The Certified in Risk and Information System Control (CRISC) is a certification that provides you the required knowledge and training in the domain of risk management for IT. It is abbreviated as CRISC and is one of many certificates that are awarded from the Information System Audit and Control Association, which has been accredited by the American National Standard Institute.
Having CRISC under your name as an IT security professional, you will be able to have a visible mark of experience and knowledge of risk management in the enterprise and financial sectors. Independent consultants can benefit from this certification and also those that are working for some enterprise directly in the IT operations, security, and other parts of it. CRISC provides the professional with a respected and recognized title of experience in IT staff that has studied security and has obtained skills required to understand and manage IT risk.
The areas of CRISC Risk Management include the following
- Identifying Risks
- Assessing Risks
- Responding to risks
- Controlling, checking and reporting risks
In these domains, the CRISC certification assesses the individual’s ability to be able to deal with risks in a business and also to use information security controls. To be able to appear in CRISC certification, you must have three years of experience as a risk manager and also one year in at least the first or second domain. The candidates appearing for obtaining the CRISC must agree to uphold the ISACA code of professional ethics and also must comply with the education policies. The certification has an exam with 150 questions. CRISC is designed for those who help businesses in executing the information system controls and also to mitigate business risks. It assures the technical knowledge of the candidates to be able to deal with the risks a business might be facing. The members of ISACA will have to pay $595 for appearing in the certification exam and $40 for reappearing. Those who aren’t a member of ISACA will be charged $725 for exam and a fee of $85 for reappearing.
Having a CRISC certification you will stand apart from your fellows in the field and will be recognized as a symbol of expertise in managing risk and will increase your value in eyes of organizations that are looking for professionals who can manage IT risks. Your job hunting can get an edge when your peers are not given the spotlight who don’t have this certificate. You can get access to the ISACA global community wealth of information on the management of IT risk through CRISC. You can get a higher professional standard through CRISC for continuing education and conduct of ethics.
Following tips can help you pass the CRISC exam in the very first attempt
1. Read The ISACA’s Exam Candidate Information Guide First
You need to first acknowledge the information provided in the ISACA Exam Candidate Information Guide as it will be a practical source of knowledge about the exam. You can know all the key details about the important topics such as exam registration, the deadlines, and all the key details for the administration of exam day. You can also know about the exam domains, the number of questions you will appear for, and the length of the exam. This guide is essential must not be skipped by any candidate who will appear in the CRISC exam. You can not conquer something if you don’t know the basics of it.
2. Choose The Resources Wisely
You must start your CRISC preparations from the authentic and official resources provided by the authorities. You should read the CRISC Review Manual and also the CRISC Exam Resources before jumping to other options. These two are a must-read, and you should begin your preparation from these two resources. You can get the manual in hard copy and also as an e-book. It has divisions that are based on the CRISC’s four practice areas of the job. These practice areas are IT risk management, IT risk assessment, risk response, and the mitigation and controlling of risk and reporting. These books have each chapter divided into further sections that help the reader to prepare better. The first section of every chapter has the introduction and basic definitions and objective tasks and other items that help the candidate in further study. The second part of each chapter has the reference material and content that allows you to understand the subject better.
3. Involve In Practice Tests
Although all the information required to prepare for the CRISC exam is present in the Review Manual, it is not suggested to reply on this one only. You need to have other resources for preparing for the CRISC exam. The best way to prepare better is to have practice tests. The officials of the CRISC exam provide these practice tests. They are the CRISC Review Questions, Answers & Explanations that are also given in the ISACA official CRISC Exam Resources. You can buy a hardcopy or a web-based one to better prepare for the tests. It has 500 questions and answers with the explanation in detail. You must know that the practice tests are not real exam questions but are equivalent to real ones in type, structure, and level of difficulty. These practice tests, when performed online, allow you to create custom sample exams that can range from a quick 20 question round to 150 exams. You can select random questions to make the custom question test.
4. Become One With The CRISC Community
You should be a part of the CRISC Exam Study Community as it is the best place to be involved with other candidates appearing for the CRISC exam. Through this platform, you will be able to connect with others and also share information and study methods that will build a collective set of information to help you all in passing the exam. You can also get more study resources from the study community and should be able to see what the exam day might bring. But before you start following any of the resources you get from this community, you should verify it on your own. If you are looking for a formal definition of any of the concepts from the CRISC course, you must search online and look for credible sources. And if you are in search of advice, you can post your questions on platforms like Reddit or TechExams that can be quite helpful. An amazing way to be able to benefit from the online platforms and communities is to read the success stories of people who have passed the CRISC exam. This can be a better way of boosting morale and your confidence and knowing that you can do it too.
5. Don’t Only Rely On Personal Experience
Since you are going to appear in an exam that is designed for professionals, you are required to be experienced in the field of IT. In a real situation, personal experience plays an important role in making a practical and critical decision. But you must not also rely on this experience too much. You must be able to think about how the ISACA thinks and how they will be asking you questions and in what words. The review manual will give you some light on what your perspective should be.
6. Join Online Study Groups
Online study groups can help you gain a lot of knowledge and information while preparing for the CRISC exam. Being surrounded by professionals of all levels in the CRISC exam will prove to be a great source of help. You can gain knowledge of all the professionals and also those who are at the teaching professions for CRISC. People who have passed their CRISC exam share their success stories on such groups and help those who are yet aspiring to appear it. You can find such groups on Facebook and LinkedIn.
7. Build Your Custom Plan
You will be your hero. You know how you need to prepare for the exam to be able to retain the most information and pass the test with good marks. The four domains covered in the CRISC exam require that you prepare each one of them thoroughly. You are not only required to study the subject and course material. It also to perform the mock tests and visit online forums. You will have to plan your preparation process and must follow it religiously.
To build a study plan, you can do the following
When Do You Appear For The Exam
Knowing the time limit will make you have a solid idea of how much time you have for the preparation of the exam. You can go on the PSI website to know the time and location of the exam to choose the perfect fit for you.
How Many Hours Per Day Can You Study?
Your stamina of studying per day will affect majorly on how well you are going to perform in the exam. You must make a proper plan by dividing all the subjects between the days and studying hours you will have per day.
What Training Method Suits You?
Some people can learn well by self-learning, and some like having an instructor or joining a Bootcamp. You must know your type and should be involved in what suits you best.
How Strong Grip You Already Have On The Subjects?
Your personal experience can save you some time in the preparation and should allow you to have a stronger grip over the subjects after training. But you must not skip any subject while preparation even when you are good at it. Skipping means you will forget data.
8. Have An Exam Prep Course
Exam preparation courses will allow you to see through the exam content and will give you an in-depth understanding of the course materials. You need to go deeper into many subjects, even for the entry-level certs. The definitions of most of the concepts may also be varied. An exam preparation course will allow you to be around an experienced instructor who will have immense knowledge of the field and also the exam. You will learn the best techniques to beat the exam from him. Your chances of greater success might maximize by having an experienced instructor to train from.
Conclusion
CRISC is an IT professional certification that can help you achieve greater success in your career as a Risk Management professional. To be able to pass this exam in the first attempt, you need some preparation tips. You need to follow them religiously so that you can pass the exam with good grades. The CRISC course is divided into four domains, and you must have a strong grip on each one of them to clear the certification exam. Starting the preparation for the exam a long while before the due date can help you massively in achieving the desired results. You will have a distinct position in the eyes of the organizations that are looking for IT professionals for Risk management if you have the CRISC certificate in your CV.
