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diff --git a/blog/2021-12-04-cisa.org b/blog/2021-12-04-cisa.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..cc511db --- /dev/null +++ b/blog/2021-12-04-cisa.org @@ -0,0 +1,197 @@ ++++ +date = 2021-12-04 +title = "I Passed the CISA!" +description = "After nearly a year of on-and-off studying, I passed the CISA exam by ISACA." +draft = false ++++ + +## What is the CISA? + +For those of you lucky enough not to be knee-deep in the world of IT/IS +Auditing, [CISA](https://www.isaca.org/credentialing/cisa) stands for Certified +Information Systems Auditor. This certification and exam are part of ISACA's +suite of certifications. As I often explain it to people like my family, it +basically means you're employed to use your knowledge of information systems, +regulations, common threats, risks, etc. in order to assess an organization's +current control of their risk. If a risk isn't controlled (and the company +doesn't want to accept the risk), an IS auditor will suggest implementing a +control to address that risk. + +Now, the CISA certification itself is, in my opinion, the main certification for +this career. While certifications such as the CPA or CISSP are beneficial, +nothing matches the power of the CISA for an IS auditor when it comes to getting +hired, getting a raise/bonus, or earning respect in the field. + +However, to be honest, I am a skeptic of most certifications. I understand the +value they hold in terms of how much you need to commit to studying or learning +on the job, as well as the market value for certifications such as the CISA. +But I also have known some very ~~incompetent~~ _less than stellar_ auditors +who have CPAs, CISAs, CIAs, etc. + +The same goes for most industries: if a person is good at studying, they can +earn the certification. However, that knowledge means nothing unless you're +actually able to use it in real life and perform as expected of a certification +holder. The challenge comes when people are hired or connected strictly because +of their certifications or resume; you need to see a person work before you can +assume them having a CISA means they're better than someone without the CISA. + +Okay, rant over. Certifications are generally accepted as a measuring stick of +commitment and quality of an employee, so I am accepting it too. + +## Exam Content + +The CISA is broken down into five sections, each weighted with a percentage of +test questions that may appear. + + + +Since the exam contains 150 questions, here's how those sections break down: + +| Exam Section | Percentage of Exam | Questions | +|:---------------:|:------------------:|:---------:| +| 1 | 21% | 32 | +| 2 | 17% | 26 | +| 3 | 12% | 18 | +| 4 | 23% | 34 | +| 5 | 27% | 40 | +| **Grand Total** | **100%** | **150** | + +## My Studying Habits + +This part is a little hard for me to break down into specific detail due to the +craziness of the last year. While I officially purchased my studying materials +in December 2020 and opened them to "start studying" in January 2021, I really +wasn't able to study much due to the demands of my job and personal life. + +Let me approach this from a few different viewpoints. + +### Study Materials + +Let's start by discussing the study materials I purchased. I'll be referring to +#1 as the CRM and #2 as the QAE. + +1. [CISA Review Manual, 27th Edition | Print](https://store.isaca.org/s/store#/store/browse/detail/a2S4w000004KoCbEAK) +2. [CISA Review Questions, Answers & Explanations Manual, 12th Edition | Print](https://store.isaca.org/s/store#/store/browse/detail/a2S4w000004KoCcEAK) + +The CRM is an excellent source of information and could honestly be used as a +reference for most IS auditors as a learning reference during their daily audit +responsibilities. However, it is **full** of information and can be overloading +if you're not good at filtering out useless information while studying. + +The QAE is the real star of the show here. This book contains 1000 questions, +separated by exam section, and a practice exam. My only complaint about the QAE +is that each question is immediately followed with the correct answer and +explanations below it, which means I had to use something to constantly cover +the answers while I was studying. + +I didn't use the online database version of the QAE, but I've heard that it's +easier to use than the printed book. However, it is more expensive ($299 +database vs $129 book) which might be important if you're paying for materials +yourself. + +In terms of question difficulty, I felt that the QAE was a good representation +of the actual exam. I've seen a lot of people online say it wasn't accurate to +the exam or that it was much easier/harder, but I