What is the pass rate for the CISA exam?

Author: CA. Ratan Singh Tanwar, Managing Partner, Tanwar Ratan Singh & Associates CA. Firm, Chartered Accountant, M.com, CISA, DISA, FAFD
Date Published: 28 January 2022

Becoming CISA-certified in the first attempt is not an easy task, but it can be passed simply by following a dedicated and structured study plan.

Becoming a CISA was my dream achievement since I was doing my CA course, but there was no clear vision and study plan for me. However, in April 2021 lockdown was declared in my district in India, and I had to remain in my home. Then I decided to complete my dream achievement of obtaining the CISA. For this, I became registered as a member of ISACA in June 2021 and started to prepare myself for the exam. I’m a working professional, so I planned to study daily during late-night hours for two months until my exam date in July. I appeared for the exam as scheduled at my home, remotely controlled by the proctor. After following all instructions given by the proctor, I saw the screen with the questions. There were four hours allowed for the exam, but I completed it within two hours. Then, by following the ISACA survey for feedback, I submitted my exam. Within a fraction of a second, the result message arrived on the screen: PASS. It was a great moment of my life.

After becoming CISA-certified, I received frequent questions and queries from LinkedIn and Twitter friends about registering and preparing for the exam. So, I thought I would write here about tips to prepare for exam success and address some of the common questions.

How do you become a member of ISACA?
Becoming a member of ISACA does not require any mandatory qualifications. Anybody interested to become a member can click on join today for:

1. Professional membership
2. Recent graduate membership
3. Student membership

The membership fee is valid up to 31 December of the respective year you become a member of ISACA.

What are the benefits of ISACA membership?
An ISACA membership offers opportunities for:

1. Access to the ISACA’s robust global professional’s network.
2. ISACA also offers discounts to its members in its study materials, review manuals, question banks and training.
3. Knowledge – by becoming an ISACA member, you will gain expert knowledge through available resources such as white papers, books, webinars and virtual summits.

Is it compulsory to become a member for appearing in CISA exam?
People on this topic raised various questions about whether it is mandatory to become an ISACA member for appearing in the CISA exam. The answer is no, though membership does include exam discounts.

What topics are covered in the CISA certification exam?
To become a CISA, you are required to get expertise in the following mentioned domains:

1. Information Systems Auditing Process (21%)
2. Governance and Management of IT (17%)
3. Information Systems Acquisition, Development, and Implementation (12%)
4. Information Systems Operations and Business Resilience (23%)
5. Protection of Information Assets (27%)

How do you appear for the exam?
The process for appearing for the CISA exam is very smooth. ISACA offers the CISA exam at testing centers located around the world or via remote proctoring, which you can take within your home or office.

Is it compulsory to become a member for appearing in CISA exam?
People on this topic raised various questions about whether it is mandatory to become an ISACA member for appearing in the CISA exam. The answer is no, though membership does include exam discounts.

What topics are covered in the CISA certification exam?
To become a CISA, you are required to get expertise in the following mentioned domains:

1. Information Systems Auditing Process (21%)
2. Governance and Management of IT (17%)
3. Information Systems Acquisition, Development, and Implementation (12%)
4. Information Systems Operations and Business Resilience (23%)
5. Protection of Information Assets (27%)

How do you appear for the exam?
The process for appearing for the CISA exam is very smooth. ISACA offers the CISA exam at testing centers located around the world or via remote proctoring, which you can take within your home or office.

When is the CISA exam available?
One of the exciting things is that you do not need to wait for the examination cycle or any fixed interval of time. Instead, you may book your exam per your choice when you are ready for the exam. Once you purchase your exam, you have 365 days to complete it.

How long does it take to receive your exam results?
You do not need to wait for the result. ISACA declares your preliminary result as soon as you submit the exam. ISACA sends official results to the candidate within 10 business days from the exam date.

What is the cost of the CISA exam?
The exam fee for CISA is $US760 for non-ISACA members and $US575 for ISACA members.

Sources to prepare for the CISA exam
To qualify for CISA certification, ISACA offers:

1. CISA Online Review Course: https://store.isaca.org/s/store#/store/browse/detail/a2S4w000004Ko9xEAC
2. CISA Review Manual: https://store.isaca.org/s/store#/store/browse/detail/a2S4w000004KoCbEAK
3. CISA Review Questions, Answers & Explanations Database:https://store.isaca.org/s/store#/store/browse/detail/a2S4w000004Ko5OEAS

How do you prepare for your first attempt?
As I mentioned above, I followed the structured study plan of two months, but it depends on your existing knowledge of IT auditing concepts or experience in performing IT audit tasks.

To prepare for the exam, I went through the entire CISA Review Manual more than two times as well as the glossary. After completing the CISA Review Manual, I also solved all the questions from ISACA’s review questions with an explanation two times, which provided me more confidence for appearing for the real exam.

How hard is it to pass the CISA?

Why do so many people fail the CISA exam?

What is a good CISA score?

How do I pass CISA in first attempt?