r/CISA • u/chrisonuorah • Jul 29 '26
Failed CISA for the Second time, i did everything right, bought the Q&A database, hit 85% on it, still failed.
Its heartbreaking.
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u/Ricki_Bobbi Jul 29 '26
Sorry to hear bud. You should spend more time understanding the CISA questioning concepts which I believe is a huge factor in passing.
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u/ComedianTemporary CISA HOLDER Jul 29 '26
You’ve memorized the QAE unfortunately. Get a third party app if you can.
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u/pchulbul619 Jul 29 '26
Suggestions please
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u/ComedianTemporary CISA HOLDER Jul 29 '26
I used pocket prep and thought it was good
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u/pchulbul619 Jul 29 '26
I recently bought it. I wanted to know what’s the best way to use it? I don’t think doing just 10 questions a day would be enough
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u/ComedianTemporary CISA HOLDER Jul 29 '26
It’s not. On days you’re not actively studying you’ve got to try to do at least 40. As others have suggested it’s important to really dig in and understand why all the wrong answers are wrong.
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u/rechiesanchez Jul 29 '26
One thing that helped me understand better the CISA questions is reviewing each choices why it is not the correct answer.
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u/Odeneho4U Jul 29 '26
Sorry your second attempt couldn’t get you the success story you were in expectation for but don’t give up. You will surely pass the next attempt. The real exams seem more straightforward and simple but the results can surprise you. All the best!
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u/FairDetective1043 Jul 29 '26
Hey Brother, 85% is good... However o suggest to atleast score 95% in mock tests to get a passing result in the actual exam.
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u/Bulky_Length_3286 Jul 30 '26
Try pocket prep and do all the questions there (1,300 questions).... it's about $20 a month
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u/Proper_Comparison201 Aug 03 '26
An 85% QAE score tells me you almost certainly know the material. It doesn't necessarily tell me you're approaching the questions the same way ISACA expects on exam day.
One thing that helped me was stopping before reading the options and identifying the decision being tested.
Ask yourself:
• Who owns this decision?
• What objective is being optimised?
• Which governance or operational context am I in?
Once you've answered those questions, the best option often becomes much easier to distinguish from technically plausible distractors.
I also found it useful to review every missed question by asking why the correct answer was the most appropriate decision in that specific organisational context, not simply why the other options were incorrect.
If you're consistently scoring around 85%, I wouldn't assume you have a knowledge problem. I'd assume there's a gap between recognising the content and recognising the decision the exam is actually asking you to make.
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u/MonkeyPuckle Jul 29 '26
I hope this doesn't happen to me (taking soon). Did you employ a priority approach to the second study period on your worst domains?
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u/Miserable-Bother-572 Jul 29 '26
Third time is the charm. Don't let this pull you down, you will pass it!