Am I Ready for CGEIT? Exam Readiness Checklist (2026)
Tick what you can do today, without notes. The board scores you against the ISACA outline and says GO, HOLD or NO-GO before you spend US$575 / $760 on a booking.
- 150Questions
- 4 hoursTime
- 450 (200-800)Pass mark
- US$575 / $760Fee
- PSI / onlineDelivery
Table of Contents
CGEIT is ISACA's certification for the people accountable for governing enterprise IT: CIOs, IT directors, governance and portfolio managers, and the consultants and auditors who advise boards. The exam is 150 multiple-choice questions in four hours, delivered by PSI at a test centre or through online remote proctoring, and scored on a 200-800 scale where 450 passes.
The content outline, in force since 2020, puts 40% on Governance of Enterprise IT, so ready means thinking like the governing body rather than the IT manager: decision rights, strategic alignment, business cases, benefits and risk appetite. Technical depth helps little here; the best answer is usually the one that ties IT to enterprise objectives and accountability. Passing is also only step one, because certification needs five years of qualifying experience.
How to use this checklist
Tick only what you can do today, without notes. Each tick is weighted by its domain's share of the official outline, so the score follows the exam, not the number of boxes. A heavy domain (15%+ of the weight) at NO-GO holds the verdict even when the total looks fine. Your ticks are saved in this browser only.
The CGEIT readiness checklist
19 items across 4 domains, each one a thing the exam expects you to do rather than recognise.
Your go / no-go board
One lamp per domain, one verdict overall. Amber and red rows are your study plan for the next week or two.
Check your ticks under exam conditions
A tick is a claim; a timed set of questions is the evidence. ExamCert AI has 700+ exam-style CGEIT questions with an explanation for every option. Do a mixed set and see whether the domains you ticked hold up.
Practise on ExamCert AIFree CGEIT practice testRed flags: don't book yet if...
Any one of these on the CGEIT is a better predictor of a fail than a low tick count.
You answer as the IT manager, not the governing body
CGEIT questions have one best answer, often signalled by qualifiers such as BEST or MOST likely. The governance-level option (align, set direction, assign accountability, monitor) usually beats the operationally clever fix.
Fix:For every practice miss, write down who in the organisation should make that decision before you reread the options.
Governance of Enterprise IT is your weakest domain
Domain 1 is 40% of the exam, roughly 60 of the 150 questions. A weak score there cannot realistically be offset by IT Resources (15%) or Risk Optimization (19%).
Fix:Do not book until Domain 1 is your strongest area on practice sets, not merely a passing one.
Your experience does not reach three of the four domains
ISACA requires five years managing, advising on or overseeing the governance of IT, across at least three of the four domains, with at least one year in Domain 1, all within the 10 years before you apply. You must apply within five years of passing.
Fix:Map your roles to the domains now. If you are years short, consider timing the exam so the five-year application window does not run out.
You plan to sit online on a locked-down work laptop
ISACA recommends a personal computer because employer firewalls and security settings can stop the PSI secure browser. If you hit problems on the day you cannot fix, you retake at your own expense.
Fix:Run the PSI compatibility and bandwidth checks on the exact machine and network you will use, and use the tutorial test.
You have not sat 150 questions in one four-hour session
Four hours is about 96 seconds a question, and the timer does not stop during your two permitted breaks of up to 10 minutes each.
Fix:Sit at least one full 150-question mock under exam conditions, including a planned break, before booking.
The numbers that say you're ready
Rules of thumb, not official thresholds: ISACA does not publish a readiness score. Hit all four before you pay for a booking.
Rule of thumb, not an ISACA figure. The 450 pass mark is a scaled score on 200-800, not a percentage, so aim for a comfortable margin on fresh questions.
Rule of thumb. That leaves room for two breaks, which run on the exam clock, and for reviewing qualifier-heavy questions at the end.
Rule of thumb. At 40% of the exam, Domain 1 carries the result; ISACA scores on total correct answers, so weakness there is costly.
A self-test, not an official measure. If you can say why the governance-level answer beats each distractor, you have absorbed how CGEIT questions are written.
Booking and ID checklist
The logistics that trip people up are specific to the CGEIT and its delivery provider. Work through them in order.
Check your experience path
Five years of IT governance experience across at least three of the four domains, including one year in Domain 1, within the 10 years before you apply. The exam is open to anyone, but you must apply within five years of passing.
Set up MyISACA and decide on membership
The fee is US$575 for members and US$760 for non-members, based on status at registration. The account name must match your government ID exactly.
Register and pay
Registration is continuous. You get a six-month eligibility window from registration; fees are nonrefundable and forfeited if you do not test in time. One six-month extension costs US$75.
Request special accommodations
Tick the accommodation field during registration and submit ISACA's form, completed with your health care professional, at least four weeks before your preferred date.
Schedule with PSI
Go to Certification & CPE Management, then the PSI dashboard. Appointments open only 90 days ahead. Choose a PSI test centre or online remote proctoring.
Run the PSI system checks
Use a personal computer if you can, with admin rights. Run the compatibility and bandwidth checks and try the tutorial test, which you can take up to three times.
Reschedule without penalty
You can reschedule free any time in your eligibility window up to 48 hours before the appointment. Inside 48 hours you must test or lose the fee.
