CISA is one of the most valued certifications in the IT audit field. The syllabus for this exam is quite wide as an auditor is expected to have wide knowledge of the controls and wider impacts if they are not applied or implemented inefficiently. Having this certificate will definitely help you career in the long run and give you a salary boost too. As per ISACA, average salary of CISA holders is $110 K.
Earlier CISA exam was available only at proctored exam centers, however recently ISACA has enabled its certification exam with an online, remotely proctored option. There is no additional cost to take your exam online and allows exam takers to attempt at their ease, even at their homes.
As CISA exam has practical scenario-based questions, it is recommended to clarify each concept in detail before appearing for the exam. Anyone can pass this exam with 2-3 months of continuous preparation of minimum 2-3 hours daily. With full commitment of 8-9 hours, you can also target to clear the exam in less than one month.
The following is a comprehensive list of resources for clearing the CISA exam in your first attempt. These resources are ranked in the order of their effectiveness and must be understood clearly before attempting the exam for definite success.
Must Read Sources
- Read the official CRM end-to-end at least twice
As per review the CISA CRM manual is quite dry on few concepts, however it is still suggested to read the same at least twice to understand the scope of the exam.
- Subscribe to the ISACA Official Question bank
This is an official question bank comprising of 1200+ questions and various ways of practicing the questions. Questions can be attempted via domain and complexity. You have the option to mark questions that need more attention for you to re-read later and practice weak areas again. It also has complete practice exams to simulate the real exam but we recommend taking the full exam once you are have read all the concepts thoroughly.
- Hemang Doshi CISA videos and notes
Repeat minimum 3 times during preparation and one last time 2-3 days before appearing for the exam.
Optional but highly recommended
- Madunix notes
- CISA Glossary and Standards
- Certified Information Systems Auditor CISA (Part 1 of 2)
- Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) (Part 2 of 2)
- CISA – Question Bank – 2020
