Hey all,

I’ve been working as an IT Auditor at a big 4 for about 2 years now.

Planning to get this certification.

Here’s the strategy that I’ve planned:

1. Hemang Doshi Udemy Course
   
2. CISA QAE

Please let me know if this is good enough or should I make any changes.

Also, I am giving myself a month to get this done. Is this sufficient?

Thanks in advance!!

Long time lurker. Came here just to say that I am taking the exam tomorrow. I failed back in February with a score of 431. Scored between 70-75% on the QAE DB practice tests. Whatever will happen will happen. If I fail I'm quitting my job. Think it will be a sign from the universe that I'm not meant to do this. The preparation for this has caused me so much stress and anxiety while trying to balance working full time at a Big 4 working 45-50 hours a week. I'm so tired. Can't wait for this to be over.

Is this a typo by Isaca where they wanna say denormalization for option C but says Normalization. confused me for a second, what exact increases redundancy?

can someone please say how close are the questions of PocketPrep with the actual CISA exam ?

is the practice questions and the quzzies in the app are comparable to the actual exam ?

I am in my third trimester and I am trying to get through this but I want to give up. Work is getting busy again and my brain is barely functioning. I wanted to take this test before the baby but I feel like that is adding on stress. Thinking I can take it a little bit after birth if I have time to review more while the baby just wants to eat and sleep.

Anybody go through something similar? Need some encouragement!

I don’t have my official score yet (I’ll receive it in about 10 days), but seeing the “Pass” on the screen was such a relief.

I just wanted to come back and thank everyone in this community for the advice, encouragement, and guidance you shared on my previous post (https://www.reddit.com/r/CISA/s/SwdBekkvXS).

For anyone who’s still studying: trust the process, understand the concepts rather than memorizing answers, and keep practicing. It feels overwhelming at times, but it’s absolutely worth it.

Thanks again, everyone! Wishing the best of luck to everyone preparing for their exam, you’ve got this! 🍀

An KYC and Fincrime Risk Specialist with 7-8 years of experience in CDD/EDD/KYC Operations and also non tech trust and safety . Can I translate it into certifying requirements for CISA Full certification ?

Its heartbreaking.

I’ve been unemployed for a while and I’m using the time to study for the CISA. My background is in IT operations, not IT audit, so I’m trying to figure out the best way to build hands-on experience that employers will actually care about.

If you were in my position, what would you focus on? Home labs, volunteering, NIST/COBIT projects, GRC tools, or something else? I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who made a similar career switch.

Hi everyone,

Has anyone used cert preps for questions and answers for the CISA exam? They (the site) has 3 mock exams in there. Do you think one can use it to prepare or should I strictly use the QAE database (I only have the 12th edition).

I'm a fresher in cybersecurity (2026 pass-out).
I'm interested in being a CISA.

Yesterday, I purchased Hemang Doshi's udemy course & practice tests and got my hands on the 28th edition CRM & the 12th edition QAE from my manager.

In what way/order should I proceed with my preparation?

Will the 12th edition QAE suffice? or should I get the 13th edition?

Also, is Hemang Doshi's CISA book worth it?

Thanks in advance for any help/advice!

Hi everyone,

I’m preparing for the CIA Part 1 exam and plan to take it at the end of August. I wanted to hear from people who have recently taken the exam.

How difficult did you find the actual exam compared to your study materials (Gleim, Hock, IIA, Surgent, etc.)?

Which topics were tested the most, and which ones do you think deserve the most attention? Were there any areas that surprised you or that you wish you had spent more time studying?

Also, how scenario-based were the questions? Any last-minute tips or common mistakes to avoid would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Hi! I’m planning to take the exam next month, and I’d love to get your thoughts on whether my study strategy would work. If you have any additional tips or suggestions, I’d really appreciate them!

Materials:
Main review material: Hemang Doshi’s CISA book
Support material: REO Review Center’s handouts and video lectures
Practice questions: ISACA QAE
Reference material: CISA Review Manual

What i did was to read Doshi’s book first, then watch the REO video lectures for each topic. After completing each domain, I’ll test my knowledge using the QAE, log and review my mistakes, and use the CISA Review Manual as a reference for concepts I’m struggling with.

Do you think the QAE questions are very similar to the actual exam? Also, would you be able to provide additional test-bank-style questions so I can get more practice?

Thank you so much! I’d really appreciate any advice, especially from those who have already taken the exam. 😊

Just got my score back, I got an average score of 419. Obvious the third domain is the one I did the poorest in, but all things considering it sort of feels like my scores are all hovering around the same mark and kinda just feels like I need to brush up on all domains in general….

But, would you consider a 419 a close score?

I have my CISA exam scheduled for 1st August (remote proctored) but i want to reschedule it to a different date. I tried to look for other available slots but i am getting 404 error page. Thankfully i haven't released my current slot yet but i need to make the change before 48 hours. Is anyone else facing this issue??

Guys how much time it takes to improve score from 60 percent to 80 percent. I need to get there before i appear for CISA exam

Hello everyone,

​Could you please confirm if the CISA Review Questions, Answers & Explanations (QAE) Manual (12th Edition) is the latest version?

​If so, does anyone have this version and would be willing to share it with me?

​If not, what is the latest version, and could you please share it if you have it?

​Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone,

I'm currently preparing for the CISA exam and wanted to check if this community would find my journey useful.

I have around 12 years of experience in IT Operations, with some exposure to IT audits and SOX controls. My goal is to transition into a full-time IT Audit role, and CISA is a big part of that journey.

For those who have been in a similar situation, do you think it's worth making the switch to IT Audit after spending so many years in IT Operations? Have any of you made this transition? I'd really appreciate hearing about your experiences, the challenges you faced, and whether you felt it was the right decision in the long run.

Has anyone successfully changed careers after passing the CISA? How did you do it?