Bring one valid government photo ID
Current, original, government-issued, showing your name, photo and signature. Digital IDs are not accepted. Arrive 30 minutes early at a centre; online check-in opens 30 minutes before.
Exam-week countdown: T-7 to T-0
Sit a final full 150-question timed mock, then spend the week on Governance of Enterprise IT and your next weakest domain. Check your eligibility window has not nearly expired.
Find the PSI confirmation email from [email protected]. If testing online, rerun the compatibility check on the same machine and network; if at a centre, plan the route.
Stop new study. Lay out your ID. For an online exam, clear the desk and room completely and have a mirror or phone ready for the mirror check.
Arrive 30 minutes early or launch online check-in 30 minutes before. Answer every question, since wrong answers cost nothing, and use your two 10-minute breaks deliberately.
Test-day rules
✓ Allowed / expected
- One current, original government-issued ID with your name, photo and signature
- Two breaks of up to 10 minutes each, with proctor permission (the clock keeps running)
- A locker or designated area for personal items at a PSI test centre
- A mirror or phone for the online mirror check, moved out of reach once it is done
- Live chat with the remote proctor, in English only
✕ Not allowed
- Calculators, notes, paper, dictionaries or any study material
- Food or drink, including water, at the centre or at home
- Phones, smartwatches, smart glasses, headphones or a second monitor
- Talking, reading questions aloud or looking away from the screen during an online exam
- Screenshots or photos of any part of the exam, including the results screen
After you pass
Preliminary, then official result
You see a preliminary pass or fail on screen as soon as you finish; screenshots of it are not allowed. The official scaled score is emailed and posted in MyISACA within 10 working days. Domain results are informational only. If you fail, you can request a rescore within 30 days for US$75.
Apply for certification
After official scores are released, pay the one-time US$50 application fee and submit your application, with your experience verified by a supervisor or manager. You have five years from passing to apply, and the experience must fall within the 10 years before the application. ISACA also offers online certification verification for employers.
Keep it current
Each year you report at least 20 CPE hours and pay the maintenance fee: US$45 for members or US$85 for non-members. Over each three-year period you need 120 CPE hours, at least 90 of them aligned with the CGEIT content outline. Your first reporting period starts on 1 January after you certify, and ISACA audits a random sample each year.
The CGEIT at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Questions | 150 multiple-choice questions, each with four options and one best answer |
| Time | 4 hours (240 minutes) |
| Passing score | 450 on ISACA's 200-800 scaled score |
| Fee | US$575 for ISACA members, US$760 for non-members (nonrefundable) |
| Delivery | PSI test centre or PSI online remote proctoring |
| Retakes | Wait 30 days after attempt 1, then 90 days after attempts 2 and 3; max 4 attempts in a rolling 12 months; full fee each time |
| Results | Preliminary pass/fail on screen when you finish; official scaled score by email within 10 working days |
| Validity and renewal | Annual: 20 CPE hours and a US$45 (member) or US$85 maintenance fee; 120 CPE hours per 3-year period |
Turn the amber rows green
Work CGEIT questions by domain, starting with whatever the board marked HOLD or NO-GO, then tick again.
Practise on ExamCert AIFree CGEIT practice testFAQ
Can I take CGEIT before I have five years of experience?
Yes. ISACA says the exam is open to anyone with an interest in IT governance. To become certified you need five years of experience across at least three of the four domains, including one year in Governance of Enterprise IT, earned within the 10 years before you apply. You then have five years from your pass date to submit the application.
Can I take the CGEIT exam from home?
Yes. ISACA offers CGEIT through PSI online remote proctoring as well as at PSI test centres. You need a compatible computer, ideally a personal one, a quiet private room, a 360-degree room scan and a mirror check. Remote proctors communicate by live chat in English only. Run PSI's compatibility check before you schedule.
How is the CGEIT exam scored?
ISACA converts your raw score to a scale of 200 to 800, and you need 450 or more to pass. The score is based on the total number of questions answered correctly, regardless of domain; domain results are informational only. There is no penalty for wrong answers, so answer every question. Unscored pretest items are mixed in and do not count.
What happens if I fail CGEIT?
You can retake after 30 days, then must wait 90 days after a second attempt and 90 days after a third. You get four attempts within a rolling 12 months from your first, and each attempt costs the full registration fee. You can also request a rescore, performed by PSI, within 30 days of the results being released, for US$75.
How long is my CGEIT registration valid?
Six months from the date you register. You must schedule and sit the exam within that window or forfeit the fee. You can buy one six-month extension for US$75, offered on your dashboard from 30 days before to 30 days after expiry. PSI only shows appointments up to 90 days ahead, so pick a target date before you pay.
Sources
Figures on this page come from ISACA and the other primary sources below:
- ISACA CGEIT certification page (fees, delivery, scheduling)
- ISACA CGEIT Exam Content Outline
- ISACA: How to get CGEIT certified (experience requirements)
- ISACA: Maintain your CGEIT certification
- ISACA Certification Exams Candidate Guide 2026 (PDF)
- ISACA Continuing Professional Education Policy (PDF)
- ISACA Remote Proctoring Guide (PDF)
Checked October 14, 2026. Fees, outlines and eligibility rules change — confirm with ISACA before you book.