This blog post aims to challenge common myths surrounding the CISA exam, particularly for internal auditors with financial backgrounds. During my research for successful cases passing the CISA exam, I found comments such as: "CISA exam has low passing rates even for those with IT-related degrees," "I do not have extensive experience working on IT” or "It is not uncommon to pass the exam in more than one try." These statements initially made me hesitant to pursue the certification. However, having successfully passed the CISA exam on my first attempt, I believe it might be beneficial to share my experience and encourage other audit professionals with non-IT backgrounds to embark on this rewarding journey.
While numerous articles and posts offer study tips for the CISA exam, many focus solely on the perspective of IT professionals. My goal is to provide some insights from my perspective, recognizing that many professionals may feel intimidated by the perceived “technical difficulty” of the exam.
Key to Success: Practical Application
A key to success lies in focusing on practical application. Rather than mechanical memorization, emphasize how CISA exam concepts relate to your audit practice. ISACA’s CISA Review Manual (RM), though comprehensive, becomes more relevant when viewed as a resource for enhancing your auditing practice.
Study Materials
From my experience, the RM should be the main source for studying for the exam. Additionally, practicing a good amount of questions will help you develop the ability to answer multiple-choice questions effectively. For this purpose, I highly recommend utilizing the ISACA’s QAE Database. Do not waste your time looking for exam dumps. Instead, spend time understanding key concepts and how they could be applied effectively in real-world situations.
To enhance learning and comprehension, you could supplement your studies with other commonly referenced reputable sources. This can help make complex technical concepts more digestible and reinforce key learnings.
Study Strategies
Based on my experience, I suggest some study strategies and exam tips that you may explore and apply as required.
- Define Your Motivation: Set a motivation statement at the beginning of your studies. Think about the improved level in your audit practice, the new perspective that you will gain, or whatever reason that moves you from inside. You might need this statement at some point of the process. It will help you to go ahead when times get tough.
- Break it Down: Divide the RM into smaller, manageable sections. Focus on understanding core concepts within each domain.
- Active Learning: To reinforce concepts, paraphrasing and note-taking are crucial. It is essential to identify and understand key concepts. This will help you form the basis for making better decisions and eliminate incorrect options.
- Visualize with Mind Maps: Use mind maps to associate key concepts within each section. To guide you, utilize the table of contents, navigating from chapter to section to subsection. Remember that chapter and section titles will indicate key ideas within each chapter.
- Leverage the ISACA QAE Database: Simulate exam conditions by practicing with a significant number of questions. This will help you develop the necessary timing for reading questions and selecting answers. Moreover, it will reveal any gaps in your understanding of the concepts that require to be revisited.
- Structured Study Approach: Skim the entire RM to gain a high-level overview of the material. This helped me familiarize myself with the key concepts and their interconnections across different sections. Subsequently, I conducted a more in-depth analysis, identifying key concepts and core ideas within each section and subsection.
- Regular Review: Consider spending some time reviewing your notes one or two weeks before the exam date. This will help you keep the concepts fresh in your mind when you sit for the exam.
Exam Taking Tips:
- Time Management: Effective time management is crucial for exam success. If you encounter a challenging question, mark it and move on to the next. This strategy allows you to efficiently cover all the exam questions, reducing exam anxiety. Once you've completed the initial pass, you can return to the marked questions with a renewed sense of confidence.
- Maintain a Calm Mindset: If the first few questions seem challenging, don't stress. Those questions might seem difficult at the beginning. Your brain will enter “exam mode” as you continue with the exam reading and answering questions.
- Allocate Study Time: Given the significant weight of questions assigned to Domain 4, Information Systems Operations and Business Resilience (26%), and Domain 5, Protection of Information Assets (26%), on the current exam, it might be expected that internal auditors with financial backgrounds allocate substantial time to understanding the key concepts within these domains.
- Avoid Overconfidence: While Domains 1 and 2 (Information System Auditing Process and Governance & Management of IT) may seem more familiar to auditors with this profile, it is crucial to read each question and its corresponding answer choices carefully. Overconfidence can lead to unexpected difficulties.
- Be Positive: Maintain a positive and optimistic mindset throughout your studies. Focus on achieving your best instead of worrying about failing.
The Value of the CISA Certification
It's natural to have doubts given the common misconceptions surrounding the CISA exam, particularly for non-IT auditors. However, the certification is entirely achievable and highly valuable. My experience in this journey significantly broadened my perspective on information systems (IS). I gained a deeper understanding of the IS auditor’s role in the achievement of business objectives and key contributions to organizational success.
Given the increasing importance of technology as a competitive differentiator in today's rapidly evolving business landscape, it is essential for auditors from different backgrounds to stay current on IS technologies. The CISA certification equips auditors with the knowledge and tools to become strategic advisors and gain a valuable seat at the decision-making table within their organizations.
