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CISA preparation guide
CISA practice exams: timed 50-question mocks at exam pace
A CISA practice exam is useful when it is timed like the real exam and reviewed afterwards. ISACA’s exam is 150 questions in 4 hours, about 96 seconds a question. CertArc’s CISA program has 10 timed 30-question practice exams and 5 timed 50-question mock exams at that pace. One 30-question practice exam is included in the 21-day free access.
A full 150-question mock tests stamina, but it costs four hours and gives one long review at the end. Shorter timed exams let you practise the pace more often and review while the reasoning is still fresh. Use the length that fits the time you actually have this week.
A practice exam measures how you answer unfamiliar questions under time. It does not replace the review. The useful output is the list of questions where you were unsure or wrong, and why.
Start CISA baselineCISA practice sessions in CertArc
| Session | Questions | Timing | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline | 25 | Untimed | Free |
| Domain sprint | 25 | Untimed | First sprint in each of the 5 domains, in 21-day free access |
| Practice exam | 30 | Timed, 48 minutes | First of 10, in 21-day free access |
| Mock exam | 50 | Timed, 80 minutes | 5 with paid access |
| Final readiness | 25 | Timed, 40 minutes | With paid access |
Original teaching example
Halfway through a 50-question mock you have used 46 minutes, six more than the pace allows. Two questions about sampling took four minutes each.
Mark the slow questions, choose your best answer and move on; a blank answer cannot be right. In the review, check whether the time went on the concept or on rereading the stem. If you could not tell attribute from variable sampling, that is a study task. If you reread the stem three times, practise naming the actor and the question’s verb on the first read.
Take it under exam conditions
Sit the exam in one go, with no notes and no searching. Keep the timer visible. If you pause to look something up, the score stops telling you how you answer under time.
Record your confidence as you answer. A correct guess and a confident correct answer need different follow-up, and a confident wrong answer is the most useful thing a practice exam can find.
Review is where the practice exam pays off
Start with the confident wrong answers, then the unsure ones, then the slow ones. For each, write one sentence on why the better answer wins: the role, the evidence or the sequence. Then test that sentence on a different question, not the same one.
In CertArc, the review shows why your choice felt right beside the correct answer, and lets you record why you missed it for later review.
Spread practice exams through your study
Take a short timed exam early, after your baseline, to learn the pace. Use the domain sprints between exams to work on what the review found. Save the longer mocks for the later weeks, when you want to check stamina and spread across all five domains.
A practice exam score is a preparation signal from a small sample. It does not convert to ISACA’s scaled score, and it does not predict a result.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are on the CISA exam?
150 multiple-choice questions in 4 hours, according to ISACA’s candidate guide.
Is there a free CISA practice exam?
Yes. CertArc’s 21-day free access includes one timed 30-question practice exam, after the 25-question baseline. ISACA also offers a free 10-question CISA practice quiz.
Should I take a full 150-question mock?
One full-length sitting can show how your concentration holds over four hours. Most of your practice is more useful in shorter timed sessions you can review the same day.
Are these real CISA exam questions?
No. CertArc questions are original scenarios written for practice. They are not recalled exam questions or official ISACA items.
What practice exam score means I am ready?
No practice score converts to ISACA’s scaled score. Look instead at whether you can explain your answers on unfamiliar questions across all five domains, at the real pace.
Sources and limits
Exam scope and weights: ISACA CISA exam content outline. Certification eligibility: ISACA certification requirements. Other sources: candidate guide v1.26 (format and timing); ISACA CISA page (free practice quiz). Checked 26 October 2026.
Study methods and examples are independent CertArc teaching guidance. Practice results do not convert to an official score or guarantee a pass. CertArc is not affiliated with or endorsed by ISACA.
