Just passed the CISA exam today and wanted to give back since this community helped me a lot during prep.
My Background:
5 years in IT Audit
Background in Information Systems / Cybersecurity
Security+ since 2022
CMMC RP
My Study Timeline:
I started studying in March, but honestly only got through Domain 1 at first. After being away from school and studying for a while, it took time to get back into that mindset.
In April, I locked in and got serious.
What Helped Me Most:
- Hemang Doshi Udemy Course
I used the lectures, quizzes, and notes. Eventually I stopped watching every video and focused more on reading the notes and doing quizzes.
My rule was simple: if I scored below 80%, I retook the quiz and reviewed the notes again until I understood it.
- Pocket Prep
Great for downtime studying. I’d do quizzes while relaxing at home or whenever I had free time.
- Practice Questions (Biggest Help in Final Week)
During the last week, I searched online for additional CISA questions and did 300+ practice questions.
After the first 100, I went back and redid them. This helped way more than just doing new questions nonstop.
Biggest Lesson About the Exam:
Reading and understanding the question is everything.
A lot of the practice questions I missed were not because I didn’t know the topic. It was because I rushed.
On exam day, I wrote two reminders to myself:
READ THE QUESTION
IDENTIFY THE KEY WORDS
Many questions have one or two key words that help eliminate the good answers and identify the best answer.
Sometimes multiple answers seem correct, but one fits the wording better.
One Honest Note:
I chose not to deeply study Domain 3 because it was the lowest weighted domain. I still reviewed notes in the final week. That worked for me, but everyone’s strategy may differ.
Final Advice:
Don’t panic if studying starts slow. Once you lock in and stay consistent, it comes together quickly.
First Reddit post ever. Wanted to share since this community helped me.
Good luck to everyone studying for CISA. You got this.