Systems Auditor Examination

It is a computer-based exam of 150 multiple-choice questions. ISACA states it is administered at authorized PSI testing centers globally or as a remotely proctored exam. Registration is continuous, with no registration window restrictions, and you schedule through the PSI dashboard reached from your ISACA account after registering and paying.

ISACA lists US$575.00 as the member exam cost and US$760.00 as the non-member exam cost. The registration fee must be paid in full before you can schedule and take the exam. Separately, a US$50 application processing fee applies later when you apply for certification after passing. Confirm current pricing on ISACA's site before budgeting.

Registration creates a six-month eligibility period. From the date you register, you have six months to take the exam, and eligibility is required both to schedule and to sit it. If your preferred site or date does not appear, ISACA advises checking that your eligibility has not expired in the Certification & CPE Management tab of your account.

Appointments are only available 90 days in advance, so a date further out will not show yet. You can schedule as early as 48 hours after paying registration fees. Rescheduling is allowed without penalty during your eligibility period if done at least 48 hours before your appointment. Plan around these two 48-hour rules.

ISACA frames questions as testing knowledge and ability on real-life job practices used by expert professionals, so items are scenario-based rather than definition recall. The most common mistake is studying domains evenly: Operations & Business Resilience and Protection of Information Assets are 26% each, together 52% of the exam, while Acquisition, Development & Implementation is only 12%.

Start with Information Systems Auditing Process (18%), because it establishes the risk-based audit mindset and evidence standards the other domains assume. Then cover Governance & Management of IT (18%). Spend the largest block on the two 26% domains, Operations & Business Resilience and Protection of Information Assets, and treat Acquisition, Development & Implementation (12%) as the smallest allocation.

Passing is only the first step. To become certified you also pay the US$50 application processing fee, submit an application demonstrating your experience, adhere to the Code of Professional Ethics and the Continuing Professional Education Policy, and comply with the Information Systems Auditing Standards. ISACA states candidates have five years from passing the exam to apply for certification.

ISACA lists an online review course, a questions, answers and explanations database with a six-month subscription to a 1,070-question pool, digital and print editions of the CISA Review Manual, a free ten-question practice quiz, and a member-only online CISA study group forum. It also publishes the Exam Candidate Guide and translated CISA terminology lists for non-English candidates.

ISACA lists several requirements: pass the exam, pay the US$50 application processing fee, submit an application demonstrating experience requirements, adhere to the Code of Professional Ethics, adhere to the Continuing Professional Education Policy, and comply with the Information Systems Auditing Standards. The exam alone does not confer the credential, so plan the application step early.

Rescheduling is free during your eligibility period if requested at least 48 hours before your appointment. Separately, ISACA states a zero-tolerance policy for fraudulent test-taking activities, with score nullification and/or certification revocation for those involved, so bring government-issued identification matching the name on your account.