CISA passed first try with a 488 — here's how I structured 14 weeks of prep
Just got my results back and I'm still a bit in shock — 488 out of 800 on the CISA, which clears the passing threshold of 450. I've been in IT audit for about 4 years but had always put this exam off because the reputation for difficulty felt daunting. Finally committed in January and sat in mid-April.
My study structure was 14 weeks total. First 10 weeks I went domain by domain using the official ISACA review manual, spending roughly 10-12 hours per week. Weeks 11 and 12 I shifted to a third-party question bank and drilled about 50 questions a day, reviewing every wrong answer in detail. Weeks 13 and 14 were full practice exams under timed conditions. I was consistently scoring 68-72% on practice exams going in, which aligned pretty closely with my actual result.
Domain 1 and Domain 5 were my stronger areas coming in. Domain 2, Governance and Management of IT, took the most work — the COBIT framework questions are nuanced and the exam doesn't test it the way most study guides present it. I'd allocate extra time there if you're planning to sit.
One thing that surprised me: the exam isn't as purely technical as I expected. A lot of questions are scenario-based and test auditor judgment more than knowledge recall. If you've done real audit work, lean on that instinct — it's actually useful here, unlike some certifications where experience almost works against you.
I sat for CISA after 6 years of audit experience and still needed every bit of 12 weeks of prep. Experience helps you reason through scenarios but the terminology and framework specifics still have to be learned deliberately. Don't skip the manual.
Congrats! That score on a first attempt with 14 weeks of prep is solid. The governance domain tripped me up too — I kept trying to apply real-world audit logic and the ISACA framing is sometimes subtly different from what you'd actually do on the job.
The 50 questions a day review approach in weeks 11-12 is exactly what I did and I think it's the most efficient way to surface weak spots. Passive re-reading doesn't reveal gaps the way working through wrong answers does.
Domain 2 with COBIT is where a lot of people leave points on the table. The key thing I learned is that ISACA wants you to think in terms of controls and governance principles first, operational reality second. Takes mental adjustment if you're used to hands-on work.