adequacy: ensuring the ISMS covers the necessary scope and provides sufficient control coverage.

Effectiveness: ensuring the ISMS achieves intended outcomes in protecting information security.

The word“importance”is not part of the continual improvement requirement. Importance is implicit in prioritization of risks and actions, but it is not a required continual improvement attribute in ISO/IEC 27001. Therefore, optionD: Importanceis the correct choice as it is not specified.

This distinction reinforces that continual improvement is not about subjective importance, but about systematic enhancement of the ISMS’ssuitability, adequacy, and effectiveness.

Clause 5.1 (Leadership and Commitment) requires top management to demonstrate leadership by:

“ensuring the information security policy and the information security objectives are established and are compatible with the strategic direction of the organization;”

“ensuring the integration of the ISMS requirements into the organization’s processes;”

“ensuring that the resources needed for the ISMS are available;”

Among the options, the one explicitly mandated isensuring that information security objectives are established. Risk assessments (C) and implementing audit actions (D) are responsibilities of management but not the direct leadership evidence required in Clause 5.1. Communicating interested party feedback (A) is relevant but not specifically cited as leadership evidence. Thus, the verified answer isB.

Clause 4.3 (Determining the scope of the ISMS) requires consideration of:

“the external and internal issues referred to in 4.1; the requirements referred to in 4.2; and interfaces and dependencies between activities performed by the organization, and those that are performed by other organizations.”

This confirms that dependencies between activities are a required factor when defining scope. Options B (quality levels), C (lessons learned), and D (regular activities for improvement) are not scope requirements, though they may be relevant in planning or improvement processes.

Thus, the verified answer is A: Dependencies between activities performed by the organization.

Clause 6.2 (Information security objectives) requires that objectives:

“be consistent with the information security policy”

“be measurable (if practicable)”

“take into account applicable information security requirements”

“be monitored, communicated, and updated as appropriate.”

From this, option A is correct since consistency with policy is an explicit requirement. Option B is incorrect because the standard allows objectives to be measurable “if practicable” (not mandatory for all). Option C is incorrect—objectives are not transferred contractually to third parties, though third-party agreements may include security requirements. Option D is incorrect because the standard requires regular review “as appropriate,” not a fixed annual cycle.

Thus, the verified requirement isA: They shall be consistent with the information security policy.

Clause 6.1.2 defines the mandatory elements of risk assessment. Under risk identification, the standard requires: “identifies the information security risks:1) apply the information security risk assessment process to identify risks…; and2) identify the risk owners.” By contrast, considering likelihood and determining levels of risk (options B and D) are part ofrisk analysis(6.1.2 d) “assess the realistic likelihood…”; “determine the levels of risk”), and prioritization for treatment (option C) is part ofrisk evaluation(6.1.2 e) “prioritize the analysed risks for risk treatment”). Therefore, the specific activity that belongs torisk identificationis toidentify the risk owners. This sequencing is prescribed to ensure each risk has a designated owner responsible for decisions on treatment and acceptance downstream.

Clause 9.2.2 of ISO/IEC 27001:2022 specifies requirements for the internal audit programme. It requires organizations to:

“Plan, establish, implement and maintain an audit programme(s) including the frequency, methods, responsibilities, planning requirements and reporting, which shall take into consideration the importance of the processes concerned, changes affecting the organization, and the results of previous audits.”

This makes optionCcorrect, since importance of the processes is a required factor. Option A is incorrect because audits do not need third-party auditors; objectivity can be maintained internally if independence is respected. Option B is wrong because previous audit results must be considered, not disregarded. Option D is also incorrect — the standard does not specify a 3-year cycle; frequency depends on risks and needs.

Thus, the correct verified answer isC.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract ISO/IEC 27005 standards:

ISO/IEC 27005:2022 is titled:

“Information security, cybersecurity and privacy protection — Guidance on managing information security risks.”

This standard provides structured methodologies for identifying, analyzing, evaluating, and treating risks, in alignment with ISO/IEC 27001’s risk management requirements (Clause 6.1.2 and 6.1.3). It supports organizations in implementing the risk management process that underpins an ISMS. Options A and B are titles of other ISO standards (ISO/IEC 27007 for auditing, ISO/IEC 27001 for requirements). Option D refers to ISO/IEC 27002 (controls).

Thus, the correct answer isC: Guidance on managing information security risks.