The AAISM exam format, and what exam day looks like
Vishwen Labs
The AAISM exam is 90 questions across three domains, computer-based, taken at a PSI testing centre or remotely proctored. The reported time limit is 150 minutes, which is 100 seconds a question, and the result is a scaled score from 200 to 800 with 450 to pass. Every question is a scenario with four options and one best answer.
Pace the AAISM exam
- Split the paper into three blocks. Ninety questions in 150 minutes is thirty questions per fifty minutes. Check the clock at question 30 and question 60; if you are behind, speed up on the next block rather than the last one.
- Answer every question on the first pass. Pick the best answer you can see, flag anything you are unsure of, and move on. A question left blank scores nothing; a flagged guess can be revisited.
- Return to flagged questions with the time left. Re-read the scenario for the seat it is asking from, usually the security manager's, and check whether your first choice governs the risk or merely reacts to it.
- Do not change answers without a reason. Change an answer only when you can say what you misread the first time. A vague feeling that another option looks better is how correct answers get switched to wrong ones in the final ten minutes.
The AAISM exam format
ISACA's exam content outline sets 90 questions covering the three job practice domains: AI Governance and Program Management at 31%, AI Risk Management at 31%, and AI Technologies and Controls at 38%. That works out at roughly 28, 28 and 34 questions. Each question presents a scenario and four options, of which one is the best answer. There are no essays, no labs and no partial credit.
The 150-minute limit is reported by training providers and matches what the app's full mocks use; ISACA's page describes the exam as computer-based without stating the duration, so confirm it in the candidate guide when you book.
Booking the AAISM exam: PSI centre or remote
You register through ISACA, pay the exam fee, and choose between a PSI testing centre and a remotely proctored exam taken from your own computer. Third-party sources report a twelve-month window from registration in which to sit. The fee is US$459 for members and US$599 for non-members, and you need an active CISM or CISSP before you can register at all.
The remote option trades travel for rules. Expect an identity check, a scan of the room, a clear desk, and a proctor watching for the duration. A testing centre handles all of that for you at the cost of getting there. Neither format changes the questions.
Pacing 90 AAISM questions in 150 minutes
One hundred seconds a question sounds generous until a long scenario arrives with two defensible options. The pacing plan above keeps the average honest: thirty questions per fifty minutes, a clock check at each boundary, and a first pass that leaves nothing blank. Most people finish with time to revisit their flags; the ones who run out are usually the ones who spent five minutes on question eleven.
Practising at full length is what makes this automatic. A mock taken with explanations switched on trains recall; a 90-question mock under time with explanations off trains the pacing, which is a different skill and the one that fails on the day.
What to bring and what to expect on AAISM exam day
Bring the identification ISACA's confirmation asks for and nothing else you will need at the desk. Notes, phones and watches stay in a locker at a centre or out of the room at home. Arrive, or log in, early enough that the check-in is not the first stressful thing that happens. Once the exam starts, the interface is a question, four options, a flag, and a clock.
After the AAISM exam
For its other exams ISACA has shown a preliminary result on screen at the end of the session, with the official scaled score following; check the current AAISM candidate guide for the exact arrangement. A pass starts a five-year window in which to apply for the certification, and third-party sources report a one-off application fee at that point. A fail means another exam fee, which is the practical argument for treating full mocks as the booking decision rather than the calendar.
AAISM™ and CISM® are trademarks of ISACA. This app is an independent study aid and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by ISACA.
Questions people also ask
Can I take the AAISM exam online?
Yes. ISACA's page states the exam is administered at authorised PSI testing centres globally or as a remotely proctored exam. The remote option comes with an identity check, a room scan and a live proctor; the questions are the same either way.
How much time do you get per question on the AAISM exam?
With 90 questions in the reported 150 minutes, an average of 100 seconds each. Pacing at thirty questions per fifty minutes, with a clock check at questions 30 and 60, keeps a long scenario from eating the time meant for the last block.
