The CISA Exam Just Got Harder — Here's What Changed and How to Pass It in 2026

If you're planning to take the CISA (Certified Information Systems Auditor) exam in 2026, heads up — ISACA quietly updated the exam blueprint in August 2024, and the changes are bigger than most people realize.

I spent the last few weeks digging into what actually changed, and here's the breakdown so you don't waste time studying the wrong stuff.

What Changed in the CISA Exam?

The exam still covers 5 domains, but the domain weights shifted:

• Domain 1: Information System Auditing Process — 18% (was 21%)
• Domain 2: Governance and Management of IT — 18% (was 17%)
• Domain 3: IS Acquisition, Development & Implementation — 12% (unchanged)
• Domain 4: IS Operations & Business Resilience — 26% (was 23%)
• Domain 5: Protection of Information Assets — 26% (was 27%)

The big takeaway: Domain 4 (Operations & Business Resilience) jumped to 26% and is now tied with Domain 5 as the heaviest section. If you're using older study materials that deprioritize Domain 4, you're going to have a bad time.

Why This Matters for Devs

You might be thinking "CISA is for auditors, not developers" — and you'd be partially right. But here's the thing: if you work in any organization that handles sensitive data (so... basically everyone), understanding IT audit frameworks makes you a better engineer.

The updated exam now puts more emphasis on:

• Cloud governance and third-party risk — critical if you're building on AWS/Azure/GCP
• Business continuity and disaster recovery planning — not just "back up your database"
• IT governance frameworks — understanding why your company has those annoying change management processes

My Study Strategy (What Actually Works)

After talking to several people who passed the updated exam, here's the pattern I noticed:

1. Don't Just Read the CISA Review Manual

It's 900+ pages of dry content. Use it as a reference, not your primary study material. Pair it with video courses (Hemang Doshi's course on Udemy is solid) and lots of practice questions.

2. Focus on Domains 4 and 5 First

They make up 52% of the exam. That's more than half. If you nail these two domains, you're already in a strong position.

3. Understand the "ISACA Mindset"

This is the single most important tip. ISACA questions don't test what you would do as an engineer — they test what an auditor should recommend. The answer is almost always the one that involves:

• Risk assessment first
• Following established frameworks
• Documenting everything
• Recommending (not implementing) controls

4. Practice with Realistic Questions

The biggest mistake I see people make is using only one source for practice exams. The CISA exam has a very specific question style — scenario-based with multiple plausible answers where you need to pick the most correct one.

I found ExamCert's free CISA practice test useful for drilling those scenario-based questions across all five domains. It's $4.99 lifetime access for the full set with a pass-or-refund guarantee, which is way cheaper than most CISA prep resources.

5. Don't Underestimate the Experience Requirement

Remember: passing the exam is only half the battle. CISA requires 5 years of professional IS auditing, control, or security experience (with some substitutions available). Plan accordingly.

The Bottom Line

The CISA exam isn't getting easier — the 2024 updates reflect how much the IT audit landscape has changed with cloud adoption, AI governance, and increasingly complex third-party ecosystems. But with the right study strategy and enough practice questions, it's absolutely passable.

If you're prepping for CISA (or any other IT certification), drop a comment — always happy to share notes and resources.

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Have you taken the updated CISA exam? What was your experience? Let me know in the comments 👇