CISA

Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) is a professional certification for information technology audit professionals sponsored by ISACA, formerly the Information Systems Audit and Control Association. Candidates for the certification must meet requirements set by ISACA.

The CISA certification was established in 1978 for several reasons:

1.Develop and maintain a tool that could be used to evaluate an individual's competency in conducting information system audits.
2.Provide a motivational tool for information systems auditors to maintain their skills, and monitor the success of the maintenance programs.
3.Provide criteria to help aid management in the selection of personnel and development.

Candidates for a CISA certification must pass the examination, agree to adhere to ISACA's Code of Professional Ethics, submit evidence of a minimum of five years of professional IS auditing, control, or security work, and abide by a program of continuing professional education.

Examination

The exam consists of 200 multiple-choice questions that must be answered within 4 hours. Candidate scores are reported as a scaled score. A scaled score is a conversion of a candidate's raw score on an exam to a common scale. ISACA uses and reports scores on a common scale from 200 to 800. For example, the scaled score of 800 represents a perfect score with all questions answered correctly; a scaled score of 200 is the lowest score possible and signifies that only a small number of questions were answered correctly. A candidate must receive a score of 450 or higher to pass the exam. As of 2011, the exam will cover 5 Content Areas:

- The Process of Auditing Information Systems
- Governance and Management of IT
- Information Systems Acquisition, Development and Implementation
- Information Systems Operations, Maintenance and Support
- Protection of Information Assets

The exam is offered in 12 languages at more than 200 locations worldwide in June and December.