COBIT 2019 certification: exam, cost and retirement date

What is the COBIT 2019 certification?

The COBIT 2019 certification people search for is ISACA’s COBIT Foundation Certificate, based on COBIT 2019, ISACA’s IT governance framework. ISACA describes the certificate as validating your understanding of how to align IT goals with strategic business objectives.

ISACA lists the audience as senior IT and business managers, students and recent graduates, regulators and consultants, and risk, GRC and programme managers. ISACA also says the certificate is designed to help COBIT 2019 users gain a more in-depth understanding of the framework.

Alongside it, ISACA lists the COBIT Design & Implementation Certificate as a related credential. Both COBIT 2019 certificates are now being replaced by COBIT 7 versions, which is the most important fact on this page.

Source: ISACA — COBIT Foundation Certificate. Checked 8 October 2026.

Is COBIT 2019 Foundation being retired?

Yes. ISACA states that its COBIT 2019 Foundations Certificate programme will be replaced by the COBIT 7 Foundations Certificate on 27 October 2026 and will be sunset on 26 April 2027.

If you want to earn the COBIT 2019 certificate, ISACA sets a hard deadline: the last day to purchase the current exam or exam prep is 26 October 2026. After that date the COBIT 2019 exam can no longer be bought. Exam eligibility runs for six months from registration, so plan the purchase, the study time and the exam date together — not just the purchase.

If you are starting from scratch after 26 October 2026, the certificate to look at is the COBIT 7 Foundations Certificate. ISACA had not published its exam details on the COBIT Foundation page when we checked, so this page does not state any.

Source: ISACA — COBIT Foundation Certificate. Checked 8 October 2026.

How much does the COBIT 2019 certification cost?

ISACA lists the COBIT Foundation exam at US$175.00 for members and US$175.00 for non-members — the same price either way. ISACA membership therefore makes no difference to the exam fee.

Exam preparation is sold separately. ISACA’s COBIT 2019 Foundation online course is described as a six-month subscription with five hours of content; the same 26 October 2026 purchase deadline applies to exam prep as to the exam.

ISACA does not state a retake fee on the certificate page. It refers candidates to its Exam Candidate Guide for retake rules, so treat a second attempt as a possible second fee unless ISACA confirms otherwise.

Source: ISACA — COBIT Foundation Certificate. Checked 8 October 2026.

What is the COBIT 2019 exam format?

The COBIT Foundation exam is an online, remotely proctored, two-hour exam of 75 multiple-choice questions — 96 seconds per question if you use the full time.

Registration is continuous: ISACA states candidates can register at any time, with no restrictions. Eligibility is established at registration and is good for six months, and you can reschedule without penalty within that period as long as you do so at least 48 hours before your appointment.

With the purchase deadline of 26 October 2026, the six-month eligibility window is the practical clock for anyone buying the COBIT 2019 exam now.

Source: ISACA — COBIT Foundation Certificate. Checked 8 October 2026.

COBIT 2019 passing score

ISACA states that you must earn a score of 65% or higher to pass. ISACA publishes the percentage, not a number of correct answers, so treat 65% as the target.

The weighting matters more than the cut score for preparation: two domains — the governance system and components, and the governance and management objectives — make up more than half of the exam. A candidate who is shaky on the 40 governance and management objectives will struggle to reach 65% regardless of how well they know the smaller domains.

Source: ISACA — COBIT Foundation Certificate. Checked 8 October 2026.

What is on the COBIT 2019 exam?

ISACA publishes eight content domains with fixed weightings:

Governance System and Components and Governance and Management Objectives together carry 53%. Business Case and Performance Management together carry only 7%, so they are worth knowing but not worth equal study time.

• Governance System and Components — 30%
• Governance and Management Objectives — 23%
• Principles — 13%
• Framework Introduction — 12%
• Implementation — 8%
• Designing a Tailored Governance System — 7%
• Performance Management — 4%
• Business Case — 3%

Source: ISACA — COBIT Foundation Certificate. Checked 8 October 2026.

COBIT 2019 prerequisites and validity

ISACA states plainly: “There are no prerequisites.” No prior certification, degree or minimum experience is required to register for the COBIT Foundation exam.

On validity, ISACA’s certificate page does not state whether the COBIT Foundation certificate expires or requires continuing professional education, and the candidate guide it refers to could not be checked. This page therefore makes no claim about renewal. What is certain is the programme timeline: replacement by COBIT 7 on 27 October 2026 and sunset on 26 April 2027.

