Is CISA Certification Worth the Cost?
The Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) is a globally recognized certification for appraising an IT auditor's knowledge, experience, skills for identifying vulnerabilities and implementing IT controls in an organization. This certification enables individuals to gain theoretical and practical understanding of information system security standards and ways to implement these when required. Additionally, CISA not only assists professionals in developing their skills but also in promoting them to managerial job positions.
Even if having a CISA Certificate is beneficial for a professional's career, it's crucial to understand how much money they invest to obtain it. Professionals need to be aware of the entire cost of certification, which includes CISA exam fees, training costs, and cost of study materials. Estimating each CISA Certification cost aids candidates in commencing their CISA journey and assessing whether its suitable for them. It will be significantly easier for candidates to prepare for the exam and understand value of the credential if they take into account, CISA Certification costs.
How much does CISA Certification cost?
CISA Certification cost is a critical aspect for aspirants becoming Certified Information Systems Auditor. It includes two types of costs. The first one is the cost of the exam, which is predetermined, and the second one is the cost of preparation and training, which is flexible and mostly dependent on personal preferences. Here is an estimate of the CISA Certification cost an individual will incur during the certification journey.
CISA Exam Cost
Aspirants are required to pay the CISA Exam fee, which is determined by ISACA. These exam fees are non-refundable and non-transferable. The CISA exam fee is necessary to make sure that applicants show up to the examination enabling organizations to pay for costs like using the testing center, hiring exam proctors, and managing the scoring process. Candidates have to pay USD 575 (Member) and USD 760 (Non-Member). Upon registering for the exam, applicants are given a 12-month window of eligibility. They must schedule and take the exam during this time period or it may result in forfeiting exam fees.
CISA Certification Application Cost
Professionals who have passed the CISA Exam and gathered the necessary full-time work experience can submit the CISA Certification application. Thereafter, they can pay the application processing fee at the same time. Both ISACA members and non-members must pay a processing charge of USD 50.
CISA Certification Maintenance Cost
Candidates who have earned CISA Certification must adhere to a few guidelines established by ISACA in order to renew it. Every three-year, professionals must earn a certain number of CPE and annual maintenance fees to maintain it. Annual maintenance fee is USD 45 for ISACA members and USD 85 for non-members. The certificate will be ruled as invalid if these requirements are not met, and candidates will have to retake the exam to obtain it again.
The cost will drop to USD 25 for members and USD 50 for non-members if certified professionals have a third or fourth ISACA certification. However, USD 45/ USD 85 fee will continue to apply to the first two certifications.
The initial maintenance cost must be paid by the first of the calendar year after the individual got certified. For instance, if an individual becomes certified in 2022, their first maintenance fee, which would renew their certification for the entire 2023 year, will be payable on January 1, 2023.
CISA Certification Training cost
In order to obtain the CISA Certificate, candidates should pass the exam. The exam is a bit challenging and requires a fair deal of preparation. However, enrolling in the CISA Training course significantly aids them in exam preparation. Training gives participants a thorough grasp of IS audit procedures and policies. They gain both theoretical and practical knowledge of IS audit. Additionally, they offer a practice exam to give candidates a flavor of the CISA Exam. The cost of training mostly relies on the type of course that trainees choose. The table below shows the cost of training in various nations.
| Country | CISA Training Cost |
| USA | USD 1600- 2200 |
| Singapore | SGD 2235 - 3073 |
| Germany | EUR 1579 - 2171 |
| Canada | CAD 2078 - 2858 |
| United Kingdom | GBP 1371 - 1885 |
| Saudi Arabia | SAR 6012- 8267 |
| Japan | JPY 228532- 314232 |
| Malaysia | MYR 7205 - 9907 |
CISA study resources cost
There are no study resources included in the CISA exam registration price. As a result, candidates must pay an additional fee for the study materials. It costs between USD 60 for a study guide and USD 160 for the official CISA review manual and question banks. Candidates can also use other CISA study resources which may cost around USD 150.
ISACA Membership cost
A CISA Certification can be obtained without being an ISACA member. However, joining ISACA comes with a number of benefits. ISACA members can benefit from access, savings, and knowledge to fuel their success in IS/IT audits. Members get discounts on exam fees and access to professional networking, volunteer opportunities, online forums, and professional and industry advocacy. These benefits help them to advance professionally and personally throughout their entire career. Professionals should pay basic dues, a new member fee to join online, and chapter dues (chapter dues vary based on where individuals live/work and are determined at checkout).
The following are different ISACA membership types:
- Professional membership: Professionals in the IT audit, information security risk, and IT governance domains can join this membership.
- Recent graduate membership: Candidates who have just graduated from a college or university within the previous two years are eligible for this membership.
- Student membership: Aspirants who are presently enrolled in accredited undergraduate and graduate programs can obtain this membership.
| Membership Type | New membership fee | Basic due |
| Professional | USD 10 if paid online; USD 30 if paid via mail or fax | USD 135 |
| Student | USD 0 | USD 25 |
| Recent Graduate | USD 0 | USD 68 |
CISA Certification involves a lot of other costs other than the exam cost itself. Professionals need to incur these costs in order to become certified as CISAs. However, these costs might differ from one individual to another and from one country to another. Furthermore, adding a CISA Certification to their collar opens up more lucrative job prospects for individuals.
Network security strengthening is a valuable knowledge accompanying this certification. Training makes aspirants conversant with web defacement, man-in-the-middle attacks, and malware infection. Besides, they learn to implement traffic filtering for restricting unnecessary flow of information to only business requirements. They observe all routing rules to maintain the protected files. This certification authorizes professionals to enforce the domain registrar locking method in offices.
Certification enables individuals to shield sensitive IT assets against data theft, password theft, and unauthorized data encryption. They ensure that an organization is using the most recent versions of email clients and web browsers. Content filtering techniques are used by them to block harmful inbound emails. Training enables them to install host-based cyber attack prevention systems. Their maintenance and analyses of event logs makes it easier for companies to deal with cyber security incidents.