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AAISM preparation guide
AAISM study materials: what ISACA offers, and which to start with
Direct answer
All of ISACA's AAISM study materials are optional: the AAISM Official Review Manual (print or online), the Questions, Answers and Explanations (QAE) database, an on-demand Online Review Course, a live Virtual Workshop, a free 12-question quiz, member study groups, and an Exam Prep Bundle that combines several of them. A practical order is the free quiz to see the question style, the Review Manual for the concepts, and the QAE when you want more official practice.
ISACA's exam requirements include no study product, so choose by the gap you have: concepts, question style, or structure and instruction.
ISACA changes prices and access periods, so check its store before you buy; exam fees are on CertArc's AAISM cost page.
Start AAISM baselineISACA's AAISM preparation options (checked 2 November 2026)
| Option | What it includes and what it's for |
|---|---|
| AAISM Official Review Manual (paid) | ISACA's reference guide to the exam, in print or online. Best for learning the concepts in each domain. |
| AAISM QAE database (paid) | A six-month subscription to a pool of 200+ questions, with a study planner, results by domain, question review, flashcards and games. |
| AAISM Online Review Course (paid) | About 11 hours of on-demand instruction, with six months' access and 11 CPE. It does not include the QAE. |
| AAISM Virtual Workshop (paid) | A live 2- or 4-day online workshop. Enrolment includes the Review Manual eBook, the QAE and the exam fee. |
| AAISM Exam Prep Bundle (paid) | The Review Manual eBook, the QAE, the Online Review Course and exam registration in one package. |
| Free AAISM practice quiz (free) | 12 questions that ISACA describes as the same level of difficulty as the exam. |
| Engage AAISM study groups (free, members) | An online forum for ISACA members, with practice questions and help from experts. |
Original teaching example
Daniel holds CISM and has eight weeks before his AAISM exam. He studies in the evenings and wants to spend carefully on preparation.
A sensible path: take ISACA's free quiz first to see which domains feel unfamiliar, use the Review Manual for those topics, and add the QAE in the last month for more official questions. If he learns best with guided teaching, the workshop or the bundle can replace buying items one by one, since both include the QAE; either way he still needs practice questions he has not seen.
Do you need to buy everything?
No.
ISACA's exam requirements include no study product: an active CISM or CISSP, registration and the fee. Pick by your gap: concepts (manual), question style (quiz, QAE), or structure (course, workshop).
Is the QAE enough practice on its own?
It's a good source of official questions, not a whole plan.
ISACA's AAISM page describes a pool of 200+ questions. Practice works best alongside learning the concepts and reviewing why you missed. A repeated QAE question mostly shows recall, so judge readiness on questions you have not seen; a high percentage on familiar questions is reassuring but not new evidence.
Does the Online Review Course include the QAE?
Not on its own.
ISACA sells the course and the QAE separately, or together in its AAISM Exam Prep Bundle with the Review Manual eBook and exam registration. The Virtual Workshop also includes the QAE.
Free official resources
Start here.
ISACA's AAISM exam content outline lists every domain and subarea, the candidate guide covers scoring and exam day, and the free 12-question quiz shows the question style. ISACA members can also join the AAISM study groups on Engage.
For unfamiliar AI terms, public references such as the NIST AI Risk Management Framework, the OWASP Top 10 for LLM Applications and MITRE ATLAS can help; ISACA's outline still defines what the exam covers.
Unofficial PDFs and question dumps
Avoid them.
ISACA says sites offering "live" exam questions are deceptive or break copyright, and that candidates found through its data forensics to have studied leaked items can have their scores nullified and certifications revoked. Copies of the manual are unauthorised, and they practise recall rather than the judgement the exam tests.
Where CertArc fits
Original practice with coaching, not official ISACA material.
CertArc offers original AAISM scenarios across all three domains. You choose Confident, Unsure or Guess before each answer is revealed, every review explains why your answer felt right, and you tag why you missed, so you can see which misses you were sure about. It complements ISACA's materials rather than replacing them, and you can start free with a 25-question baseline across every AAISM domain.
Sources and fact check
Source checked: 2026-11-02
- ISACA AAISM certification page
- ISACA AAISM QAE database store page
- ISACA AAISM free practice quiz
- ISACA AAISM Exam Content Outline
- ISACA AAISM Exam Candidate Guide
- ISACA AAISM Online Review Course
- ISACA AAISM Virtual Workshop
- ISACA AAISM Exam Prep Bundle
- ISACA: Candidates beware, red flags when preparing for an ISACA exam
- Study methods and examples are independent CertArc teaching guidance. ISACA's pages are the authority for exam rules and fees, which can change.
- Practice results do not convert to an official score or guarantee a pass. CertArc is not affiliated with or endorsed by ISACA.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an official AAISM review manual?
Yes. ISACA sells the AAISM Official Review Manual in print and online versions.
How many questions are in the AAISM QAE?
ISACA's AAISM page describes a pool of 200+ questions, sold as a six-month subscription.
Is there a free AAISM practice test?
Yes: ISACA's free 12-question quiz, which ISACA describes as the same level of difficulty as the exam.
Does the Online Review Course include the QAE?
Not on its own. ISACA's AAISM Exam Prep Bundle combines the course, the QAE, the Review Manual eBook and exam registration, and the Virtual Workshop also includes the QAE.
Which AAISM material should I start with?
The free quiz, to see the question style; then the Review Manual for the concepts; then the QAE for more official practice.
Are AAISM PDFs and dumps worth it?
No. ISACA treats studying leaked exam content as a breach that can nullify a score and revoke a certification, and dumps practise recall rather than judgement.
