CGEIT certification: exam, cost and requirements

What is the CGEIT certification?

CGEIT stands for Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT. It is issued by ISACA, the association behind CISA, CISM and CRISC, and ISACA positions it at the executive end of its portfolio: the CGEIT page describes it as proof of expertise in strategic IT enterprise governance at the executive level.

The ISACA CGEIT certification is not just an exam result. You pass the exam first, then apply for certification with documented experience, and only once ISACA approves the application do you hold the credential. ISACA gives you five years from your passing date to submit that application.

The audience is people who already shape how IT supports the enterprise — governance leads, IT directors, advisers and those in oversight roles — rather than people starting out in IT.

Source: ISACA — CGEIT certification. Checked 10 October 2026.

How much does the CGEIT exam cost?

ISACA lists the CGEIT exam at US$575 for members and US$760 for non-members. The difference of US$185 is the main reason many candidates look at ISACA membership before they register.

Passing does not finish the bill. To turn the result into the certification you pay a one-time US$50 application processing fee when you submit your experience. After that, keeping the credential active depends on meeting ISACA’s CPE policy each year.

ISACA prices its preparation products — the review manual, the questions database and its training — separately. The CGEIT page does not print those prices in its summary, so check them in the ISACA store before you budget.

Source: ISACA — CGEIT certification. Checked 10 October 2026.

CGEIT exam format and passing score

The CGEIT exam has 150 multiple-choice questions and a time limit of four hours, the same length ISACA sets for CISA, CRISC and CISM. That works out to about 1.6 minutes per question if you use the full time.

ISACA reports results on a scaled score from 200 to 800, and you need 450 or higher to pass. The scaled score is not a percentage of correct answers, so “450 out of 800” should not be read as 56% correct.

The exam is computer-based. You can take it at an authorized PSI testing center or as a remotely proctored exam. Registration is continuous, and once you register you have a six-month eligibility period in which to sit the exam.

If you do not pass, ISACA allows four attempts within a rolling 12-month period, with waiting periods of 30 days before the second attempt and 90 days before the third and fourth.

Source: ISACA — Certification Exam Candidate Guide (Version 1.26). Checked 10 October 2026.

What is on the CGEIT exam?

ISACA’s CGEIT Exam Content Outline splits the 150 questions across four job practice domains. Governance of Enterprise IT alone carries 40% of the exam, so it deserves the largest share of your study time; Benefits Realization is next at 26%.

The weighting mirrors the experience rule: ISACA requires at least one year of your experience to relate to Domain 1, the same domain that dominates the exam.

• Domain 1: Governance of Enterprise IT — 40%
• Domain 2: IT Resources — 15%
• Domain 3: Benefits Realization — 26%
• Domain 4: Risk Optimization — 19%

Source: ISACA — CGEIT Exam Content Outline. Checked 10 October 2026.

CGEIT requirements: experience and application

The core requirement is experience. ISACA asks for a minimum of five years managing, serving in an advisory or oversight role, or otherwise supporting the governance of the IT-related contribution to an enterprise. That experience must fall within the 10 years before your application date.

There are two further conditions on that experience. It must span at least three of the four CGEIT domains, and at least one year of it must relate to Domain 1, Governance of Enterprise IT. ISACA’s CGEIT page does not list any experience waivers or substitutions.

Beyond experience, you need to pass the exam, pay the US$50 application fee, agree to ISACA’s Code of Professional Ethics and follow its Continuing Professional Education Policy. You can sit the exam before you have the full five years, but you have to apply within five years of passing.

Source: ISACA — Get CGEIT Certified. Checked 10 October 2026.

CGEIT training, courses and study materials

ISACA offers CGEIT training in two forms on its CGEIT page — group training and self-paced training — along with study resources in several languages. If you prefer an intensive classroom course or boot camp format, ask the provider whether it follows the current CGEIT Exam Content Outline and its four domain weightings; that outline is the only authoritative scope.

For self-study, ISACA publishes the CGEIT Review Manual in digital and print versions and the CGEIT Questions, Answers & Explanations Database, which ISACA describes as a 300-question pool. Members can also join ISACA’s Engage CGEIT study groups.

