ISSMP certification: the ISC2 CISSP management concentration

What is the ISSMP certification?

ISSMP stands for Information Systems Security Management Professional. It is one of ISC2’s three CISSP concentrations, next to ISSAP (architecture) and ISSEP (engineering), and the one aimed at management. ISC2’s exam outline describes the ISSMP as a security leader who specialises in establishing, presenting and governing information security programs and demonstrates management and leadership skills.

ISC2 states that the ISSMP is ANAB accredited under ISO/IEC Standard 17024 and approved by the U.S. Department of Defense under DoDM 8140. It is meant for people who lead security programmes and want a credential that adds management depth to the CISSP’s breadth.

Source: ISC2 — ISSMP Exam Outline (effective 1 August 2025). Checked 10 October 2026.

How much does the ISSMP exam cost?

ISC2’s standard registration price for the ISSMP — shared with ISSAP and ISSEP — is US$599 in the Americas, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, EUR 575.04 in EMEA and GBP 485.19 in the United Kingdom. ISC2 notes that pricing and taxes depend on the location of the exam.

ISC2 also sells the exam in two packages. Exam Only gives one attempt, to be scheduled and taken within 365 days of purchase. Exam with Peace of Mind Protection includes two attempts within 180 days of purchase. ISC2’s ISSMP page does not show a price for either package or for its training options, so check the figure at checkout.

Source: ISC2 — Exam Pricing. Checked 10 October 2026.

ISSMP exam format and passing score

The ISSMP exam has 125 multiple-choice items and a 3-hour limit — about 86 seconds per question. You need 700 out of 1000 points to pass. The exam is delivered in English at Pearson VUE testing centers.

Management questions rarely have a purely technical answer. Expect scenarios where several options are defensible and the right one is the choice a security leader would make given the business context, the risk appetite and the governance in place.

Source: ISC2 — ISSMP Exam Outline (effective 1 August 2025). Checked 10 October 2026.

ISSMP domains and weights (2025 exam outline)

ISC2 introduced new exam outlines for ISSAP, ISSEP and ISSMP on 1 August 2025. The ISSMP outline has six domains. Leadership and risk management together make up 41% of the exam.

One detail if you compare documents: the weighting table names Domain 1 Leadership and Organizational Management, while the detailed outline and ISC2’s summary page call it Leadership and Operational Management. It is the same domain at the same 21%.

• Domain 1: Leadership and Organizational Management — 21%
• Domain 2: Systems Lifecycle Management — 15%
• Domain 3: Risk Management — 20%
• Domain 4: Security Operations — 18%
• Domain 5: Contingency Management — 12%
• Domain 6: Law, Ethics, and Security Compliance Management — 14%

Source: ISC2 — ISSMP Exam Outline (effective 1 August 2025). Checked 10 October 2026.

ISSMP requirements: experience and CISSP

There are two routes. As a CISSP in good standing, you need two years of cumulative, full-time experience in one or more of the six ISSMP domains. Without the CISSP, you need at least seven years of cumulative, full-time experience in two or more of the domains. ISC2 summarises it as “CISSP + 2 Years or 7 years cumulative”.

A post-secondary degree (bachelor’s or master’s) in computer science, IT or a related field, or an additional credential from ISC2’s approved list, may satisfy one year of the required experience.

ISC2 also states that to become credentialed in an advanced security certification, a candidate must be a CISSP in good standing — so the seven-year route qualifies you to sit the exam, but the CISSP remains part of holding the ISSMP.

Source: ISC2 — ISSMP Exam Outline (effective 1 August 2025). Checked 10 October 2026.

ISSMP study and training resources

Start with the ISSMP Exam Outline: it is the authoritative list of what each domain covers. ISC2 adds its own study aids — The Ultimate Guide to the ISSMP, the official ISSMP flash cards and a short “Think like an ISSMP?” knowledge check.

For structured training, ISC2 offers ISSMP Online Self-Paced Training with 90-day or 180-day access and Online Instructor-Led Training with 180 days of access from the first session, each available with or without the exam. ISC2 also works with official training partners worldwide.

