Certified Information Systems Auditor Practice Exam 2025 – All-in-One Guide to Master Your CISA Certification!

When an IS auditor reviews access to an application, they are engaged in compliance testing. This type of testing involves verifying that access controls and policies are adhered to in order to ensure that the organization is in compliance with established standards, regulations, and internal company policies. By evaluating whether user access aligns with defined permission levels and roles within the application, the auditor can determine if access controls are effectively managing the risk of unauthorized access.

In contrast, risk assessment focuses on identifying, evaluating, and prioritizing risks, rather than testing operational or control effectiveness. Operational testing is concerned with the performance and functionalities of the application in a live environment. Control testing assesses the effectiveness of specific controls in place, but it is typically more detailed and focuses on individual controls rather than the broader compliance aspect. Therefore, the nature of the review of access specifically aligns with compliance testing as it looks to confirm that access mechanisms are working as intended within the framework of regulations and policies.