- Admission Ticket
- Misconduct
- Security
- Receiving Your Score Report
- Reporting of Your Test Results
- Retaking the CISM Exam
1. Admission Ticket
Approximately two to three weeks prior to the CISM exam date, candidates will receive a physical admission ticket and an e-ticket from ISACA. The ticket will indicate the date, registration time and location of the exam, schedule of events for that day and a list of materials candidates must bring with them to take the CISM exam. With the exception of contact information changes, candidates are not to write on the admission ticket.
Please note: In order to receive a hard copy admission ticket, all fees must be paid. In order to receive an e-ticket, all fees must be paid and candidates must have a current e-mail address on file. Only candidates with an admission ticket and acceptable form of government-issued ID will be admitted to the exam, and the name on your admission ticket must match the name on your government-issued ID. If a candidate’s mailing and/or e-mail address changes, he/she should update his/her profile on the ISACA web site or contact exam@isaca.org.
Candidates must locate and note the specific registration and exam time on their admission ticket. No candidate will be admitted to the test center once the chief examiner begins reading the oral instructions, approximately 30 minutes before the exam begins. Any candidate who arrives after the oral instructions have begun will not be allowed to sit for the exam and will forfeit his/her registration fee. A candidate can use his/her admission ticket only at the designated test center on his/her admission ticket.
Candidates will be admitted to the test center only if they have a valid admission ticket and an acceptable form of identification (ID). An acceptable form of ID must be a current and original government-issued ID that contains the candidate’s name, as it appears on the admission ticket, and the candidate’s photograph. The information on the ID cannot be handwritten. All of these characteristics must be demonstrated by the single piece of ID provided. Examples include, but are not limited to, a passport, driver’s license, military ID, state ID, green card and national ID. Any candidate who does not provide an acceptable form of ID will not be allowed to sit for the exam and will forfeit his/her registration fee. IDs will be checked during the exam.
Any candidate who has not received his/her admission ticket by 1 December 2011, should contact the ISACA certification department immediately at exam@isaca.org or via phone at +1.847.660.5660.
No food or drinks are allowed at any exam site, unless special arrangements have been made in advance. Please refer to “Special Arrangements” in the CISM Bulletin of Information.
2. Misconduct
Candidates who are discovered engaging in any kind of misconduct, such as giving or receiving help; using notes, papers, note pads or other aids; attempting to take the exam for someone else; using any type of communication device including cell phones during the exam administration; or removing the exam booklet, answer sheet or notes from the testing room will be disqualified and may face legal action. Candidates who leave the testing area without authorization or accompaniment by a test proctor will not be allowed to return to the testing room and will be subject to disqualification. The testing agency will report such irregularities to ISACA CISM Certification Committee.
Observe the Test Center’s Rules
- Candidates will not be admitted to a test center after the oral instructions have begun.
- Candidates should bring several sharpened No. 2 or HB (soft lead) pencils and a good eraser. Pencils and erasers will not be available at the test center
- Candidates are not allowed to bring reference materials, blank paper, note pads or language dictionaries into the test center.
- Candidates are not allowed to bring or use a calculator in the test center.
- Candidates are not allowed to bring any type of communication devices (i.e. cell phones, PDAs, blackberries) into the test center.
- Visitors are not permitted in the test center.
- No food or drinks are allowed in the test center (without advanced authorization from ISACA).
- Candidates are not allowed to leave the testing area without accompaniment by a test proctor. Exam candidates that do not adhere to this rule will not be allowed to return to the testing room and will be subject to disqualification.
Reasons for Dismissal or Disqualification
- Unauthorized admission to the test center.
- Candidate creates a disturbance, or gives or receives help.
- Candidate attempts to remove test materials or notes from the test center.
- Candidate impersonates another candidate.
- Candidate brings items into the test center that are not permitted.
- Candidate possession of any communication device (ie. Cellular phone, blackberry) during the exam administration. If a candidate is observed with any communication device during the exam administration, their exam will be voided and they will be asked to immediately leave the test site.
- Candidate unauthorized leave of the test area.
3. Security
Candidates are not allowed to bring any type of communication devices into the test center. If candidates are observed with any communication device (i.e. cell phone, PDA, smart phone) during the exam administration, his/her exam will be voided and he/she will be asked to immediately leave the test site. ISACA will not assume responsibility for stolen, lost or damaged personal property of candidates.
The following guidelines have been established for the security of the exam, as well as the safety of your personal belongings. These guidelines will be enforced at each testing center.
The following items must be kept on your desk during the exam:
- Exam admission ticket
- Current government-issued photo identification
- Writing instruments (Pencils)
The following items may be kept on your desk, if needed:
- Erasers
- Pencil sharpeners
- Eyeglasses
- Earplugs
The following items are permitted in the testing room but must remain in your pockets or under your chair when not in use:
- Wallet (money purse)
- Tissues and other approved medical or personal items
The following items are not permitted in the testing room:
- Cellular telephones
- Cameras
- Pagers
- Headsets
- Computers, electronic organizers, personal data assistants
- any other remote communication or photographic devices
It is strongly recommended that the following items not be brought in the testing room. If it is necessary to bring any of these items with you, they cannot be kept on or under your desk and will be stored in a designated area of the testing room. However, please note that these items will not be guarded:
- Food or drinks, unless special accommodations have been arranged
- Baggage of any kind including transparent bags, backpacks, handbags, tote bags,briefcases, luggage, carrying cases, or pencil cases
- Study materials including notes, papers, textbooks, or study guides
- Scratch paper
- Wristwatches with engaged audible alarms/timers or any type of desk clock/time
Please comply with all of these requests. ISACA will not assume responsibility or liability for stolen, lost, or damaged personal property.
4. Receiving Your Score Report
Please notify the certification department immediately if your registration contact information changes. Approximately eight weeks after the test date, the official exam results will be mailed to candidates. Additionally, with the candidate’s consent on the registration form, an e-mail message containing the candidate’s pass/fail status and score will be sent to the candidate. This e-mail notification will only be sent to the address listed in the candidate’s profile at the time of the initial release of the results. To ensure the confidentiality of scores, exam results will not be reported by telephone or fax. To prevent e-mail notification from being sent to spam folders, candidates should add exam@isaca.org to their address book, whitelist or safe-senders list.
5. Reporting of Your Test Results
Candidate scores are reported as a scaled scored. A scaled score is a conversion of a candidate’s raw score on an exam to a common scale. ISACA uses and reports scores on a common scale from 200 to 800. For example, the scaled score of 800 represents a perfect score with all questions answered correctly; a scaled score of 200 is the lowest score possible and signifies that only a small number of questions were answered correctly. A candidate must receive a score of 450 or higher to pass the exam. A score of 450 represents a minimum consistent standard of knowledge as established by ISACA’s CISM Certification Committee. A candidate receiving a passing score may then apply for certification if all other requirements are met.
The CISM exam contains some questions which are included for research and analysis purposes only. These questions are not separately identified and not used to calculate your final score.
Passing the exam does not grant the CISM designation. To become a CISM each candidate must complete all requirements as listed in the CISM Bulletin of Information.
6. Retaking the CISM Exam
A candidate receiving a score of less than 450 has not passed and can retake the exam by registering and paying the appropriate exam fee for any future exam administration. To assist with future study, the results letter each candidate receives will include a score analysis by content area. There are no limits to the number of times a candidate can take the exam.