Isaca Cisa Success Guide

1000 Your Guide to Success 1010 Product Introduction 1020 System Requirements 1030 Installation and Registration Procedures 1040 Backing Up 1050 References 1060 Getting Started 1070 Answering and Studying Questions 1080 Emergency Study Procedures 1010 Product Introduction 1011 License and Technical Support Procedures 1011.01 During the installation process, review the license agreement in the software that

explains your usage rights and responsibilities. Just a reminder that this software can not be installed on more than one (1) computer.

1011.02 The study materials contained in your CISA Review are current as of the purchase

date. 1011.03 We are here to offer technical support should you encounter any difficulties.

Please be at your computer and have your software disks and serial number available when calling. Service is a priority with ISACA. Technical support is available between 9:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., Eastern U.S. time, Monday through Friday at 1-877-272-7277 (1-303-799-1177 outside the U.S. and Canada) or e-mail at [email protected].

1020 System Requirements 1020.01 The system requirements are as follows:

a. Intel Pentium 3 or higher (Pentium 4 or higher recommended) b. Windows 98SE or higher with latest service pack installed c. 256MB RAM (512MB RAM recommended) e. One hard drive with 250MB free space f. Mouse g. CD-ROM drive h. Recommended resolution is 1024 x 768

1040 Backing Up 1041 Backing Up or Copying 1041.01 It is recommended that you back up your Progress files from time to time to

ensure that very little of your saved Progress is lost should your disk be damaged or destroyed.

1041.02 To make a backup or copy of your Progress files:

1. From the startup screen in the software, under “Setup” choose “Options”

2. Select the backup tab.

3. Choose the number of backups you prefer to keep. You may also choose to

have an auto-backup after a set number of sessions which you determine. Finally, choose the frequency for automatic backups. Once all are completed select “OK”.

1050 References 1051 References 1051.01 Your ISACA CISA Exam Review contains an itemization of Task Statements by

Content Area, ISACA Information Systems Control Journal articles in PDF format (Abode reader required), and a bibliography of the articles. The articles are separated by content area.

1051.02 To access the reference articles: 1. From the main screen choose “References”

2. All the categories are expandable to view the entire listing of reference articles.

3. When you click on the CISA Content Areas Link, an Adobe Acrobat document will appear containing the Content Areas with Task Statements, as shown below:

4. When you click on the article link, an Adobe Acrobat version of the article will appear in a new window, as shown below:

1060 Getting Started 1061 Classroom for One™ (CFO) 1061.01 On your desktop select, Start, All Programs, ISACA, then click on the CISA

selection or simply click on the course icon from your desktop. 1061.02 Click on “Start Study Session” to begin the most effective study method for the CISA

Exam.

1061.03 The CFO will default to 30 questions or approximately one hour of study. Part of your success on the actual exam is to remain focused during the exam. Your endurance capabilities are very important, so if you have the time, build your endurance by studying longer sessions to the point where you feel comfortable answering questions for four hours at a time.

Throughout your study you will notice the options will change at this screen. This is because the CFO will have you concentrate in your weak areas. For example, periodically you will be reviewing questions you missed previously.

1061.04 Click on at the top of screen to leave any study session. 1062 Reports & Help 1062.01 Reports Course Contents You can access the ISACA CISA Content Areas categorization with the question

count for each subcategory. From the main screen choose “Contents” to access this feature.

Progress Report This report gives you the status of how well prepared you are for the examination.

It is accessed from the main screen by selecting Progress Reports (under “Reports”). You may see a Progress Report for the following:

• All Sessions • Last “x” Number of Sessions • Progress to Date—you set the start and end dates.

1063 Self-Guided Study (Take Your Own Path)

You can choose self-guided study by selecting the “Take My Own Path” bar near the bottom of the main screen. We recommend that you use this method only under special circumstances. One such instance is if you are taking a class that references the CISA Review for homework assignments. You might use this option if you do not have enough time before the exam to utilize the Classroom for One (CFO). See section 1080 for suggestions of what to do in this case.

