Passed CISA in 1st attempt
This community played a big role in helping me prepare for the exam, so I wanted to share what worked for me.
I studied for about 45 days using just two resources:
a) the official ISACA Review Manual
b) the official QAE database
My approach was simple but consistent around five hours of study daily, split between late nights and early mornings. I focused on truly understanding the material rather than rushing through it. One thing that helped a lot was making my own notes while studying. Writing things down in my own words made it much easier to retain concepts across domains and sub-domains.
Background: I come from a legal background and started my career in compliance and legal audit. About 2.5 years ago, I transitioned into a Big 4 firm and have been working as part of the cyber team since.
Note: I’m also a mother to a 1-year-old and managed this journey single-handedly. It wasn’t easy, but it’s definitely doable with discipline and consistency.
All the best to everyone preparing you’ve got this! 🍀💃🏻
Edit: my score is 505, i am unable to upload a picture here :(