EBIOS Risk Manager exam-day guide

EBIOS Risk Manager (the method published by ANSSI) is a framework, not a single certifying body's exam. Depending on the provider you book with, the test may be multiple-choice, scenario-based, or an assessment tied to a training course. Before you build a study plan, confirm the exact format, number of questions, time limit, passing score, and whether it is remote-proctored or at a test centre. Do not assume another candidate's format applies to you.

Bring the original government-issued photo ID (passport or national ID card) whose name exactly matches your booking. For remote proctoring, the proctor will usually ask you to hold it up to the camera. Check with the provider whether a secondary ID or the booking confirmation is also required.

Keep the confirmation email, your candidate/registration number, and any check-in link or QR code accessible. For a test centre, note the address, arrival time, and parking or transport plan. For remote delivery, note the check-in window and the proctor's platform.

If testing remotely, run the provider's system test in advance: supported browser, webcam, microphone, stable connection, and screen-sharing permissions. Have a backup connection (phone hotspot) ready. Confirm with the provider whether a wired connection or a specific OS version is mandated.

For remote sessions, use a private room with a door you can close, a clear desk, good lighting facing you, and no notes, second screens, phones, or other people. Proctors commonly require a 360-degree room scan. Confirm the provider's allowed-items list, since some permit blank paper or a basic calculator and others do not.

Be able to reproduce from memory the five workshops: scope and security baseline; risk origins (strategic scenarios); strategic scenarios (target objectives and feared events); operational scenarios (stakeholders, threat sources, and likelihood); and risk treatment (risk assessment and prioritisation using the method's gravity and likelihood scales). Candidates who can sketch the workshop flow and its inputs and outputs handle scenario questions fastest.

Revise terms such as feared event, strategic scenario, operational scenario, risk origin, target objective, security baseline, and the gravity/likelihood grids used to position risk. Practise assigning values to a worked example so you can answer applied questions about how a risk level was derived.

Many questions present a business situation and ask which workshop applies, what the next step is, or how to treat a risk. Build a habit: identify the scope, the feared event, the risk origin, the operational path, then the treatment option (avoid, reduce, transfer, accept). This keeps answers consistent under time pressure.

Ask in advance whether breaks are allowed, whether they are timed, whether you can leave the room, and what materials (blank paper, pen, calculator, method reference sheet) are permitted. Do not rely on assumptions from other exams; policies differ by provider and delivery mode.

For a test centre, arrive with slack for ID checks and security screening. For remote delivery, log in early enough to complete identity verification, room scan, and any software launch. Late check-in can forfeit your slot, so confirm the provider's cut-off.

Estimate minutes per question from the total time and question count, and decide a rule for flagging and returning to hard items. If the exam includes longer scenario or written items, reserve a block for them and keep short answers tight and method-accurate.

Sleep, eat, and avoid last-minute cramming of contradictory sources. A calm, method-focused review the evening before is more useful than new material. Confirm with the provider whether food, drink, or medication are allowed in the test room.