We recommend that you let the CFO guide you on the most efficient and effective route to passing the CISA Exam. If you have chosen “Take My Own Path” and later decide to let the software develop your study sessions for you, click on “Let my Personal Professor Point the Way” bar to return to Classroom for One (CFO), for the easiest, fastest way to study for the Exam.

Note: The menu options outlined on the following pages will be listed in the

order we recommend you use them, not necessarily in the order they appear on screen.

1063.01 Mode

The “Mode:” drop down menu controls the type of study and feedback you will receive. The modes are described below:

Study With Answers Receive immediate feedback to your answer and an in-depth explanation to the correct answer.

We believe that the most efficient way to study is to review the correct answer.

Even if you answer a question incorrectly, the response text for that question will be based on the correct answer. This reinforces the learning of the correct material for future use. You should spend the majority of your study time in this mode of study. Do not worry about time spent; focus on learning from the explanations and use the Glossary when needed to enhance your learning.

Timed Test Generate questions without answers in a timed situation. During this mode, any questions unanswered will be marked wrong. This mode should be used to determine exam readiness and to practice working within the time frame allotted for the actual exam.

Warning: If you move too quickly through the questions, you are apt to make careless mistakes. Plan to use all the time you are given on the actual examination.

Study Without Answers See questions without answers, without penalization for time. This is a good option to use once a week, starting about 45 days before the examination, to become familiar with moving from question to question.

1063.02 Duration

The “Duration” drop down menu allows you to determine the length of each study session by selecting either the amount of time or the number of questions to work.

This time option enables you to fit long and short sessions into your schedule at

your convenience.

By Number of Questions … Enables you to work short and long sessions. In addition, many users like to set a

daily goal of a certain number of questions to be worked. By Time...

Enables you to work short and long sessions based upon your schedule. You can still take advantage of the course features regardless of the length of time you decide to use. We encourage you to attempt to study every day, even if it is only for 15 minutes.

Note: The software translates time into a specific number of questions, e.g., one question equals two minutes.

Unlimited This method is highly effective to review questions missed previously. It allows you to see a high concentration of questions which have previously given you difficulty. If you are choosing your own sessions you should plan to work an “Unlimited” session at least every two weeks to review questions missed. This is a flexible feature of the software that allows you to work all questions missed at least “x” times. To see all of the possible questions that meet your criteria, you must select these options:

Questions: Objective Duration: Unlimited Category: All Categories Restrictions: Missed At Least X Times

1063.03 Category

The “Category” drop down menu allows you to select your study based on your

individual needs by selecting all categories or those where you have had more difficulty:

All Categories

Provides powerful features for each study session by generating questions based upon the ISACA CISA Content Areas weights. Begin your study with this option to determine your strong and weak areas. Use your Progress Report to determine your overall scores.

The CFO will keep you in ALL categories until you are achieving an 85% score in a particular category. Users tend to find studying all categories less monotonous

than studying one category at a time. In addition, if you study only one category at a time, you may not finish all of them before the examination. By studying all categories until your strong and weak areas are identified, you will be assured of being exposed to all subjects before sitting for the examination, even if you do not see all questions.

By Category...

Used to study weak areas as shown in your Progress Report. Live courses that use the ISACA CISA Review will normally assign homework by category. This option enables you to choose specific subcategories. Be aware that not all subcategories may have questions.

Trouble Categories Enables you to reach questions in categories in which you have had the greatest

difficulty. For users designing their own study sessions, plan to use this feature at least once a month.

Hint: Use the “Restriction” drop down menu to choose the New questions

to see any remaining unseen questions in your difficult categories. 1063.04 Restriction

The “Restriction” drop down menu provides the flexibility to allow you to create study sessions to funnel your study to your weak areas:

New questions Accesses questions you have not seen before. Choose this option until you have worked at least 30% of the questions in your database. We recommend that you see every question one time before sitting for the examination.

