# PECB scenario reading grid

One grid per scenario set. Format figures come from PECB's version 1.5 Candidate Handbooks for the ISO/IEC 42001, ISO 22301 and ISO/IEC 27701 Lead Implementer exams, read on 2 October 2026. The method and the time split are our suggestion. This grid contains no exam content: it is a set of questions to ask of whatever case you are given.

## The set at a glance

| What | Figure |
|---|---|
| Questions per scenario | 5 (PECB) |
| Options per question | 3: one correct, two distractors (PECB) |
| Points | 1 per question (PECB) |
| Average time for a set | 11 minutes 15 seconds: 5 x 2 minutes 15 seconds (arithmetic) |
| With 30 extra minutes for a non-native language, Lead exams | A little over 13 minutes (arithmetic) |
| Worst case for one set | 5 of the 24 questions you can miss and still pass (arithmetic) |

## Read the case once (our suggestion)

| Ask | What you write |
|---|---|
| Who | The organization, and the person who has to decide |
| What system | Which system the case is about, and what is inside it |
| What stage | Initiation, planning, implementation, monitoring, continual improvement, or preparation for the certification audit |
| What has already happened | Decisions or documents the case says exist |
| What is missing or wrong | Anything the case flags as a gap, a complaint or a problem |

## Work each question (our suggestion)

**Judge** is what the question asks you to do, in the handbook's verbs: apply, analyze, evaluate alternatives, combine. **Evidence** is the sentence in the case that decides it. **Option check** marks each of the three options Y (fits), N (fails) or ? (unsure).

| Q | Judge | Evidence in the case | Option check (1, 2, 3) | Answer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | | | |
| 2 | | | | |
| 3 | | | | |
| 4 | | | | |
| 5 | | | | |

## Option check rules (our suggestion)

- [ ] Strike any option that contradicts a fact in the case
- [ ] Be wary of any option that belongs to a different stage than the one the case has reached
- [ ] Among the options left, pick the one your evidence sentence supports
- [ ] Open the standard only when one specific clause would settle it

## Time box (our suggestion)

- [ ] About 30 seconds skimming the five questions
- [ ] About 2 minutes reading the case and filling the top grid
- [ ] About 1 minute 30 seconds per question, 7 minutes 30 seconds in all
- [ ] That leaves about 1 minute 15 seconds of slack in 11 minutes 15 seconds
- [ ] Case still unclear after a second read? Answer what you can and keep moving