disagree with all of those. +The exam was fairly similar to the QAE, just focusing on whichever topics they +chose for my version of the exam. + +If you understand the concepts, skim the CRM (and read in-depth on topics you +struggle with), and use the QAE to continue practicing exam-like questions, you +should be fine. I didn't use any online courses, videos, etc. - the ISACA +materials are more than enough. + +### Studying Process + +While I was able to briefly read through sections 1 and 2 in early 2021, I had +to stop and take a break from February/March to September. +I switched jobs in September, which allowed me a lot more free time to study. + +In September, I studied sections 3-5, took notes, and did a quick review of the +section topics. Once I felt comfortable with my notes, I took a practice exam +from the QAE manual and scored 70% (105/150). + +Here's a breakdown of my initial practice exam: + +| Exam Section | Incorrect | Correct | Grand Total | Percent | +|:---------------:|:---------:|:-------:|:-----------:|:-------:| +| 1 | 8 | 25 | 33 | 76% | +| 2 | 5 | 20 | 25 | 80% | +| 3 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 67% | +| 4 | 10 | 23 | 33 | 70% | +| 5 | 16 | 25 | 41 | 61% | +| **Grand Total** | **45** | **105** | **150** | **70%** | + +As I expected, my toughest sections were related to project management, +development, implementation, and security. + +This just leaves October and November. For these months, I tried to practice +every few days, doing 10 questions for each section, until the exam. This came +out to 13 practice sessions, ~140 questions per section, and ~700 questions +total. + +While some practice sessions were worse and some were better, the final results +were similar to my practice exam results. As you can see below, my averages were +slightly worse than my practice exam. However, I got in over 700 questions of +practice and, most importantly, **I read through the explanations every time I +answered incorrectly and learned from my mistakes**. + +| Exam Section | Incorrect | Correct | Grand Total | Percent | +|:---------------:|:---------:|:-------:|:-----------:|:-------:| +| 1 | 33 | 108 | 141 | 77% | +| 2 | 33 | 109 | 142 | 77% | +| 3 | 55 | 89 | 144 | 62% | +| 4 | 52 | 88 | 140 | 63% | +| 5 | 55 | 85 | 140 | 61% | +| **Grand Total** | **228** | **479** | **707** | **68%** | + + + +## Results + +Now, how do the practice scores reflect my actual results? +After all, it's hard to tell how good a practice regimen is unless you see +how it turns out. + +| Exam Section | Section Name | Score | +|:------------:|------------------------------------------------------------------|:-------:| +| 1 | Information Systems Auditing Process | 678 | +| 2 | Governance and Management of IT | 590 | +| 3 | Information Systems Acquisition, Development, and Implementation | 721 | +| 4 | Information Systems Operations and Business Resilience | 643 | +| 5 | Protection of Information Assets | 511 | +| **TOTAL** | | **616** | + +Now, in order to pass the CISA, you need at least 450 on a sliding scale of +200-800. Personally, I really have no clue what an average CISA score is. After +a _very_ brief look online, I can see that the high end is usually in the low +700s. In addition, only about 50-60% of people pass the exam. + +Given this information, I feel great about my scores. +616 may not be phenomenal, and I wish I had done better on sections 2 & 5, +but my practicing seems to have worked very well overall. + +However, the practice results do not conform to the actual results. Section 2 +was one of my highest practice sections and was my second-lowest score in the +exam. Conversely, section 3 was my second-lowest practice section and turned out +to be my highest actual score! + +After reflecting, it is obvious that if you have any background on the CISA +topics at all, the most important part of studying is doing practice questions. +You really need to understand how to read the questions critically and pick the +best answer. + +## Looking Forward + +I am extremely happy that I was finally able to pass the CISA. Looking to the +future, I'm not sure what's next in terms of professional learning. My current +company offers internal learning courses, so I will most likely focus on that if +I need to gain more knowledge in certain areas. + +To be fair, even if you pass the CISA, it's hard to become an expert on any +specific topic found within. +My career may take me in a different direction, and I might need to focus +more on security or networking certifications (or possibly building a better +analysis/visualization portfolio if I want to go into data analysis/science). + +All I know is that I am content at the moment and extremely proud of my +accomplishment. |