Measured data
NIST Cybersecurity Framework Foundation
We scored 40 real NIST Cybersecurity Framework Foundation exam questions 1-10 on question complexity and broke the result down by exam domain.
- 40 questions scored
- 5 domains
- 2.3/10 overall complexity
certilumComplexity by exam domain
Higher scores mean more demanding question formats. The exam score is computed over the whole bank, not averaged across domains.
- Applying the Framework and Exam Preparation4 questions · complexity 1.8/10 · Gentle
25% multi-select · 0% scenario · 25% interactive
- Framework Core - Identify Function8 questions · complexity 3.0/10 · Gentle
50% multi-select · 13% scenario · 25% interactive
- Framework Core - Protect, Detect, and Respond Functions14 questions · complexity 2.0/10 · Gentle
36% multi-select · 0% scenario · 29% interactive
- Framework Core - Recover Function and Overall Framework Governance8 questions · complexity 2.4/10 · Gentle
38% multi-select · 13% scenario · 25% interactive
- Introduction to the NIST Cybersecurity Framework6 questions · complexity 2.0/10 · Gentle
33% multi-select · 0% scenario · 33% interactive
Full per-domain breakdown
Blueprint weight, bank size and question format mix for every domain of the exam.
| Domain | Blueprint | Questions | Single | Multi | Interactive | Complexity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applying the Framework and Exam Preparation | 10% | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1.8/10Gentle |
| Framework Core - Identify Function | 20% | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3.0/10Gentle |
| Framework Core - Protect, Detect, and Respond Functions | 35% | 14 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 2.0/10Gentle |
| Framework Core - Recover Function and Overall Framework Governance | 20% | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2.4/10Gentle |
| Introduction to the NIST Cybersecurity Framework | 15% | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2.0/10Gentle |
How the score is calculated
The formula is fixed and public, so anyone can reproduce these numbers from the same bank.
Every question in the NIST Cybersecurity Framework Foundation bank is measured on four signals that can be read directly from the database. Each signal is expressed as a share of the questions in the domain, and the four shares are combined with fixed weights:
- Multi-select questions (40% weight). Items with more than one correct answer. The candidate has to find all of them, which is the single hardest format in the bank.
- Scenario questions (30% weight). Questions longer than 150 characters, which describe a situation instead of a definition and therefore test reasoning rather than recall.
- Interactive questions (20% weight). Items that require reading code or a configuration snippet.
- Deep explanations (10% weight). Questions whose explanation runs past 300 characters, which signals a concept with real nuance behind it.
The combined share is multiplied by ten to produce a 1-10 score. The exam-level score is computed over the whole bank rather than averaged across domains, so a small domain cannot distort the total. Figures on this page are recomputed from the live bank on every crawl.
Data set: Certilum NIST Cybersecurity Framework Foundation Foundation question bank, 40 questions, 5 domains. Published by CERTILUM. This is Certilum’s own measurement of its own question bank and is not an official APMG International statistic.
- Questions analysed
- 40
- Exam domains
- 5
- Hardest domain
- Framework Core - Identify Function (3.0)
- Most approachable domain
- Applying the Framework and Exam Preparation (1.8)
- Question mix
- 15 single · 14 multi · 11 interactive
- Measured on
- Foundation
Frequently asked questions
What our NIST Cybersecurity Framework Foundation complexity numbers mean and how they are produced.