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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.
GIAC · leadership
GSLCGIAC Security Leadership Certification
GIAC Security Leadership Certification
Official pageISACA · leadership
CISMCertified Information Security Manager
Security program management, risk, governance, and incident governance. The manager / CISO-track signal.
Official pageComparing
GIACGSLC
ISACACISM
› Cost
Exam fee
GSLC$979
CISM$760
Exam fee
$979
$760
Annual maintenance fee
GSLC—
CISM$45/yr
Annual maintenance fee
—
$45/yr
3-year cost of ownership
GSLC$979
CISM$895
3-year cost of ownership
$979
$895
› Exam mechanics
Pass mark
GSLC73% (scaled per attempt)
CISM450/800 (scaled)
Pass mark
73% (scaled per attempt)
450/800 (scaled)
Retake policy
GSLC$999 fee · 30d wait
CISM$575 fee · 30d wait · 4/yr cap
Retake policy
$999 fee · 30d wait
$575 fee · 30d wait · 4/yr cap
Study time
GSLC100–200 hrs
CISM100–200 hrs
Study time
100–200 hrs
100–200 hrs
Validity
GSLC4 yrs
CISM3 yrs
Validity
4 yrs
3 yrs
CPE / yr
GSLC9 CPEs
CISM40 CPEs
CPE / yr
9 CPEs
40 CPEs
Delivery
GSLCmixed
CISMtest center
Delivery
mixed
test center
› Salary signal (US base)
Range
GSLC$140K – $200K
CISM$130K – $190K
Range
$140K – $200K
$130K – $190K
Median
GSLC$165,000
CISM$155,000
Median
$165,000
$155,000
Premium %
GSLC—
CISM+11%
Premium %
—
+11%
Role context
GSLCSecurity manager / director, US, 5+ years.
CISMInformation security manager / director, US, 5+ years.
Role context
Security manager / director, US, 5+ years.
Information security manager / director, US, 5+ years.
› Quality (4-axis rubric · 0–10)
Schema quality
GSLC7.5
CISM9.0
Schema quality
7.5
9.0
Practice evidence
GSLC4.0
CISM1.0
Practice evidence
4.0
1.0
Maintenance
GSLC6.5
CISM8.5
Maintenance
6.5
8.5
Market recognition
GSLC5.0
CISM9.0
Market recognition
5.0
9.0
Average
GSLC5.8
CISM6.9
Average
5.8
6.9
› Recognition & lifecycle
Recognition
GSLCGlobal
CISMGlobal · US · EU · UK · DACH
Recognition
Global
Global · US · EU · UK · DACH
ISO 17024 accredited
GSLC—
CISM✓
ISO 17024 accredited
—
✓
DoD 8140 baseline
GSLC—
CISM✓
DoD 8140 baseline
—
✓
Holders worldwide
GSLC—
CISM70,000
Holders worldwide
—
70,000
Current version
GSLC2024 MGT512 refresh (2024-04)
CISM2022 job-practice analysis (2022-06)
Current version
2024 MGT512 refresh (2024-04)
2022 job-practice analysis (2022-06)
› Domain coverage
A1Governance, Risk & Compliance
GSLC·
CISM● core
A1Governance, Risk & Compliance
·
● core
A11Detection Engineering & Threat Hunting
GSLC·
CISM⚠ gap
A11Detection Engineering & Threat Hunting
·
⚠ gap
A12Data Security, Privacy & Protection
GSLC·
CISM○ touched
A12Data Security, Privacy & Protection
·
○ touched
A13Supply Chain Security
GSLC·
CISM○ touched
A13Supply Chain Security
·
○ touched
A18Security Leadership
GSLC● core
CISM● core
A18Security Leadership
● core
● core
A25Security Architecture & Engineering
GSLC·
CISM○ touched
A25Security Architecture & Engineering
·
○ touched
A4Application Security
GSLC·
CISM⚠ gap
A4Application Security
·
⚠ gap
A5Cloud Security
GSLC·
CISM⚠ gap
A5Cloud Security
·
⚠ gap
A7Incident Response & Forensics
GSLC·
CISM● core
A7Incident Response & Forensics
·
● core
A9Penetration Testing & Red Teaming
GSLC·
CISM⚠ gap
A9Penetration Testing & Red Teaming
·
⚠ gap
B1AI-Powered Threat Detection
GSLC·
CISM⚠ gap
B1AI-Powered Threat Detection
·
⚠ gap
C1Adversarial Machine Learning
GSLC·
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.