A sensible study order is to read the content outline first, map your own experience against the four domains, and spend most of your time where the weighting is high and your experience is thin.

Source: ISACA — CGEIT certification. Checked 10 October 2026.

CGEIT practice questions, practice quiz and exam dumps

ISACA itself provides a free CGEIT practice quiz on the CGEIT page and sells the larger questions database. Both are practice material, not copies of the live exam.

An exam dump is a different matter. ISACA’s Exam Candidate Guide prohibits sharing, disclosing or discussing exam content and copying, recording or memorising exam content to re-create it. The listed consequences include voiding the exam, revoking ISACA membership and any certifications held, and a ban from all ISACA exams. Material that claims to contain real CGEIT exam questions puts the credential at risk rather than preparing you for it.

Source: ISACA — Certification Exam Candidate Guide (Version 1.26). Checked 10 October 2026.

How do you maintain the CGEIT certification?

CGEIT holders must attain and report at least 120 Continuing Professional Education (CPE) hours in each three-year reporting period, with a minimum of 20 CPE hours every year. The annual minimum means you cannot leave everything to the last year of the cycle.

Log CPE as you earn it rather than reconstructing it at the end of the period. Which activities qualify, and how they are reported, is set out in ISACA’s Continuing Professional Education Policy, which is part of the certification requirements.

Source: ISACA — Get CGEIT Certified. Checked 10 October 2026.

Is the CGEIT certification worth it? Salary and comparison with CISA, CISM and CRISC

ISACA’s CGEIT page shows “US$141K+” as an average annual salary, says more than 8,000 professionals hold CGEIT, and states that 22% received a pay boost. The page does not say where the salary figure comes from or how it was measured, so treat it as ISACA’s own marketing figure, not as a benchmark for your market.

Whether CGEIT is worth it depends mostly on your role. The experience rule means it is aimed at people already doing IT governance work; for them it documents that experience in an ISACA credential. For someone without that background, the exam alone does not lead to the certification.

Compared with ISACA’s other major exams, CGEIT shares the format — four hours, the 200–800 scale and the 450 pass mark apply to CISA, CRISC, CISM and CGEIT alike. The difference is focus: CGEIT is about how IT is directed and governed across the enterprise, while CISA centres on audit, CISM on security management and CRISC on IT risk.

Source: ISACA — CGEIT certification. Checked 10 October 2026.

CGEIT practice questions on Certsqill

Certsqill’s CGEIT practice questions are expert-developed: every question comes with an explanation for every answer option, and your readiness score is shown per domain, so you can see whether Governance of Enterprise IT — 40% of the exam — is where it needs to be.

CGEIT questions people ask

What does CGEIT stand for?

Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT, a certification issued by ISACA. Source: ISACA CGEIT page, checked 10 October 2026.

How much does the CGEIT exam cost?

US$575 for ISACA members and US$760 for non-members, plus a one-time US$50 application fee after you pass. Source: ISACA, checked 10 October 2026.

How many questions are on the CGEIT exam?

150 multiple-choice questions in four hours. Source: ISACA Exam Candidate Guide 1.26, checked 10 October 2026.

What is the CGEIT passing score?

450 on ISACA’s scaled range of 200 to 800. Source: ISACA Exam Candidate Guide 1.26, checked 10 October 2026.

What are the CGEIT requirements?

Five years of IT governance experience within the 10 years before you apply, across at least three of the four domains and with at least one year in Domain 1. Source: ISACA, checked 10 October 2026.

Can I take the CGEIT exam online?

Yes. ISACA offers it at PSI testing centers or as a remotely proctored exam. Source: ISACA CGEIT page, checked 10 October 2026.

How many times can I retake the CGEIT exam?

Up to four attempts in a rolling 12-month period, with waits of 30, 90 and 90 days between attempts. Source: ISACA Exam Candidate Guide 1.26, checked 10 October 2026.

Where can I find official CGEIT study material?

ISACA offers the CGEIT Review Manual, a questions database, a free practice quiz, group and self-paced training, and member study groups. Source: ISACA CGEIT page, checked 10 October 2026.

How do I keep CGEIT active?

Report at least 120 CPE hours per three-year period, with at least 20 each year. Source: ISACA, checked 10 October 2026.