Free HITRUST CCSFP Practice Exam with Questions & Answers | Set: 4

The r2 Validated Assessment provides the highest level of assurance within the HITRUST portfolio. It includes all 19 CSF domains and applies a risk-based approach tailored to the organization’s industry, regulatory obligations, and technical environment. The r2 incorporates maturity level scoring (Policy, Procedure, Implementation, Measured, and Managed), allowing stakeholders to evaluate both control presence and long-term sustainability. It is also the only assessment type eligible for a two-year certification, provided interim requirements are met. By contrast, i1 and e1 assessments provide lower levels of assurance, designed for cybersecurity hygiene and medium-level assurance, respectively. Organizations with complex environments, sensitive data, or high regulatory expectations generally pursue r2 to provide maximum assurance to stakeholders.

HITRUST requires strict independence within the External Assessor QA process. The Quality Assurance Reviewer must be independent of the engagement team to provide unbiased oversight. This role cannot be performed by the Engagement Executive, who is directly responsible for the client relationship and delivery of the assessment. Allowing the same individual to serve both roles would create a conflict of interest and undermine the credibility of the QA review. Instead, assessor organizations must designate separate personnel: the Engagement Executive to oversee project execution and a QA Reviewer to confirm accuracy, consistency, and compliance with HITRUST methodology. This separation supports objectivity and enhances the reliability of the assurance program.

The HITRUST CSF is a living framework designed to align with multiple regulatory and industry standards such as HIPAA, NIST, ISO, PCI DSS, and GDPR. While it is updated regularly to maintain alignment with these external sources, the update cycle is not strictly annual. HITRUST publishes updates as needed, typically in major releases (e.g., v9.1, v9.4, v11) and interim updates when regulatory changes occur. For example, significant updates may happen every 18–24 months, with minor updates issued in between. This flexibility allows HITRUST to remain responsive to evolving security, privacy, and compliance requirements rather than being bound to a fixed yearly schedule. Therefore, the statement that the CSF is always updated annually is False.

HITRUST requires that all assessors working on validated assessments be affiliated with an approved External Assessor organization, and each engagement must have a CCSFP-certified resource involved. However, there is no formal percentage requirement dictating how many hours must be performed by a CCSFP. Instead, HITRUST mandates that CCSFP professionals oversee, guide, and ensure proper application of the CSF methodology. Junior or non-certified staff may assist with evidence gathering, documentation, or technical testing under supervision. Ultimately, CCSFP-certified individuals are accountable for quality and methodology adherence, but HITRUST allows assessor firms flexibility in resourcing. The absence of a percentage standard accommodates varying project sizes and team compositions.

Control Objectives within the HITRUST CSF describe the intended outcomes that organizations should achieve through the implementation of controls. They do not prescribe how to achieve the result but set the goal or purpose of control activities. For example, a control objective may state that access to systems should be restricted to authorized users. The actual requirement statements beneath that objective describe specific policies, procedures, and technical measures needed to fulfill it. This layered approach aligns with best practices in frameworks like ISO 27001 and NIST, where control objectives serve as high-level goals, and control activities provide the actionable detail. The objective-driven design helps organizations understand not only the “what” but also the “why” behind each control.

Marking a requirement statement “Not Applicable (N/A)” requires careful justification. In r2 assessments, compliance factors such as HIPAA, PCI-DSS, GDPR, or state-specific laws may trigger requirements that would not otherwise apply. Therefore, an assessor must verify that all compliance factors have been considered before permitting an N/A designation. For example, a requirement related to cardholder data might seem irrelevant unless PCI-DSS was selected as a compliance factor; in that case, it becomes mandatory. HITRUST QA scrutinizes N/A markings to ensure they are not misused to exclude applicable requirements. Incorrect use of N/A may result in CAPs or QA rejection. Thus, compliance factors must always be reviewed first to confirm whether the requirement is truly outside scope.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation:

According to the HITRUST CSF Assurance Program, the reliance period for a point-in-time assessment is one year (12 months) from the assessment report date.

The statement claims a two-year validity, which is incorrect.

Reliance beyond one year would require an updated assessment or interim assessment for assurance continuity.

Extract Reference (HITRUST CSF Assurance Program, CCSFP Objectives [0078]):

Point-in-time reports can only be relied upon if issued within one year from the assessment start date; two years is not permitted.

A validated assessment does not require a readiness assessment as a prerequisite.

A Readiness Assessment is optional and intended to help organizations self-identify gaps before a validated assessment.

A Validated Assessment involves an independent HITRUST Authorized External Assessor validating evidence and submitting results to HITRUST for quality assurance and potential certification.

Many organizations choose to do a readiness assessment first, but it is not mandatory.

Extract Reference (CCSFP Study Guide & HITRUST CSF Assurance Program [0020]):

Organizations may perform a readiness assessment prior to a validated assessment to identify gaps, but it is not required; validated assessments can be performed independently.

The Measured maturity level evaluates whether organizations actively monitor the effectiveness of controls. HITRUST defines seven criteria for Measured, including metrics, data collection, analysis, reporting, and corrective action tracking. If these seven criteria are fully met, scoring can begin at Tier 4 strength, reflecting a mature measurement process. In the example, system administrators are responsible for measuring firewall configuration security, and if they meet all seven criteria (such as reviewing firewall rules, analyzing logs, reporting deviations, and initiating remediation), the Measured compliance level can start at Tier 4. The assessor may then adjust scoring based on coverage and frequency, but the baseline is Tier 4 once all criteria are satisfied. This ensures consistent evaluation of advanced maturity levels across controls.

Preview Profile in MyCSF allows organizations to model different scoping scenarios and view how many Requirement Statements would apply.

This can be done without formally updating the assessment object.

“Applicable Controls” and “Preview Changes” are related to finalized objects, while “Create Assessment” launches a new one.

Extract Reference (MyCSF Guidance [0181]):

The Preview Profile feature allows subscribers to compare Requirement Statement counts under different scenarios without committing changes to the assessment object.

Correct response: Preview Profile.