A full dress rehearsal of your C3PAO assessment, conducted by Stehrling CCAs and CCPs. Every control reviewed. Every piece of evidence checked. Every interview rehearsed. You find out what an assessor will find, before the assessor finds it.
Stehrling Mock Assessment is a structured simulation of your C3PAO assessment, conducted with the same rigor, methodology, and evaluation criteria that a Certified Third-Party Assessment Organization will apply. The work is led by our CCAs, who have conducted formal CMMC assessments and know exactly what assessors look for.
Most "readiness checks" are paper exercises. A consultant reviews your SSP, scans your policies, and tells you it looks fine. That's not what assessors do, and it's not what we do either. A real Mock Assessment evaluates your controls the way your C3PAO will: by inspecting evidence, validating technical implementations, and interviewing your team against the exact standards in NIST 800-171A.
The output is a clear, defensible picture of where you actually stand. What will pass. What will get flagged. What needs remediation before you sit for your official assessment. You leave the engagement knowing precisely what to expect on the day that counts.
"You shouldn't be surprised by anything on assessment day. The Mock Assessment is how we make sure you aren't."
CMMC assessments evaluate organizations across three dimensions: the documentation that describes your program, the technical controls that implement it, and the people who operate it. A Mock Assessment evaluates all three with assessor-level rigor.
We review every document your assessor will request, evaluated against the precise requirements in NIST 800-171A. Not just whether it exists, but whether it says what it needs to say in the way an assessor will accept.
Our CCAs inspect your technical environment the way an assessor will. Configurations checked against documented baselines. Access controls validated. Evidence captured to prove each control is actually operating as the SSP describes.
Assessors interview your team to validate that documented procedures are actually followed. We conduct the same interviews, with the same questions, and identify where your team needs additional preparation before the real assessment.
Mock Assessment engagements typically run two to four weeks depending on organizational complexity. The work follows the same sequence and methodology a C3PAO will use, so the experience itself becomes preparation.
Mock Assessment outputs are designed to be immediately actionable. Not a glossy report that sits on a shelf. The documentation a remediation team can pick up and execute against, and the confidence to know exactly what's left between you and certification.
Detailed assessment of every control, every piece of evidence, every interview. Written in the same language a C3PAO will use, so you can map findings directly to the standards an assessor applies.
Prioritized, scoped, and time-estimated remediation items. What to fix first, what can wait, and what should be documented in your POA&M for transparent disclosure to your assessor.
A clear yes-or-no on whether your organization is ready to sit for assessment, with the reasoning behind the determination. If we say you're ready, we mean it.
Role-based preparation guides for the personnel an assessor will interview. What to expect, how to answer, what to demonstrate. Your team enters the assessment knowing what's coming.
Recommendations on which C3PAOs fit your organization, your timeline, and your environment. Selection is its own decision, and the wrong choice can complicate even a well-prepared assessment.
Optional support during your official assessment. We can be on standby for questions, observe sessions remotely, or attend in person depending on your engagement scope.
Most engagements come from one of these scenarios. Each is a legitimate reason to want assessor-level validation before sitting for the real thing.
The natural conclusion of a Stehrling Readiness engagement. Before you commit to a C3PAO, we run the assessment ourselves. Most Readiness clients move directly into Mock Assessment as the final validation step.
You worked with another firm or built your program internally. The work is done, the documentation exists, and you want an outside CCA to validate readiness before scheduling your C3PAO. We come in fresh, evaluate honestly, and tell you where you stand.
You have time before your assessment and want the validation of an actual CCA-led simulation. Confidence isn't optional when contract eligibility is on the line. A Mock Assessment removes the uncertainty.
Most consulting firms offer something called a "readiness check" or "pre-assessment review." Almost none of them are conducted by actual Certified CMMC Assessors. The work is done by general compliance consultants applying their best interpretation of what assessors will look for.
Stehrling is different. Every Mock Assessment is led by a CCA who has conducted formal CMMC assessments. Not someone who studied the standards. Not someone who took the training. Someone who has sat across the table from defense contractors and made certification decisions. That experience changes what gets caught, what gets challenged, and what your team is actually prepared for.
This is why our clients pass on the first attempt. The Mock Assessment isn't theoretical preparation. It's the assessment itself, conducted by the same kind of professional who will conduct the real one. By the time you sit for your C3PAO, you've already been through it.
Whether your C3PAO assessment is six weeks out or six months out, a Mock Assessment removes the uncertainty. Talk to a CCA about your current state and whether you're ready for the dress rehearsal that makes certification a sure thing.
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An independent firm focused exclusively on CMMC compliance for defense contractors and the DIB.