CISA: Certified Information Systems Auditor Study Guide [Paperback]

David L. Cannon (Author), Timothy S. Bergmann (Author), Brady Pamplin (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0782144381 | ISBN-13: 978-0782144383 | Publication Date: May 8, 2006

Demand for qualified and certified information systems (IS) auditors has increased dramatically since the adoption of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in 2002. Now you can prepare for CISA certification, the one certification designed specifically for IS auditors, and improve your job skills with this valuable book. Not only will you get the valuable preparation you need for the CISA exam, you?ll also find practical information to prepare you for the real world. This invaluable guide contains:

Authoritative coverage of all CISA exam objectives, including:

• The IS Audit Process.
• IT Governance.
• Systems and Infrastructure Lifecycle Management.
• IT Service Delivery and Support.
• Protection of Information Assets.
• Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity.

Practical information that will prepare you for the real world such as:

• Secrets of successful auditing.
• Government regulations at a glance.
• Incident handling checklist.
• Scenarios providing insight into professional audit systems and controls.

Additional exam and career preparation tools such as:

• Challenging chapter review questions.
• A glossary of terms.
• Tips on preparing for exam day.
• Information on related certifications.

A free CD-ROM with:

• Advanced testing software with challenging chapter review questions plus bonus practice exams so you can test your knowledge.
• Flashcards that run on your PC, Pocket PC, or Palm handheld.
• The entire book in searchable and printable PDF.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Take charge of your career with certification that can increase your marketability. Demand for information systems auditors has increased dramatically since the adoption of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in 2002. Now you can prepare for CISA certification and improve your job skills with the targeted training you'll receive in this valuable book.

With clear instruction on CISA exam content areas, tasks, and knowledge skills, as well as challenging chapter review questions, a full glossary of terms, and plenty of real-world scenarios, this essential guide offers the valuable preparation you need for the CISA exam—then goes beyond it with practical information to prepare you for the real world.

INSIDE YOU'LL FIND:

Authoritative coverage of all CISA exam objectives

• The IS Audit Process
• IT Governance
• Systems and Infrastructure Lifecycle Management
• IT Service Delivery and Support
• Protection of Information Assets
• Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity

Practical information to prepare you for the real world

• Secrets of successful auditing
• Government regulations at a glance
• Incident handling checklist
• Real-world scenarios for insight into professional audit systems and controls

Additional exam and career preparation tools

• Challenging chapter review questions
• Glossary of terms
• Preparing for exam day
• Related certifications

Featured on the CD

SYBEX TEST ENGINE: Test your knowledge with advanced testing software. Includes challenging chapter review questions plus bonus exams.

ELECTRONIC FLASHCARDS: Reinforce what you've learned with flashcards that can run on your PC, Pocket PC, or Palm handheld.

Also on the CD, you'll find the entire book in searchable and printable PDF.

About the Author

David L. Cannon, CISA, CCSP, is President of CertTest Training Center, a leading CISA training provider. He has over fifteen years of experience in IT training and consulting.

Timothy S. Bergmann, PMP, is Director of Education for CertTest Training. He has over twenty years of experience in IT training and management.

Brady Pamplin, an instructor at CertTest Training, has over thirty years of experience in IT, including systems design and administration, project management, database administration, and disaster recovery planning.

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Sybex (May 8, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0782144381
• ISBN-13: 978-0782144383
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #513,602 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I Passed the Dec 06 CISA Exam Thanks to this Book, February 6, 2007

By 

Christiaan Huygens "Math Genius (1629-1695)" (Peace of Westphalia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: CISA: Certified Information Systems Auditor Study Guide (Paperback)

First, this should not be your only reference. There: got that out of the way.

I recommend this book along with the official questions and answers book and the official questions and answers supplement.

This book does a very good job of covering every topic with which you need to be very familiar in order to pass the test. It covers the practice areas as updated for 2006, which haven't changed for 2007. However, the questions in this book are terrible and do not represent the questions you will be asked on the actual test. Also, there are many editing errors in this book so be on the lookout.

The official questions and answers book and its supplement are essential. The test questions are often misleadingly (or just poorly) worded and correctly answering the multiple choice questions often comes down to almost arbitrarily deciding which one is "most" correct. You will have a hard time on the exam if you haven't subjected yourself to this abuse before hand.

I do not recommend the official study guide. The official study guide is so terrible on so many levels I wished I could throw it at an ISACA official after wasting my time and money on it. The writing is terrible: redundant, dry, and often times of questionable use and technical accuracy. The book itself has terrible typography and pedagogy that make it painful to read. The softcover, oversized dimensions, and spiral binding make it very annoying to carry or store anywhere other than on a flat desktop since it flops around. That it was so obviously cheaply produced and yet costs more than $100 is insulting.

So, in summary: This book is worth your money despite its flaws and will help you pass the CISA exam. Make sure you also buy the official questions and answers book and its supplement. Avoid the official study guide.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Having Fun with CISA, October 3, 2006

By 

Taylor B. Oneal (Bloomington, IN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: CISA: Certified Information Systems Auditor Study Guide (Paperback)

The CISA test itself is pretty much BS. The questions are worded badly, there's a few false alternatives and plain weird ones. Definitely still possible to pass it with the curve ISACA adds.

The official ISACA book is absolutely worthless. It's like reading a dictionary, a dictionary that repeats sentences, is overly wordy and reading is like eating cardboard. The ISACA questions CD however is highly worth it and very close to the questions you'll end up getting. Combine that CD with this third party book and cd and you'll be set. Good luck.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Learn to Think like an Auditor, February 6, 2008

By 

Miriam (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: CISA: Certified Information Systems Auditor Study Guide (Paperback)

After waiting eight weeks for my score, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief: I passed the CISA exam!

Preparing for and taking the CISA exam is a painful and frustrating process. I used this book in combination with the CD of 700+ questions from ISACA. I work as a network security professional, so I also relied heavily on my own experience and the experience of my colleagues. I interviewed colleagues extensively, particularly those with bank auditing experience and background in the financial industry.

My own background includes 10 years as a Network Administrator. I had few worries about the technical material: my main concern was how to think like an auditor. In that, I found this book very helpful. I read through it more than once. The chapters introducing audit concepts I read three times, taking notes and paying close attention. It was important to learn how to translate my technical knowledge into the framework of auditing: concepts such as auditor independence, material evidence, chain-of-custody -- these were issues that were new to me, or at least new in this context.

I strongly recommend the book to technical people who need a way to shift their viewpoint into the mindset of an auditor. There is a structure to auditing that is not covered in most IT training, and thus is new to us. But the knowledge gained is immediately useful and has real-world applications, especially if you already work in the IT security field.

For familiarity with the actual CISA exam questions, I recommend use of the CD available from ISACA. The exam itself is full of ambiguous questions. Even now, I don't know if my passing score reflects actual auditing skill or luck in interpreting the questions. The exam was also grueling due to uncomfortable seating with very little elbow room. It's an unpleasant ordeal all the way through, but I did gain a lot from the process of studying for the test and I hope the certification will be good for my career.