It is undoubtedly true that the rate of unemployment of any cyber security professional is currently zero which means that it’s quite boosting for your career to be a CISM or CISSP certified professional. For leaders and practitioners of cybersecurity, CISM is the most recommended certification till date. Cybersecurity professionals found it difficult to decide whether the CISM certification is really worth taking with so many other existing certifications. If yes, then is it really hard to pass the CISM exam and get the certification following an attractive job designation for their careers. So, below is everything you need to know about CISM certifications.
What is CISM?
CISM is the abbreviation of Certified in Information Security Manager. This is the most renowned certification offered by ISACA ( Information Systems Audit and Control Association). ISACA is a professional organization recognized globally which focuses mainly on IT governance. The association offers many certifications for the IT professionals to boost their careers to the highest which includes certifications like CISA, CRISC, CISM, CGEIT, CET, ITCA CSX-P and many more. Among all, the CISM certified professionals are the highest paid professionals. The CISM certified professionals out cases expertise in four main domains like
- Governance of Information Security
- Development and management of program
- Management of incidents and risks
- Protection and management of information assets.
Requirements for CISM exam
If you are interested mainly in making decisions with or about Cybersecurity then applying for CISM certification is your righteous choice. In order to attain the CISM certification, you should be able to
- Pass the CISM exam
- Possess five years of work experience in Information Security. (Before or after the exam)
The requirement of experience should be in any one of the above mentioned domains of Information Security in order to attain the certification.
CISM exam pattern, CISM dumps, passing marks, fees etc.
CISM certifications require eligibility to pass the exam as well as experience of minimum 5 years in respective IT domains. Passing CISM is not that easy as it requires a lot of knowledge and expertise. The CISM Certification in San Francisco can be taken in two ways, either online or physically in person. The exam paper consists of 200 multiple choice questions comprising of expertise and knowledge regarding the above mentioned domains. The passing percentage for this certification is 45-50% i.e. 450 out of total 800 marks. But, no need to worry about, if you don’t pass at the first attempt then you can retake the exam not only the second time but maximum 4 times in a year. This should not happen if you prepare really well with the help of great CISM dumps that assist you in all ways by ensuring 100% test pass results.
Now let’s talk about the exam cost. Well the cost for CISM exam is not at all cheap since it ranges from $575 to $760. Once you pass the exam and complete your experience too, you will have to pay an additional $50 in order to attain your CISM certification at hand that has a validity of 3 years.
CISM Designations and salaries offered
If you are genuinely interested in the position for any of cybersecurity management and higher salaries then being a CISM certified can lead your career to the highest. The job designations and titles associated with such professionals are
- Manager of Information Security
- Manager of Information risks.
- Compliance Specialist
- Chief Information Security Officer.
- Chief Technology Officer
- Chief Information Officer.
- And obviously CIO.
The average salary offered to a CISM certified professional ranges between $103,500 to $161,500 which is constantly increasing thus proving that CISM is obviously worth getting.
Tips and tools to pass the CISM exam with highest rates in short time
Most IT professionals find it hectic to prepare for the exam along with their careers and responsibilities associated with it. But, acquiring this certification is necessary too if you want to grow up to the positions in management. Below are some tips to pass the exam with higher percentage and in short span of time.
- Go through the updated version of exam guide issued by ISACA – The exam candidate guide for CISM is updated each year by ISACA. It consists of four phases i.e. planning, reviewing, practicing and then testing. This guide provides information like exam duration, length, languages offered etc. Click for source to complete guideline of CISM.
- Plan the journey for your exam preparation – While planning for exam, you should be sensible enough to plan according to your commitments regarding work and life. Planning also includes considering factors such as taking self-assessments, evaluating how much to spend on material and training for exam thus choosing the appropriate preparation plan to assist you.
- List out and understand each and every important terminology – The CISM exam candidate should be very well aware of all the technologies that are used in securing a system in an organization such as security standards (accessibility, confidentiality, consistency and integrity), security vulnerabilities (preventing from cyber attack) and issues of network security ( recovering from security threats).
- Join seminars, look forward to podcasts and informative videos – watching informative videos and online podcasts helps you gain knowledge when you are not in a mood to go through text books. There are several interactive videos, podcasts and flash cards available on the internet which helps you broaden your knowledge while resting
- Focus mainly on understanding rather than memorizing – For such a technical exam as CISM, the candidate should focus on understanding the concepts rather than just learning. As it is a fact that the concepts you memorize stays in your mind for days but if you understand the concept behind each technical term it stays with you forever.
Final Verdict
Its genuinely true that with the toughest content to solve, it is really hard to pass the CISM exam but keeping in mind about the designations offered to CISM certified professionals and the salaries associated with them thus proves that taking a CISM certification is worthy by all means.
