CRM Records Retention & Disposition 3 â Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is 'cutoff' in the context of records retention?
- The date a record is permanently destroyed
- The point at which a record series stops accumulating and the retention period begins (Correct answer)
- The process of transferring records to off-site storage
- The maximum storage capacity for a records system
Correct answer: The point at which a record series stops accumulating and the retention period begins
Cutoff is the pointâoften end of calendar or fiscal yearâat which a file or record series is closed and its retention period clock begins.
Question 2: An organization's retention schedule conflicts with a state law requiring longer retention than the company policy specifies. Which takes precedence?
- The company policy, because it was created by internal stakeholders
- The state law, because legal requirements supersede internal policy (Correct answer)
- The shorter period, to reduce storage costs
- Whichever was established most recently
Correct answer: The state law, because legal requirements supersede internal policy
Legal and regulatory requirements always supersede organizational retention policies; the organization must comply with the more stringent legal requirement.
Question 3: Which of the following best describes 'disposition' in records management?
- The physical arrangement of records in a filing system
- The final action taken on records at the end of their retention period (Correct answer)
- The process of classifying records by subject
- The transfer of records ownership between departments
Correct answer: The final action taken on records at the end of their retention period
Disposition refers to the final action taken on records once their retention period expires, which may include destruction, transfer, or permanent preservation.
Question 4: A records manager discovers that electronic records slated for destruction exist in multiple backup systems. What must happen before disposition is complete?
- Only the primary system copy needs to be deleted
- All copies across all systems and backups must be destroyed (Correct answer)
- Backups can remain as long as the primary record is deleted
- The IT department must approve deletion of backups separately
Correct answer: All copies across all systems and backups must be destroyed
Complete disposition requires that all copies of a record, including backups and replicated instances, be destroyed to ensure no recoverable version remains.
Question 5: The 'appraisal' process in records management is primarily used to determine:
- The monetary value of archival records
- Which records have sufficient value to warrant permanent preservation (Correct answer)
- The physical condition of aging paper records
- The cost of off-site storage contracts
Correct answer: Which records have sufficient value to warrant permanent preservation
Appraisal evaluates the long-term value of recordsâadministrative, legal, fiscal, or historicalâto determine which warrant permanent archival preservation.
Question 6: Under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), public companies must retain audit work papers and related records for a minimum of:
- 3 years
- 5 years
- 7 years (Correct answer)
- 10 years
Correct answer: 7 years
SOX Section 802 requires retention of audit and review work papers for at least 7 years from the end of the fiscal period covered.
Question 7: Which disposition action results in records being transferred to a national or state archives for permanent preservation?
- Scheduled destruction
- Accession (Correct answer)
- Migration
- Deaccession
Correct answer: Accession
Accession is the formal transfer of records of enduring value from an agency or organization to an archival repository for permanent preservation.
CRM Records Retention & Disposition 3
What is 'cutoff' in the context of records retention?