What is CISA Certification? How to Clear an Exam on the 1st Attempt?

Did you know that the Big 4 organizations, including Deloitte, KPMG, PWC, and Ernst and Young, all are looking for professionals with CISA certification?

Also, Tier 1 investment banks, including Citibank, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, and many more, are looking forward to hiring CISA-certified professionals. Not only these, Compliance Department, IT Internal Auditing, and almost every tech company. Now that every company has become a tech company, CISA-certified professionals are in demand everywhere. 

In the digital world we live in, the more we rely on our smartphones, the more security issues. With the evolution of technology, we have become smarter in every task we do, and so have cybercriminals.

It is easier than ever to penetrate IT infrastructure and steal sensitive information. Cybercrime takes place every second somewhere across the globe. So many hacks may have already occurred till you reach this line of this article.

Dealing with security issues and providing maximum security to customers has become the topmost priority for almost all organizations. To ensure secure architecture, they require professionals who are equipped with ultimate knowledge regarding cybersecurity. This is why there is a surge in demand for these IT sec pros. 

Many IT professionals prefer to prepare for a CISA certification with so many opportunities and lucrative salaries. 

Let us have a look at what CISA is and what it takes to get certified. 

What is CISA?

Certified Information Security Analyst or CISA is a globally-recognized credential awarded by ISACA(Information Systems Audit and Control Association). It is a standard certification that appraises the knowledge, skills, and expertise of an IT auditor in assessing weaknesses and vulnerabilities and also managing IT controls of an organization’s IT infrastructure. 

Basically, this certification is awarded to the professionals who are responsible for monitoring, managing, and protecting an organization’s IT and business systems. You get your certification by passing the application process and a comprehensive test.

This certification is designed for consultants, audit managers, IT auditors, and security consultants. 

The CISA curriculum is categorized into five important domains. Each domain covers an individual aspect of auditing systems. You have to attain expertise in all of these domains to pass the CISA certification exam. 

The five domains are:

• Information Systems Auditing Process:

This domain includes planning, conducting audits, and reporting on Information Systems audits 

• IT Governance and Management:

You will learn how to maintain and evaluate policies, structures, and processes of IT departments

• Information Systems Acquisition, Development, and Implementation:

As a CISA, you need to play the role of a project manager while implementing IT systems

• Information Systems Operations and Business Resilience:

This domain includes maintaining and managing services of information system that is implemented and also involved in the job’s remit

• Protection of Information Assets:

As a CISA, you are required to know how to identify and recommend practices that can address cyber risks actively. 

The CISA Exam

The best part of the CISA certification exam is that you can do online registration and proctor all around the year. You are required to attain at least 450 marks or more out of 800. You can take this certification exam four times a year.

You can choose any of the languages offered by ISACA, namely English, French, Japanese, Chinese Mandarin Simplified, and Spanish. 

While applying for the exam, you will need to pay USD 50, and on acceptance of your application, you will have to pay USD 595 to take the exam. If you are a member of ISACA, you will pay USD 465. 

Attaining the CISA certification provides you with greater visibility while applying for the job, as most employers prefer IT auditors with CISA certification on their resumes. 

Responsibilities of a Certified Information Security Auditor

Let us have a look at the list of tasks you are responsible for as a CISA.

• You are supposed to implement an audit strategy meant for Information Systems on the basis of risk management
• You need to plan audits intended to identify whether IT assets are managed, protected, or valuable, or not
• After strategizing, you need to execute the audit, which should be in compliance with the standards and objectives set by an organization
• After you are done with the execution of the audit, its time to share the audit results and come up with feasible recommendations to the management team based on the findings
• Performing analysis of the audit to make sure that the recommendations are executed by the management

Apart from performing and controlling audits, you are expected to perform other activities as well. You might be required to work with the management department to plan implementation processes, and working on deployed systems, confirm organizational processes and also promote the objectives and strategies of the organization. 

How to Prepare for the CISA certification Exam?

As you know that you need to attain at least 50% to pass the exam. This certification is known for its difficulty level. This is why ISACA offers numerous resources to help aspiring candidates pass the exam on the first attempt.

To prepare for the exam, you should first know your exam well. Go through the curriculum and look for the weightage of all five domains. Go through every domain in detail and analyze the topics that you already know well and the ones that need to be attentive. 

Since it is difficult to take the mock tests for yourself, just take up an online training course and rest assured that you will cover all the topics in-depth and pass the exam. They take mock tests so that you can analyze your knowledge level and chalk your further preparation plan accordingly. 

When you take the training course from an accredited institute such as Simplilearn, the learning process goes hassle-free, and that too at your own schedule.

Moreover, industry experts deliver the training via top-class learning management systems. Real-world projects, doubt sessions, round-the-clock teaching assistance, and career guidance make this course worth a try. 

Enroll Now!!