Taking the CISM Test - A couple of questions

Nabsh07

I have a couple of questions about strategies on how to take the test.

1. Is it recommended to answer the question on the scan-tran or write them on the question book first?

2. Should i skip the question for 2nd pass if i dont know the answer quickly?

3. How long does it usually take for people to answer a typical question? complete the test?

Tongy

You have 4 hours to do the 200 questions - giving you little over a minutes for each. How long others take is irrelevant, and you should go at your own pace. If I were to say that most people take 25-30 seconds to answer a question... Would that help you? Probably not. Do some practice tests and get used to format and work out your own "groove".

How you do it is up to you whatever works for you best...

I'm looking to get it comfortably done in about 2.5-3 hours then the rest of the time to review.

Dolph

I went through each question once and answered them on the first pass. I probably knew about 20 questions confidently enough to immediately answer, but many others were 51/49 i.e. I had a hunch after removing two of the possible answers. It'll be very rare for you to magically remember something on a second pass. If you've done the prep your first guess/hunch will often be right - try not to doubt yourself.

I then did a check to make sure i had actually answered all 200 questions and not skipped one by mistake and left the exam hall after about 3 hrs 15 mins. i didn't review my answers as that's when you start doubting yourself and 'correcting' already correct answers.

Don't underestimate the mental fatigue of answering 200 questions in a high pressure environment. If you find yourself getting 'bored' or your mind wandering go to the toilet and have a drink (of water!) I did this a couple of times and used them as psychological rewards for getting a certain number of questions done. I got top 20% so it worked for me, but everyone is different!

Nabsh07

This is good info. I am also concerned about being able to focus for entire 4 hours. How many 200 question practice exams did you take?

Dolph

I did one 200 question practice a week before the exam. The problem though at that point is you've remembered lots of the answers and it is much quicker and stress free than the real thing.