CISA exam preparation 431



  • I’ve been working on SOX projects for almost a year now, and I plan to take the CISA exam in June. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to study for it? I have review questions and a study manual. Would you recommend a review class? I just want to make sure I’m well prepared for it, and I figure learning from others’ mistakes/suggestions is a good starting point. Thanks.



  • Would you please share how did you get Study material ? I am intertested as i am working in security of ERP and IT systems from last 7-8 years and would like to give this exam ?
    TIA
    -L



  • I just got the study materials from the isaca.org Website when I registered for the exam. They have been very useful, but I’d love to hear others’ opinions/suggestions about taking the exam as well.



  • I am not a big fan of the CISA exam - although I am certified myself. The certification and the institute are both well regarded and I have had a nummber of people working for me do the exam as well. However, I did not regard the exam as a good test of technical knwoledge.
    To me the biggest problem is that there is a HUGE importance in exam technique - which is almost as great as the technical component. It is entirely possible for native english speakers to fail to understand the question (because they are full of passive, double negatives, etc) let alone non-native speakers. It’s also hard for me to take a multiple choice exam seriously.
    My advice is to spend a large part of your study time on past papers.



  • I am in parts on the same line with Denis.
    Beeing a CISA myself it was quit a challenge in terms understanding the material provided. Do yourself a favour and get the material in englisch and take also the test in englisch. Even than you will still experience errors in the material. Not to mention any foreign language material. If you have any audit experience it’s sufficient to prepare yourself with the CISA manual and the test CD.
    My opinion about the CISA is, that it provides you with a common minimum level of education if you’re out to hire staff.



  • Thanks so much for your opinions. I have been working short SOX contracts steadily over the last year, but I figured the CISA might improve my job outlook down the road. I may be wrong about that, but I’m learning that a Bachelor’s just isn’t going to cut it in the future SOX world.
    Thanks again for your insight. These forums have been really helpful.



  • CISA probably will improve your job outlook because it is one of very few recognised qualifications in this area - but once you do the exam you will probably understand what I’m talking about 😉



  • Myself and some of my friends are preparing for CISA 2005 certification. Would be much obliged, if any of those CISA professional give some advise on the following:

    1. Reading / understanding of the CISA Revie Manual 2005 is enoug?
    2. On Question bank provided by ISACA - Are these questions are normal CISA exam questions or only for practice?
      You may add any other suggestion to help us.
      Chennai Friends


  • Just sat the CISA Exam and wanted to know any if anyone else did and what they thought about it.



  • In my opinion, the exam was testing our ability to take a test rather then what knowledge we should have. there were many questions and answers poorly worded. in some cases it was difficult to understand what the question was asking. the material we were being tested on was badly out of date (not current)
    I felt prepared and studied a lot using the micro mash cd and the isaca cd of questions in addition to the cisa prep manual. I was disappointed that the exam didn’t test my knowledge as I was expecting.
    Some people have told me that perhaps some of us over analyzed the questions. I’ve talked with several people that studied as hard as I did. They didn’t think the study materials helped. You can know the material very well but still you must be able to select the answer they want and sometimes it may be guess when he question is poorly worded, especially when time is running out. One friend actually thought they were in the wrong exam when they opened the test booklet. perhaps that was a bit of anxiety but also had to do with the wording of the questions.
    I’ve heard from others that the questions are clearly worded on the CISSP exam.
    I wish ever one luck on passing.



