› Certifications · compare
Compare certifications
Pick up to 3 certifications and compare them side-by-side on cost, exam format, recertification, salary signal, quality, and domain coverage.
ISACA · leadership
CGEITCertified in the Governance of Enterprise IT
Board / executive-level IT governance and investment oversight.
Official pageISACA · leadership
CISMCertified Information Security Manager
Security program management, risk, governance, and incident governance. The manager / CISO-track signal.
Official pageComparing
ISACACGEIT
ISACACISM
› Cost
Exam fee
CGEIT$760
CISM$760
Exam fee
$760
$760
Annual maintenance fee
CGEIT$45/yr
CISM$45/yr
Annual maintenance fee
$45/yr
$45/yr
3-year cost of ownership
CGEIT$895
CISM$895
3-year cost of ownership
$895
$895
› Exam mechanics
Pass mark
CGEIT450/800 (scaled)
CISM450/800 (scaled)
Pass mark
450/800 (scaled)
450/800 (scaled)
Retake policy
CGEIT$760 fee · 30d wait · 4/yr cap
CISM$575 fee · 30d wait · 4/yr cap
Retake policy
$760 fee · 30d wait · 4/yr cap
$575 fee · 30d wait · 4/yr cap
Study time
CGEIT100–200 hrs
CISM100–200 hrs
Study time
100–200 hrs
100–200 hrs
Validity
CGEIT3 yrs
CISM3 yrs
Validity
3 yrs
3 yrs
CPE / yr
CGEIT40 CPEs
CISM40 CPEs
CPE / yr
40 CPEs
40 CPEs
Delivery
CGEITtest center
CISMtest center
Delivery
test center
test center
› Salary signal (US base)
Range
CGEIT$130K – $190K
CISM$130K – $190K
Range
$130K – $190K
$130K – $190K
Median
CGEIT$155,000
CISM$155,000
Median
$155,000
$155,000
Premium %
CGEIT—
CISM+11%
Premium %
—
+11%
Role context
CGEITIT governance lead / enterprise architect, US, 7+ years.
CISMInformation security manager / director, US, 5+ years.
Role context
IT governance lead / enterprise architect, US, 7+ years.
Information security manager / director, US, 5+ years.
› Quality (4-axis rubric · 0–10)
Schema quality
CGEIT6.0
CISM9.0
Schema quality
6.0
9.0
Practice evidence
CGEIT0.5
CISM1.0
Practice evidence
0.5
1.0
Maintenance
CGEIT4.0
CISM8.5
Maintenance
4.0
8.5
Market recognition
CGEIT4.0
CISM9.0
Market recognition
4.0
9.0
Average
CGEIT3.6
CISM6.9
Average
3.6
6.9
› Recognition & lifecycle
Recognition
CGEITGlobal · US · EU · UK · DACH
CISMGlobal · US · EU · UK · DACH
Recognition
Global · US · EU · UK · DACH
Global · US · EU · UK · DACH
ISO 17024 accredited
CGEIT✓
CISM✓
ISO 17024 accredited
✓
✓
DoD 8140 baseline
CGEIT—
CISM✓
DoD 8140 baseline
—
✓
Holders worldwide
CGEIT12,000
CISM70,000
Holders worldwide
12,000
70,000
Current version
CGEIT2020 job-practice analysis (2020-12)
CISM2022 job-practice analysis (2022-06)
Current version
2020 job-practice analysis (2020-12)
2022 job-practice analysis (2022-06)
› Domain coverage
A1Governance, Risk & Compliance
CGEIT● core
CISM● core
A1Governance, Risk & Compliance
● core
● core
A11Detection Engineering & Threat Hunting
CGEIT·
CISM⚠ gap
A11Detection Engineering & Threat Hunting
·
⚠ gap
A12Data Security, Privacy & Protection
CGEIT·
CISM○ touched
A12Data Security, Privacy & Protection
·
○ touched
A13Supply Chain Security
CGEIT·
CISM○ touched
A13Supply Chain Security
·
○ touched
A18Security Leadership
CGEIT● core
CISM● core
A18Security Leadership
● core
● core
A25Security Architecture & Engineering
CGEIT·
CISM○ touched
A25Security Architecture & Engineering
·
○ touched
A4Application Security
CGEIT·
CISM⚠ gap
A4Application Security
·
⚠ gap
A5Cloud Security
CGEIT·
CISM⚠ gap
A5Cloud Security
·
⚠ gap
A7Incident Response & Forensics
CGEIT·
CISM● core
A7Incident Response & Forensics
·
● core
A9Penetration Testing & Red Teaming
CGEIT·
CISM⚠ gap
A9Penetration Testing & Red Teaming
·
⚠ gap
B1AI-Powered Threat Detection
CGEIT·
CISM⚠ gap
B1AI-Powered Threat Detection
·
⚠ gap
C1Adversarial Machine Learning
CGEIT·
CISM⚠ gap
C1Adversarial Machine Learning
·
⚠ gap
Browse the full catalog or open any one of these on its detail page for full study materials, peer comparisons, and lifecycle notes.