Obviously I don't know however, in comparison to the CISSP exam, it seemed like the possible CISM answers were a little easier to guess where as the CISSP exam you'd be left clueless and simply closing your eyes and waving the mouse at one of the four options. With this in mind, I would say that I did well and answered more questions correctly though not necessary increased my exam passing chances (which I will explain later)

As you may already know, ISACA uses a 200-800 point scale with 450 as the passing mark for the exams. Do not conclude that it's based on a percentage grade, (range of 600 with a passing score of 450 = 75% (minus the variation of 25 non-markable questions). For what I have read, this is simply not the case.

ISACA first centralize the global exams and determine the correct scores of all individuals from the 250+ global locations. It then seems that ISACA's Certification Committee begin by establishing a passing score. I could not find the understanding on how the 'passing score' is truly measured though I would guess, the certification committee would determine the standard deviation of all the pass score with the floating variation of the 25 questions to then determine the passing score to ensure a respectable number of individuals pass.

Because the exam can only be taken once every 6 months, it's difficult to retain that 'last minute revision' whilst waiting for the exam notes though if I fail, I will simply buy the early registration for the December exam. Pushing aside the idea that I'm currently blogging about it now, I rarely think about the CISM result landing within my inbox.

One reason why you'd rarely find information regarding the exam is because ISACA are particularly strict regarding anyone disclosing the details of the CISM exam, which is definitely a good thing which every way you look at it. If my theory is correct based on the Certification committee deciding the baseline of acceptance , the more people that pass will inevitability push the bar higher. The harder the exam, the lower passing threshold.

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