  • You can know the material very well but still you must be able to select the answer they want and sometimes it may be guess when he question is poorly worded, especially when time is running out.
    Sounds like all the exams I’ve had since the 90s



  • Follow the old saying There is no substitute to hard work’. The study material has a lot of information, a bit out-dated, but it talks about all the good practices from the mainframe world which we lost when the technology moved to client-server and web-based world. In today’s technology world, we do not need that many controls and auditing, had we taken the good practices from the main-frame world.
    To prepare for the test:

    1. Have a clear and in-depth understanding of the study-material. Just scanning the material will not help. You may have to study the material cover to cover at least 2-3 times unless you are a genius.
    2. I encourage group study for sharing knowledge. The group should not be more than 2-3 people. I suggest the group should have the following skills: 1. auditing, 2. application development knowledge and 3. networks, LAN, security etc.
    3. Buy the 600-CD questions from ISACA and other questionnaire available in the market. Take these tests as many times as possible. The tests help you to reiterate what you already know, help with your speed, enhances your confidence and also help you to get a better understanding what you don’t know.
    4. Take off a few days before the test and study harder. I know people who took time off before the test on a vacation and no wonder they failed the test. I can’t set your prioritiesbut if you want to pass, ready to put in the hard work. I studied during lunch time, time offs, and whenever possible.
    5. I was so confident of passing that I closed all the books 5pm the previous evening and went to bed knowing that I would pass.
    6. Sleep well, relax, smile and just go write the test. Remember, the test is based on some kind of a relative grading. If you get 125-130 questions rightI think you will comfortable pass the exams.
    7. I also recommend training course from Mandem (for people in the US and certain countries). The trainer gives you about 1000 question and answers to practice. That helps a bit.


  • Important types of Sampling for CISA Exam
    CISA Quick Point 17
    Sampling could be of many types. For the preparation of CISA Exam you should know the the types of sampling (I think indepth knowledge about each is not always needed. the basics should do)
    Important types of sampling are

    1. Simple Random sampling
    2. Stratified Random Sampling
    3. Multistage Cluster Sampling
    4. Purposive sampling.
      Simple Random sampling, Stratified Random Sampling and Multistage Cluster Sampling are the types of
      Probability Sampling/Mathematical sampling/Statistical sampling
      Whereas Purposive Sampling which is also known as Judgmental Sampling is Nonprobability sampling.

    CISA Type Question 17
    Which of the following sampling method is likely to LEAST represent a population

    1. Simple Random sampling
    2. Stratified Random Sampling
    3. Multistage Cluster Sampling
    4. Purposive sampling.

    Answer to CISA Type Question 16
    So far, I have received almost five emails and two comments suggesting answer to CISA Type Question 16.
    Other than one all suggested 1. Physical Layer as answer.I do agree with them.Not only hybrid type of firewall but I believe no firewall can work and protect Physical layer. So, the correct answer is definitely 1. Physical layer.

    I encourage all of you to post your comment or write to us as sharing of knowledge will make you successful in CISA Exam. Remember the purpose of this blog is to promote CISA and ISACA by motivating every CISA aspirants. As soon as you decide for taking CISA exam, I recommend to take membership of ISACA at http://www.isaca.org. The Control Journal given to members is one of the best IS related journal of present era.I very eagerly wait for this Journal every  two months.This magazine will be beneficial for your CISA preparation as well.Beside this you will get discounts for CISA Exam and CISA Review Manual and many other benefits.
    

    Again all the best for your CISA ambition.
    Posted by PassCISA at 10:01 PM 2 comments Links to this post
    Labels: IS Audit Process
    Source: CISA Preparation Blog passcisa.blogspot.com



  • Hey all,
    I’m sitting in for the December exam… eeek I was opposed to it, because my hard headed self promised not to take any more exams as soon as I got out of college.
    But life is what it is, and it would be silly of me not to get CISA certed.
    So without further adieu… what is the best way to prep yourself for the test? What worked for you? I have heard that study guides offered by ISACA are not that good, and browsing through Amazon is disappointing because the books on there get kind of low reviews.
    On the side note: I have been blessed with the opportunity to do IT audit for a lengthy time (including SOX, GLBA etc) and got a bit scared looking through ISACA’s 2006 CISA Review as I’m not familiar with some of the wording thats used there and is supposedly ‘official’.
    Any pointers will be appreciated, thanks and congratulations for those that passed it 🙂


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