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