Tips for CISA / CISM exam registrants

Dear CISA / CISM exam registrants,

Very often there are messages posted on different CISA / CISM groups by various people asking for guidance and tips for preparing for the CISA / CISM exam.

I would like to provide some inputs for the CISA / CISM exam.
Note: The views expressed here are my personal views and not necessarily those of any organization or association, I am working or worked for or associated with. The points are based on my personal experience and you would need to tailor them as per your work experience, educational background and suitability. Every individual is different and would need to have a self designed plan for the exam. The following points would be helpful in designing that plan and preparing for the exam.

APPROACH: For CISA exam the approach should be necessarily that of an auditor and for CISM that of manager. The last alphabets ‘A’ and ‘M’ are important. We may try to relate the questions in exam with our work experience and sometimes might think in a different way than actually required. Example – We might be doing certain things in our company as per the practices followed there but that may not be the MOST appropriate way from auditors / managers point of view

BASIC EXAM MATERIAL: I referred to 2 basic study materials – the CRM and the Question bank by ISACA.

CRM – HOW MANY TIMES YOU NEED TO READ IT: I think reading it once thoroughly and then again for weak areas or revision should be sufficient. If a person is good at one reading and grasping everything in first effort then that would suffice. In short read it to understand and not for the sake of reading. If you read a topic once and don’t understand then try reading again and still if you don’t understand look for other reference materials. Reference material other than

CRM should be used as reference if required for clarification and cannot substitute the CRM. There are many good books in the market but from the exam point of view they may not be required for thorough reading in entirety. Referring them only if required for specific topic would be a good idea.

TOO MUCH TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE MAY NOT BE REQUIRED: Don’t get in to too much of technical stuff and detailed technicalities. One must know the basics though and have the concepts clear.

REGULAR STUDY AND STUDY PLAN: For me a regular study of 1-2 hours daily for 2 months before the exam and for 10-12 hours a week before the exam helped me a lot. Remember this is not a kind of exam that you can wait for last week when you would take a leave from office for study. I suggest one must go through the CRM domains and sub topics and ISACA question bank at a very initial stage, get a feel of the preparation required and identify the strengths and weakness and then prepare a schedule accordingly. You might need to sacrifice some of your time from your routine activities.

TRY SOLVING MAXIMUM NUMBER OF QUESTIONS: Answering maximum number of questions from ISACA question bank, particularly in the last week before the exam helped me a lot. It made me go to the exam with right mindset, confidence and maintaining the right speed for answering the questions. Also it helps to identify areas of improvement.

ANALYSE YOUR ANSWERS AND LOGIC: Analyze your answers in detail after going thorough the mock test or Question bank. Know the logic behind the correct answer and check if you are thinking in the same way. For the questions where you could not understand the logic read the
CRM and reference material and have your doubts clarified.

IMPORTANCE OF MOCK TEST OR PRACTICE TESTS: It is experienced that during first 2 hours of the exam the vigor is high and it gradually comes down towards the end of exam. Going through mock tests with a continuous sitting of 4 hours in exam simulated environment helps a lot as you know what it is like sitting for 4 continuous hours and answering those tricky questions.

READ QUESTION COMPLETELY AND CAREFULLY: During the actual exam you may feel that the question you are attempting is the same that you have gone through mock test or question bank. BUT still read the questions carefully and completely along with all the 4 answer options. You would have a question/s where there is slight change in wording and so the answer would be different from your earlier one. Also there may be case where one of the options is slightly changed to make it the MOST appropriate answer than the one you had attempted while going through question bank. From my experience you won’t find a single question repeated as it is from the ISACA question bank. In short don’t jump to the answer but read the question carefully and completely.

MAINTAIN RIGHT SPEED IN THE EXAM: During the exam maintain the speed. Don’t run too fast in haste of completing the exam and don’t lag behind by spending more time than what is required. You have 200 questions and 4 hours. A good approach is to break this into a target of 50-55 questions per hour. After every hour you can check your speed and adjust accordingly. Its good to take a 1-2 min break (just relax on your seat) after each hour and then continue.

11. STUDY CIRCLE, REVIEW COURSE AND STUDY GROUP: Joining the local chapter study circle course, and/or review course and / or forming study group is useful particularly to improve in weak areas. Different people from different educational background and work experience come together and share their views and knowledge which is not only helpful from exam point of view but also helps is networking with people. Another benefit is that you remain in touch with your CRM and domains of study and keeps the pressure for preparing for the exam.

12. SELF BELIEF AND CONFIDENCE: Believe in yourself that you would be able to clear the exam. A regular study, review of your study plan and appropriate action would help you maintain the right direction and also make you feel good, confident and stay focused.
Hope these points would be useful to you in preparing for the exam. Wish you all the best for your exam

Thanks and regards

Sachin Porwal