Would you like to work in information security (IS)?
Among the lucrative professions in IT security that you might explore are auditing, quality assurance, and information security. You must prepare to take the CISA certification exam and pass it in order to do this. Certified Information Systems Auditor is referred to as CISA. Your understanding of information systems auditing, control, assurance, and security is demonstrated by this certification. Security and governance in the technology sector are becoming crucial as the globe gets increasingly linked. Since they are relied upon to provide novel solutions to protect an organization’s information system from security risks, CISA certified personnel are more in demand than ever.
The Information Systems Audit and Control Association offers the CISA certification (ISACA). Targeted for IT and IS workers in auditing jobs, it is a certificate with international recognition. The information security domain is covered by the CISM, CRISC, CGEIT, and CSX certifications that are also offered by ISACA.
Requirements for the CISA certification
To be eligible to take the CISA certification exam, you must meet the following requirements.
Within the previous ten years, at least five years of experience working in an auditing, controlling, and security function for information systems. But you might have:
- If you have at least a year of experience in IS or non-IS auditing, the above criterion may be waived for up to three years.
- A two- or four-year degree in the subject of information security can be replaced with one to two years of experience.
- A bachelor’s or master’s degree from a university that provides an ISACA-Sponsored programme may be replaced with one year of experience.
- A Master’s degree in IS or IT from an authorised educational institution can replace one year of experience.
- Two years of university teaching experience in a comparable discipline were replaced with one year of experience.
The CISA certification exam
150 multiple-choice questions are included in the CISA certification test, which must be completed in 4 hours. The following topics are covered by these questions, which have the following weights:
- Information System Auditing Process (21%)
- Governance and Management of IT (17%)
- Information Systems Acquisition, Development, and Implementation (12%)
- Information Systems Operations and Business Resilience (23%)
- Protection of Information Assets (27%)
The test is given three times year, between:
- February and May
- June and September
- October and January
PSI test locations are available for the exam, and the preliminary results are available right away.
How to prepare for the CISA exam
When studying for the CISA tests, it’s crucial to keep in mind that understanding topics is more essential than memorization. This is because the exam will gauge how well you can put the knowledge you have learned into practise. Integrating these ideas with their prior knowledge may be a bit simpler for individuals with an information systems experience than for those who are just starting their careers. This basically implies that, if you lack audit practise experience, you will need to invest more time and energy into your test preparation by sprintzeal.
Here are some guidelines to help you with your exam preparation.
Consider enrolling in a prep course
Consider taking a CISA test prep course if you learn best in a more regimented setting with the assistance of an expert teacher. This will save you the time it would have taken to create a study plan and materials since you will learn the ideas and practise them inside an organised curriculum.
You will normally go through the information system audit process, standards, best practises, and all five areas that the test covers in preparation classes.
Go through the CISA review manual
Have the most recent CISA review handbook on hand whether you are taking a prep course or choose to study alone. This lengthy guidebook will be a great resource as you get ready for your exams. It is actually the finest tool for people who are just beginning their careers in information security and who would rather take the exam than have the necessary experience to become certified.
You will undoubtedly encounter technical phrases as a beginning that you will need to further reference in supplemental publications. Looking them up right away and making connections between the information you learn and the CISA certification in Its study handbook are important parts of grasping the idea.
CISA supplementary books and online resources
You will still need to arm yourself with other materials for reference, as was already noted, even if you have the CISA review handbook. By making use of publications like books, blogs, online courses, podcasts, and others, you may better understand the technical words. Just be sure the sources you choose are reliable. While you’re about it, arrange your study such that you are going over the ideas in an orderly fashion. You will have guidance from the review handbook, so this shouldn’t be too challenging for you.
You may access a wealth of resources on the official ISACA website, such as the CISA preparation guide, CISA terminology lists, and CISA study materials.
The CISA Review QAE Manual or the Questions
The CISA question, answers, and explanations database are a must-have. Once you’re done learning the concepts, doing practice questions is a good way to test your understanding. Apart from covering five knowledge areas extensively, this database provides detailed explanations to the questions and answers. The database also has a mock exam at the end that you can do to gauge yourself. It is important to note that the questions in the QAE database are purely for revision and thus different from those in the actual CISA certification exam.
Familiarize yourself with the exam structure
The conceptual and practical question sets make up the CISA certification exam. The first assesses your understanding of core IS principles, whilst the later gauges your capacity for knowledge application. This will assist you in organising your study time and schedule on exam day.
Conclusion
In summary, obtaining a CISA certification is a valuable investment in your career, and it can help you achieve your professional goals. It is a challenging but rewarding process that will enhance your knowledge and skills, and will ultimately make you a more effective and efficient information systems auditor.