Source: ISACA — COBIT Foundation Certificate. Checked 8 October 2026.

COBIT 2019 study materials and training

The official reference is ISACA’s own COBIT 2019 publication set: COBIT 2019 Framework: Introduction and Methodology, which sets out the governance definition, principles and structure; COBIT 2019 Framework: Governance and Management Objectives, which describes the core model and its 40 objectives; the COBIT 2019 Design Guide; and the COBIT 2019 Implementation Guide.

For exam preparation, ISACA sells a COBIT 2019 Foundation online course — a six-month subscription with five hours of content. Both the course and the exam are subject to the 26 October 2026 purchase deadline.

Given the weighting, the two Framework volumes are the core reading for the Foundation exam. The Design Guide and Implementation Guide relate to the smaller Designing a Tailored Governance System (7%) and Implementation (8%) domains.

Source: ISACA — COBIT resources. Checked 8 October 2026.

COBIT 2019 Foundation vs COBIT 7 and COBIT Design & Implementation

COBIT 7 Foundations Certificate is the successor: ISACA replaces COBIT 2019 Foundation with it on 27 October 2026. If you can sit the COBIT 2019 exam within its remaining window and your organisation works with COBIT 2019, the 2019 certificate still matches that framework; if you are planning further out, the COBIT 7 certificate is the one that will remain available.

COBIT Design & Implementation is the second COBIT 2019 certificate ISACA lists: an online, remotely proctored three-hour exam of 60 multiple-choice questions at US$275 for members and non-members. It follows the same timeline — ISACA says it will be replaced by a COBIT 7 Design and Implementation Certificate in 2027, with the COBIT 2019 version sunset on 26 April 2027 and a last purchase date of 26 October 2026.

Source: ISACA — COBIT Design & Implementation Certificate. Checked 8 October 2026.

COBIT 2019 practice questions

Certsqill’s COBIT 2019 practice questions are expert-developed and come with an explanation for every answer option.

Because ISACA stops selling the COBIT 2019 exam after 26 October 2026, check which exam you are actually sitting before you choose any practice material — COBIT 2019 Foundation or its COBIT 7 successor.

COBIT 2019 questions people ask

Is COBIT 2019 Foundation being discontinued?

Yes. ISACA replaces it with the COBIT 7 Foundations Certificate on 27 October 2026 and sunsets it on 26 April 2027. Source: ISACA, checked 8 October 2026.

What is the last day to buy the COBIT 2019 exam?

26 October 2026, for both the exam and exam prep. Source: ISACA, checked 8 October 2026.

How much does the COBIT 2019 Foundation exam cost?

US$175, the same for ISACA members and non-members. Source: ISACA, checked 8 October 2026.

How many questions are on the COBIT 2019 exam?

75 multiple-choice questions in two hours. Source: ISACA, checked 8 October 2026.

What is the COBIT 2019 passing score?

65% or higher. Source: ISACA, checked 8 October 2026.

Is the COBIT 2019 exam online?

Yes — online and remotely proctored. Source: ISACA, checked 8 October 2026.

Are there prerequisites for COBIT 2019 Foundation?

No. ISACA states “There are no prerequisites.”, checked 8 October 2026.

How long is COBIT 2019 exam eligibility?

Six months from registration. Source: ISACA, checked 8 October 2026.

Does the COBIT 2019 certificate expire?

ISACA’s certificate page does not say, checked 8 October 2026, so this page makes no claim either way.

COBIT: Control Objectives for Information and Related Technologies

COBIT (Control Objectives for Information and Related Technologies) is ISACA’s framework for the governance and management of enterprise IT. ISACA notes that the framework turns 30 in 2026, and describes COBIT 2019 as an evolution of COBIT 5.

When people talk about a COBIT certification, they mean one of ISACA’s certificate programmes built on that framework. The full name — Control Objectives for Information and Related Technologies (COBIT) — rarely appears in job adverts; the version number does, and with COBIT 7 arriving, the version now matters more than usual.

Source: ISACA — The COBIT Framework Timeline. Checked 9 October 2026.

Which COBIT certification should you take now?

The answer depends on the date. ISACA’s COBIT 2019 Foundations Certificate can be bought until 26 October 2026; from 27 October 2026 it is replaced by the COBIT 7 Foundations Certificate, and the 2019 programme is sunset on 26 April 2027.

If your organisation works with COBIT 2019 and you can buy the exam before that deadline and sit it within the six-month eligibility window, the COBIT 2019 Foundation certificate still matches the framework you use. If you are starting later, the COBIT 7 Foundations Certificate is the COBIT certification that will remain available.

