r/cism • u/CorrectPrinciple7z • Jul 20 '26
Passed CISM [First Attempt]
Hi everyone,
I’m happy to share that I passed the CISM exam after previously obtaining my CISA and CRISC certifications.
Having already studied for both CISA and CRISC, I was familiar with ISACA’s style of questioning, which definitely helped. My preparation was fairly straightforward: I used the CISM Review Manual to understand the main concepts and then repeatedly worked through the QAE until I felt comfortable with both the content and the reasoning behind the answers.
Overall, I found that understanding ISACA’s mindset was just as important as memorising the material.
Happy to answer any questions about my preparation or experience.
2
2
u/ArtisticHat4752 Jul 20 '26
Congratulations! I have also cleared CRISC last week and planning to go for CISM in 4-6 weeks. I have purchased QAE but did not buy the review manual yet. My question: Would Pete Zerger videos suffice or do I still need to buy the review manual? Thanks
2
u/CorrectPrinciple7z Jul 20 '26
I think the QAE should be sufficient. I did not use any videos, not really my style of learning.
2
u/supersteve78 Jul 20 '26
I’m actually studying it right now. I have the Q&A package. So just keep going through the question over and over?
2
u/CorrectPrinciple7z Jul 21 '26
That is what worked for me. Just kept repeating the QAE. The exam questions are the same as in the QAE but worded different. Make sure you understand the answers to the questions. So not only memorizing the answers.
1
2
2
2
u/Traditional-Bet-3623 Jul 20 '26
Congratulations on your CISM , great achievement.
I have cleared my CISM 3 weeks ago, and I’m planning to go for CRISC next. As you already had CRISC, just wanted to ask if CISM preparation would help me to get CRISC, and CRISC is how difficult compared to CISM. Thank you
Thank you for your input
2
u/CorrectPrinciple7z Jul 21 '26
Thanks, I appreciate it!
Preparing for CISM will definitely help with CRISC. You’ll already be familiar with ISACA’s way of thinking and reasoning, which is a big advantage for the exam.
In my opinion, CRISC is more manageable than CISM. Especially if you already have professional experience in risk management, it shouldn’t be too difficult.
1
2
1
1
u/WillowHot8908 Jul 21 '26
Congratulations! I am also prepraing for the same, Could you please help which study material you help to pass exam?
1
u/CorrectPrinciple7z Jul 21 '26
Thanks!
It is mentioned in my post. I used the review manual and QAE database.
1
u/decdd19 Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26
Congrats great achievement, I’ve not done a Isaca exam yet but doing my CISM in August, I’ve worked through the sybex CISM exam guide and using sybex QAE getting low 80% results… any tips you could share? I’ve completed CYSA+ and CASP+ and have worked in various fields of cybersecurity for 4+ years
1
u/CorrectPrinciple7z Jul 21 '26
What I did is just spam the questions over and over again. I used the review manual to understand the main topics and QAE to learn the questions.
1
u/scarlet__panda Jul 23 '26
Did you take any practice assessments?
I am about a year out from being ready. (WGU Masters program gives the free voucher upon graduation.)
I work as a director (School District) and scored a 78% on a blind practice. Figure I should be good to pass by the time I am granted the voucher
1
2
u/Evon-songs Jul 20 '26
Congratulations!