Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) is a certification offered by the Information System Audit and Control Association (ISACA) to deliver expertise in information security governance. The ISACA CISM certification is designed for security managers and IT consultants who maintain the security system in any organization. To be eligible for the exam, the applicant must have five years of experience in the information security domain.
The CISM exam is comprised of 150 computer-based with multiple-choice and multi-response questions with a time limit of 4 hours. If you are a member of ISACA, then the fee will be the US $575, and it is the US $760 for non-member. Certification is only valid for five years; you have to renew it by giving the exam again.
The exam covered the following four CISM knowledge areas.
- Information security governance
- Information risk management and compliance
- Information security program development and management
- Information security incident management
A security administrator is competent of creating a protected environment and of also having to lead the team to evade security risks. Security is a top requirement in each organization, whether it’s forestalling theft or being established for concerns.
One of their core jobs is to design security frameworks for the organization. The certification equips you with great opportunities for career growth.
Related Article: Know the Trade: Become a Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)
Prepare yourself to pass in the exam and achieve the ISACA CISM certification; this will attach a new growth in your career. Follow the below tips to pass the CISM exam.
Top 9 Tips to Pass CISM Exam in 40 Days
1. Study The Latest Version Of ISACA Exam Candidate Guide
ISACA released an upgraded version of the guide from which you can prepare for the CISM exam, every year. The guide comprises plenty of study material for the exam. The updated version can be obtained from the ISACA website. You must incorporate essential topics from the guide.
CISM study guide includes all the necessary information on the CISM exam like time duration, exam questions, languages, and many more. It is essential to go through this guide before opting for the CISM exam. Strengthen your knowledge and skills for the security system using this guide, which comprises four steps plan, review, practice, and test.
2. Plan Your 40-Day Exam Preparation Schedule
Whenever you are planning to accomplish your goals, you must prepare a study schedule and thoroughly follow it. You have to do the similar for the 40-day CISM certification exam preparation.
While drafting your study schedule, be realistic about your work life and life responsibilities. Try to study during your spare time. Plan your 40-day study schedule in such a manner that you cover all the CISM syllabus topics thoroughly and also take out time to take relax.
Different factors to take into account while drafting your study schedule comprises:
- How, before the CISM exam, do you carry out the self-appraisal?
- How much money would you spend on study material and training classes and practice tests? Explore online platforms for study materials and make a study schedule so that you can spend time to study every topic included covered in the examination.
- What kind of study schedule suits you best?
- Some people inclined towards self-learning, while few believe there is not a vital alternative for the classroom. Employ your past learning experiences to help you with choosing the preparing plan to help you with preparation best.
- How much are you familiar with the CISM exam domains?
- Your personal experience in the security management domain can benefit you a lot in preparation, but you should also consider some factors, such as the exam length and question grounds. Hinge upon a lot on experience alone is an inadequate approach that will possibly provoke bad results.
3. Understand The CISM Review Manual (CRM) Straight-through
CISM review manual is created to help you study for the CISM exam. It is simple to operate manual composed of organized chapters that include the knowledge areas. It is designed for the CISM exam preparation, and moreover, it can also be utilized as a benchmark for information security managers.
The manual consists of two parts; the first section includes the fundamental concept that you will need to understand the keywords and logic of security. Considering the second part includes all knowledge domains which you must understand before opting for the exam.
CISM review manual assists you in measuring your expertise from now and again regarding security management. It is available both in e-book and hard-copy. You can choose whatever you require.
4. Note Down All The Essential Terms, Perceive All of Them
Through this exam, the applicant will be gauged their skill to manage security concerns. There are different technologies applied to defend the system in an organization, so it will be more helpful to perceive each technology in greater detail. You must understand some essential security technology in more information:
Security standards: Applicants will be expected to demonstrate a general understanding of vital security standards, for instance, confirmation, confidentiality, accessibility, consistency, and integrity. These will enable the potential to work out the issues that may occur if adequate safety measures have not been carried out efficiently in an organization.
Security vulnerabilities: Applicants must notice how cyber-attacks are impeded in each equipment or programming innovation. Many cyber-attacks are caused by strangers to thieve confidential information from your organization. Conventional types of attacks are malicious code, phishing, malware, denial of service attacks, which are carried out to steal the data.
Network security problems: Applicants must be informed of the security threats in an organization and understand to come out from them.
5. Watch Relevant Videos And Join Training And Seminars
Listening is something that is a significant contribution to the human brain and a studying tool since growing up. Most of the time, candidates shell out time reading books that employ visual parts of the brain, and when the mind begins listening, then it helps to brush up as it is somewhat new. There are many podcasts available over the world wide web, which can be employed for the CISM exam preparation. There are many benefits of utilizing podcasts like you can listen to it during commuting or even while relaxing when you do not feel like to read textbooks.
Videos also provide a distinct perspective to understand the topic. It can be a substitute for class; it can be kept on your mobile phone and can be viewed anywhere.
6. Join Online Communities With Other Applicants, Broaden Your Resources
It is difficult to understand all the reasoning and topics while you are self-studying. CISM community is the best to participate in clearing your doubts from industry professionals. It gives the opportunity to ask your questions about CISM related topics. It is coordinated by the community experts who are the passed top applicants of earlier held ISACA Certified Information Security Manager exam. Many applicants ask their questions, and specialists answered them. This is a very helpful method to sharpen your skills.
It is a fact that when you are self-studying, the proportion of delaying is higher rather than learning in the group. You will always hold up beginning your studies. Participating in various study communities on the internet will help you to be ready during your exam preparation.
A community platform is open to anyone; you can participate in it online from anywhere. This is a brilliant way to make your learning exciting rather than tedious. You can not only ask the questions in which you have questions but also answer the questions of other aspirants in which your perception is definite.
7. Take CISM Practice Tests (Lots And Lots)
Taking the CISM practice test just before the exam has enormous advantages for all the applicants sitting in the exam. Practice tests help to strengthen confidence.
With the practice test, you can get familiar the CISM exam question formats that you have to confront in the exam, and it also helps to know on which topics you require development. Knowing which topics are complicated to seize in practice tests will help you to study accordingly.
8. Use Flashcards Everyday
Flashcard is a small handmade card, and it is employed to memorize. Our long term memory magnifies when we try to regain retained information as many times as feasible. Flashcards are a very economical way of recovering stored data in the brain. It is very compact as you cannot take textbooks all over the place, but flashcards can be taken with you wherever you go, and whenever you have time, start revising.
9. Not Lean On Memorising. Concentrate On Understanding
Memorizing is a method of perpetrating something to memory. This is the means of storing data that should be ready for recall later in time. It is always better to learn something rather than just remembering. When you perceive something, it remains in your mind for years or even lifelong, but if mind remembers, it can be forgotten in days itself.
Memorizing is helpful when you require to review data at a precise given time. Remembering helps you recollect concepts. While if you understand a concept, you won’t just have the option to recall it for a long time in the brain.
Thus it can be seen theoretical understanding is much better for every applicant in all types of exams rather than only memorizing it.
