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Practice quiz · 9 questions

Harmonized Structure (clauses 4–10)

The shared clause structure used by most ISO management-system standards. Good for any standard and any level.

Practice questions, not official exam questions. Written by ISO Me to help you revise; real exams differ by scheme and provider.

Q1 In the Harmonized Structure, which clause contains the requirements for internal audit?

Answer and explanation

Answer: B. Internal audit is 9.2, in clause 9 Performance evaluation, alongside 9.1 monitoring and measurement and 9.3 management review.

Reference: Harmonized Structure, clause 9

Q2 Which clause deals with understanding the needs and expectations of interested parties?

Answer and explanation

Answer: B. 4.1 covers internal and external issues (context); 4.2 covers interested parties and their relevant requirements.

Reference: Harmonized Structure, clause 4

Q3 In the current Harmonized Structure, clause 6.3 is:

Answer and explanation

Answer: A. Planning of changes became 6.3 in the updated structure; standards revised since then (such as ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and ISO 9001:2026) include it.

Reference: Harmonized Structure, clause 6

Q4 In the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle, clause 9 Performance evaluation corresponds to:

Answer and explanation

Answer: C. Clauses 4–7 are mostly Plan, 8 Operation is Do, 9 Performance evaluation is Check and 10 Improvement is Act.

Reference: PDCA mapping

Q5 Which of these is a clause 7 Support requirement?

Answer and explanation

Answer: B. Clause 7 covers resources, competence, awareness (7.3), communication and documented information. Objectives are 6.2, policy 5.2 and internal audit 9.2.

Reference: Harmonized Structure, clause 7

Q6 In standards using the latest Harmonized Structure, such as ISO 9001:2026, clause 10.1 is:

Answer and explanation

Answer: B. In the updated structure 10.1 is Continual improvement and 10.2 Nonconformity and corrective action. Older standards such as ISO 45001:2018 put continual improvement at 10.3.

Reference: UKAS ISO 9001:2026 gap analysis

Q7 Where does top management’s leadership and commitment sit?

Answer and explanation

Answer: B. Clause 5.1 Leadership and commitment. Top management also reviews the system at 9.3 Management review.

Reference: Harmonized Structure, clause 5

Q8 The 2024 “climate action changes” amendments added text about climate change to which clauses?

Answer and explanation

Answer: A. The amendments ask organisations to consider whether climate change is a relevant issue (4.1) and note that interested parties can have climate-related requirements (4.2).

Reference: Amendment 1:2024 to management-system standards

Q9 Which of these standards does NOT follow the Harmonized Structure?

Answer and explanation

Answer: C. ISO 13485:2016 keeps the older clause 4–8 structure based on ISO 9001:2008, so its clause numbers do not match the others.

Reference: ISO 13485:2016