Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) Part 3: Business Knowledge for Internal Auditing — Question 131

Which of the following data analytics methods involves analyzing event trends to determine what happened?

Answer options

• A. Diagnostic analytics.
• B. Descriptive analytics.
• C. Predictive analytics.
• D. Prescriptive analytics.

Correct answer: B

Explanation

The correct answer is B, Descriptive analytics, as it is specifically designed to summarize past data and identify trends. A, Diagnostic analytics, is more focused on explaining why something happened, while C, Predictive analytics, aims to forecast future events, and D, Prescriptive analytics, provides recommendations for future actions.