Source: ISACA — COBIT Foundation Certificate. Checked 9 October 2026.

COBIT 2019 training: official options

ISACA lists several routes to COBIT 2019 training. Its own COBIT 2019 Foundation Online Course is a six-month subscription with five hours of content — the official COBIT training online. ISACA also points to accredited training partners (“Browse our partners to find the right training for you”), free 60-minute webinars, and self-paced study.

The same purchase deadline applies to training as to the exam: ISACA states that the last day to buy the current exam or exam prep is 26 October 2026.

Source: ISACA — COBIT Foundation Certificate. Checked 9 October 2026.

Choosing COBIT 2019 courses

Whether you take ISACA’s online course or one of the COBIT 2019 courses offered by an accredited partner, check before you pay:

• Version: is the COBIT course built on COBIT 2019 or COBIT 7 — and does that match the exam you can still buy?
• Timing: can you finish it and sit the exam within the six-month eligibility window, given the 26 October 2026 purchase deadline?
• Coverage: does it give the two heaviest domains — Governance System and Components (30%) and Governance and Management Objectives (23%) — the time they deserve?
• Exam: is the US$175 exam included, or bought separately from ISACA?

Source: ISACA — COBIT Foundation Certificate. Checked 9 October 2026.

COBIT 2019 certification requirements

ISACA states plainly that there are no prerequisites for the COBIT Foundation exam, so the only requirements are practical: register, pass the online, remotely proctored exam of 75 multiple-choice questions in two hours, and score 65% or higher.

A COBIT 2019 course is therefore optional. You can prepare from ISACA’s COBIT 2019 publications alone, or take a structured COBIT 2019 online training course first.

Source: ISACA — COBIT Foundation Certificate. Checked 9 October 2026.

COBIT 5 certification: what ISACA still lists

COBIT 5 is the framework version before COBIT 2019. ISACA still has a COBIT 5 Certificates page listing three certificates — COBIT 5 Foundation, COBIT 5 Implementation and COBIT 5 Assessor — and refers to accredited training partners for each. The page does not say whether a COBIT 5 certification exam can still be booked, so check with ISACA before planning one.

Source: ISACA — COBIT 5 Certificates. Checked 9 October 2026.

From COBIT 5 to COBIT 2019: the bridge exam

For holders of the COBIT 5 Foundation certification, ISACA introduced a bridge exam in 2019: in its words, those who passed it “will be awarded the COBIT 2019 Foundation certificate.” With COBIT 2019 itself now being replaced, anyone starting today is better served by the current programme than by an older certification. COBIT 5 knowledge remains useful background, since ISACA describes COBIT 2019 as its evolution.

Source: ISACA — ISACA Introduces COBIT 2019 Training Resources (21 February 2019). Checked 9 October 2026.

COBIT dumps

ISACA’s COBIT Foundation page does not address exam dumps. What is certain is that a file of questions of unknown origin cannot be checked for accuracy — and with COBIT 2019 being replaced by COBIT 7, an old dump may not even match the version you sit.

Preparation against ISACA’s published domains and weightings, with the official COBIT 2019 publications, is the reliable route. Certsqill’s COBIT 2019 practice questions are expert-developed, and every question explains each answer option.

Source: ISACA — COBIT Foundation Certificate. Checked 9 October 2026.

More COBIT 2019 questions

What does COBIT stand for?

Control Objectives for Information and Related Technologies. Source: ISACA, checked 9 October 2026.

Is there COBIT online training from ISACA?

Yes. ISACA sells a COBIT 2019 Foundation Online Course — a six-month subscription with five hours of content. The last day to buy it is 26 October 2026. Checked 9 October 2026.

Can I still get the COBIT 5 Foundation certification?

ISACA still lists COBIT 5 Foundation on its COBIT 5 Certificates page but does not say whether the exam can still be booked. Check with ISACA directly. Checked 9 October 2026.

Is the COBIT 5 certification exam the same as COBIT 2019?

No. They are built on different framework versions. ISACA describes COBIT 2019 as an evolution of COBIT 5.

What is the COBIT foundation certification called after October 2026?

ISACA replaces the COBIT 2019 Foundations Certificate with the COBIT 7 Foundations Certificate on 27 October 2026. Source: ISACA, checked 9 October 2026.

Does ISACA allow COBIT exam dumps?

ISACA’s COBIT Foundation page does not address dumps. Files of unknown origin cannot be checked for accuracy and may not match your exam version.