Three things I did to pass the CISM exam

I’m on the business side. So not information technology. Or information security. In fact before I took the CISM exam I thought the two were the same. Yes – I was that business colleague. Don’t pretend you don’t do the same thing with marketing and communications (two Very different groups). Here are three things I did to pass ISACA’s Certified Information Security Manager exam, to become a CISM myself.

1. I let myself fail.

I failed the CISM twice before I passed it. The first time I failed it I was shocked. I had studied for hours a day, weeks, and then months on end. And I still failed it. You get the results immediately so that added extra oomph to the fail.

2. I went to Zumba

That very first time I failed, I went home, and debated crying all day and eating ice cream. Luckily I decided to do something better and get out of the house and go to a Zumba class. Didn’t tell anyone at class I’d just failed a humongous (to me and every Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle! Bet you haven’t heard that adjective in a while) exam.

But someone noticed.

After class my instructor came up to me and said ‘Wow! What happened to you? You danced so beautifully today!’ And I told her very truthfully with big wide eyes ‘I failed my cybersecurity exam today.’ And without missing a beat she said ‘Congratulations!! Look at you!! Clearly that did something to you because you danced with abandon today and so beautifully.’

And that – changed everything.

I failed a big exam, went to Zumba and stopped caring what anyone thought of me. I danced for me. I danced out all my nerves and hopes. And it turns out I danced beautifully.

It was all I needed to head home and revise my new plan to pass the exam.

3. I tried, tried and tried again.

Long story short, I failed it one more time before I would end up passing it. But in between all that I learned a ton.

I slowed down, I started reading more in depth for each question. I began to really understand which areas I naturally aligned with based on my business background and which ones I had no knowledge of whatsoever.

And I started taking notes everywhere.

By the time I got to the exam the final time, I spent the entire three hours writing furiously on like 12 pads of paper everything I remembered from ALL the notes I took from my studying.

I was practically hyperventilating by the time 2:58 came around. But I clicked Finish and waited. And when I saw the PASS message flash across the screen, I gasped.

And then I really did cry all the way home.

But this time for all the right reasons.

To sum up:

1. Failing doesn’t mean giving up. It’s the total opposite. It gives you a chance to succeed.
2. Have an outlet where you can let out your worries, and more importantly have a crew of people who cheer you on when you’re feeling dejected about your progress. Maybe most important of all – don’t worry what other people think of you. So what if you fail an exam? What matters is that you get up and try again.
3. Try, try and try again. If it’s important enough to you, you’ll find a way to succeed. Oh – and take lots of notes.

Good luck.