Missed last time seen Enables you to see questions that were missed the last time you worked them in previous sessions. It is a good idea to go back over missed questions at least once every 60 questions. The CFO will automatically take you to this option.

Missed at least X times “Funnels” you to your weaker areas based upon the number of times you have missed a question. Many users like to review these types of questions during the last two weeks before the examination. Select “Unlimited” duration and “All Categories” to obtain a complete review of all questions that meet your criteria.

Hint: To see all the questions, work consecutive sessions until the software tells you “no more questions meet your criteria.”

Trouble Questions

Trouble questions are questions answered incorrectly more than 50% of the times attempted. None Generates questions regardless of whether you have seen or missed them previously. Once you are ready for the examination, use this option as a daily drill up to the examination.

Seen fewer than X times… Many users find that the flexibility of the ISACA CISA Review gives them more time to study than they anticipated. Therefore, it is not uncommon to review all questions at least once. If you have seen every question at least one time, use this option to start over by asking to see questions seen less than two (2) times.

By question number… When you want to review a particular question, this option enables you to access the question quickly.

Warning: This option provides quick access only and is not meant to be a study session.

1070 Answering and Studying Questions You may use your mouse, or in most instances, your keyboard to answer a question.

1071 Question Screen Options

You must always select your answer on screen and then press ENTER via mouse or keyboard for the software to record your answer. To select your answer by keyboard, type the appropriate letter for your choice (e.g., A, B, C, or D) and press enter. If you are using your mouse, the “Enter” icon is on the top left-hand corner of the question screen.

On the actual exam, you will occasionally be forced to guess on an answer. Use this key to practice your guessing technique. The software will mark you wrong on the question even if you answer it correctly. This will ensure that you review this question later in your study.

Press the stop button to quit the session and save scores for study up to the current question.

1072 Answer Screen Options

You will notice you have the original question with the response options in the upper

window and the lower window contains the explanation for the correct answer. A question that has been answered correctly will include a green bar across the screen. A question that has been answered incorrectly will include a red bar across the screen. A question where you have selected the “mark wrong and guess” option will have a yellow bar across the screen.

Takes you to the next question. Do not leave the screen until you are finished studying the question you are on.

Press the stop button to quit the session and save scores up to the prior question.

Terms gives you a glossary of auditing/information technology terms to support your study (note that not all questions may contain glossary terms). This is a good remedial tool. Accessing Glossary Terms gives you help in two ways:

1. Lookup content term definitions from within the Answer Screen 2. From the main screen select the “Glossary” option on the “Tools” menu

then use the letters to search for specific terms contained within the Review.

1073 Session Results Screen Options

After you end a session, this screen gives you the specific score for the session just

completed.

Note: These scores will automatically add to your overall cumulative history, which is presented in your Progress Report.

There are three options for this screen: Done: Completes this session and returns to the main screen Review All: Review all questions from this study session. Review Missed: Review the questions you missed in the study session. It is especially helpful to review them when you have scored very low in a session. Do not worry if you choose not to review these questions, since the software has noted that you have missed them and in future sessions will have you attempt them again.

1080 Emergency Study Procedures The CFO, given your time and dedication, will help you to pass the exam. If you are absolutely set on taking the next exam and the software indicates that you are not ready, the following suggestions are from users who have started using their software for the first time with less then two weeks remaining before the exam:

1. Study in one-hour increments. 2. Once you have an average score of 60% in each Content Area, pick the Content

Area with the highest weighting and focus your study in that area until you are averaging at least 85% (weightings are shown below). Once you have achieved this goal, select the next highest weighted Content Area and continue this process until you have moved through all Content Areas.

CISA Job Practice Areas Effective 2006

CISA Job Practice Area % of Exam

1 IS Audit Process 10 2 IT Governance 15 3 Systems and Infrastructure Lifecycle Management 16 4 IT Service Delivery and Support 14 5 Protection of Information Assets 31 6 Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery 14

3. “Cramming” each day is definitely important. Spend every minute you can

studying. 4. Your attitude on exam day must be a positive one.