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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 · professional
CRISC
Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control

Enterprise risk identification, assessment, and response + IT controls.

Official page
ISACA · leadership
CISM
Certified Information Security Manager

Security program management, risk, governance, and incident governance. The manager / CISO-track signal.

Official page

Cost

Exam fee
CRISC$760
CISM$760
Annual maintenance fee
CRISC$45/yr
CISM$45/yr
3-year cost of ownership
CRISC$895
CISM$895

Exam mechanics

Pass mark
CRISC450/800 (scaled)
CISM450/800 (scaled)
Retake policy
CRISC$575 fee · 30d wait · 4/yr cap
CISM$575 fee · 30d wait · 4/yr cap
Study time
CRISC100–200 hrs
CISM100–200 hrs
Validity
CRISC3 yrs
CISM3 yrs
CPE / yr
CRISC40 CPEs
CISM40 CPEs
Delivery
CRISCtest center
CISMtest center

Salary signal (US base)

Range
CRISC$115K – $165K
CISM$130K – $190K
Median
CRISC$135,000
CISM$155,000
Premium %
CRISC+9%
CISM+11%
Role context
CRISCIT risk analyst / IT risk manager, US, 5+ years.
CISMInformation security manager / director, US, 5+ years.

Quality (4-axis rubric · 0–10)

Schema quality
CRISC8.5
CISM9.0
Practice evidence
CRISC1.0
CISM1.0
Maintenance
CRISC7.5
CISM8.5
Market recognition
CRISC7.0
CISM9.0
Average
CRISC6.0
CISM6.9

Recognition & lifecycle

Recognition
CRISCGlobal · US · EU · UK · DACH
CISMGlobal · US · EU · UK · DACH
ISO 17024 accredited
CRISC
CISM
DoD 8140 baseline
CRISC
CISM
Holders worldwide
CRISC30,000
CISM70,000
Current version
CRISC2021 job-practice analysis (2021-08)
CISM2022 job-practice analysis (2022-06)

Domain coverage

A1Governance, Risk & Compliance
CRISC● core
CISM● core
A11Detection Engineering & Threat Hunting
CRISC·
CISM⚠ gap
A12Data Security, Privacy & Protection
CRISC·
CISM○ touched
A13Supply Chain Security
CRISC○ touched
CISM○ touched
A18Security Leadership
CRISC● core
CISM● core
A25Security Architecture & Engineering
CRISC·
CISM○ touched
A4Application Security
CRISC·
CISM⚠ gap
A5Cloud Security
CRISC·
CISM⚠ gap
A7Incident Response & Forensics
CRISC·
CISM● core
A9Penetration Testing & Red Teaming
CRISC·
CISM⚠ gap
B1AI-Powered Threat Detection
CRISC·
CISM⚠ gap
C1Adversarial Machine Learning
CRISC·
CISM⚠ gap
C7AI Governance & Risk
CRISC○ touched
CISM·

Browse the full catalog or open any one of these on its detail page for full study materials, peer comparisons, and lifecycle notes.