CISM exam tips

If you tend to put off your study until the last minute, or decide to study later when you “have time,” you may find that you’re not getting anything done. However, if you pre-plan when you’re going to sit down to study, you’re a lot more likely to do it. By setting regular time slots when....read more

Most candidates spend around three to six months preparing for the exam. Make sure you have at least one month left after you are done learning all the topics. The last week before the exam should be all about review; you should not focus on learning any new topics during this time. Key aspects from....read more

Make sure you understand the materials you are reading. If you are passively reading the words while daydreaming, it'll be a waste of time. If you are distracted or unfocused, don’t study. Turn off your mobile phone so you can study uninterrupted.....read more

The Pomodoro technique is a very effective time-management method. With this technique, instead of trying to concentrate while studying for hours at a stretch, you break up your study time into segments of 25 minutes, with a break of 5 minutes between these segments. It becomes much easier to mainta....read more

Review concepts that you don't know until you have fully understood them. Once you fully understand a concept, it becomes easier to commit it to memory. This is where flashcards will be of benefit. Don't waste time reviewing materials that you already know very well.....read more

If you are not sure of the correct answer on the first reading, re-read all the options and try to eliminate options one by one based on your understanding of the question. This approach will help you get more clarity about what the correct option might be. If you have read and re-read the question....read more

CISM exam questions test the candidate’s practical knowledge in the field of information security. As per the current exam pattern, candidates are tested with 150 questions (in the form of MCQs) that need to be answered within a time window of 4 hours. Therefore, it is best if you read the entir....read more

Apply a managerial approach to the scenarios in the questions. The exam tests your skill from the perspective of being an information security manager and not someone who is involved in carrying out day-to-day technical/administrative activities. In other words, your job is to advise the business on....read more

The timer on the exam counts down from 240 minutes instead of up. But there is more than enough time to answer all the questions, so do not rush. Do not spend more than 5-10 minutes on one question. This is not a linear exam; once you select an answer, you can always change it later before you subm....read more

Do a lot of practice questions. Once you feel like you have a good understanding of all concepts, start including a timer when you are solving questions. This will force you to think under the pressure of time and will prepare you for exam day.....read more