Control Testing is a process where professionals check if a company's safety measures and rules are working properly. Think of it like doing a health check-up for a business's protective systems. These professionals make sure that policies, procedures, and safeguards that protect the company from risks (like financial losses, data breaches, or compliance issues) are effective. This is similar to how a home inspector checks if all safety features in a house are working. Other terms for this work include "Controls Assessment," "Controls Review," or "Controls Evaluation."
Conducted Control Testing for 50+ business processes annually
Led Controls Assessment projects across multiple departments
Developed and implemented Control Testing procedures for financial reporting
Typical job title: "Control Testers"
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Q: How would you design a control testing program for a large organization?
Expected Answer: Should explain how they would assess risk areas, prioritize testing efforts, create testing schedules, manage resources, and report findings to stakeholders. Should mention experience leading teams and handling complex projects.
Q: How do you handle situations where you find significant control weaknesses?
Expected Answer: Should discuss their approach to documenting findings, communicating with management, developing practical recommendations, and following up on remediation efforts.
Q: What steps do you take when testing a control?
Expected Answer: Should describe the process of understanding the control's purpose, gathering evidence, sampling methods, documenting results, and making recommendations for improvements.
Q: How do you determine appropriate sample sizes for testing?
Expected Answer: Should explain basic sampling methodology, risk considerations, and how they balance efficiency with effectiveness in testing.
Q: What is the difference between preventive and detective controls?
Expected Answer: Should explain that preventive controls stop problems before they happen (like requiring approval before spending money), while detective controls find issues after they occur (like reviewing expense reports).
Q: What documentation do you need when testing controls?
Expected Answer: Should mention collecting evidence like procedures, approvals, system screenshots, and maintaining clear records of testing performed and results.