Study by weight: leadership and risk management first, then security operations, systems lifecycle, compliance and contingency. Because every candidate comes through the CISSP or long experience, the challenge is less the vocabulary and more thinking like the person who signs off on the decision.

Source: ISC2 — ISSMP study resources. Checked 10 October 2026.

How do you maintain the ISSMP?

ISC2 certifications run on a three-year cycle with continuing professional education (CPE) credits. If you hold a CISSP and an ISSMP, 20 of the Group A CPE credits required in your CISSP cycle must be directly related to the ISSMP, and ISC2 counts those credits towards the CISSP requirement automatically.

There is one Annual Maintenance Fee of US$135 for members holding the CISSP or a concentration such as ISSMP, and members pay a single AMF regardless of how many certifications they hold — so adding the ISSMP to a CISSP does not add a second fee.

Source: ISC2 — Certification Maintenance Handbook. Checked 10 October 2026.

ISSMP vs CISSP and ISSAP

The CISSP is ISC2’s broad security credential and the foundation for all three concentrations. ISSMP builds on it in one direction — leadership, risk, operations and compliance management — and ISC2 requires CISSP good standing to hold it.

ISSAP is the architecture concentration and ISSEP the engineering one. All three moved to new outlines on 1 August 2025 and share the same ISC2 registration price. Choose the ISSMP if your job is running a security programme rather than designing systems.

Source: ISC2 — New Exam Outlines for ISC2 Advanced Security Certifications. Checked 10 October 2026.

ISSMP salary

ISC2 does not publish ISSMP salary figures on the certification, outline, pricing or resource pages we checked, so we do not quote any. What ISC2 does publish is how the credential is positioned: management and leadership of information security programs, ANAB accreditation and DoDM 8140 approval.

Source: ISC2 — ISSMP certification. Checked 10 October 2026.

ISSMP exam confidentiality

Before you take your ISC2 exam you are asked to agree to the terms of ISC2’s Non-Disclosure Agreement. Collections that claim to be real ISSMP exam questions are not a reliable way to prepare: you cannot verify where they come from or whether they match the 2025 outline, and a scenario-based management exam rewards reasoning, not recall.

Source: ISC2 — Exam Non-Disclosure Agreement. Checked 10 October 2026.

ISSMP practice questions

Certsqill’s ISSMP practice questions come with an explanation for every option and a readiness score per domain, weighted like the 2025 outline — leadership at 21% and risk management at 20% first.

ISSMP questions people ask

What is the ISSMP certification?

ISC2’s Information Systems Security Management Professional, a CISSP concentration for security leaders. Source: ISC2, checked 10 October 2026.

How much does the ISSMP exam cost?

US$599 in the Americas, EUR 575.04 in EMEA, GBP 485.19 in the UK, plus local taxes. Source: ISC2 Exam Pricing, checked 10 October 2026.

How many questions are on the ISSMP exam?

125 multiple-choice items in 3 hours. Source: ISC2 ISSMP Exam Outline, checked 10 October 2026.

What is the ISSMP passing score?

700 out of 1000 points. Source: ISC2 ISSMP Exam Outline, checked 10 October 2026.

Do I need a CISSP for the ISSMP?

ISC2 requires CISSP good standing to hold an advanced certification. To sit the exam: CISSP plus 2 years, or 7 years’ experience. Checked 10 October 2026.

What are the ISSMP domains?

Six: leadership (21%), systems lifecycle (15%), risk (20%), security operations (18%), contingency (12%), law, ethics and compliance (14%). Checked 10 October 2026.

When did the ISSMP outline change?

A new outline took effect on 1 August 2025. Source: ISC2, checked 10 October 2026.

How do I maintain the ISSMP?

Earn 20 ISSMP-related CPE credits within your CISSP cycle and pay the single US$135 AMF. Source: ISC2, checked 10 October 2026.

Is the ISSMP exam offered online?

ISC2’s outline names Pearson VUE testing centers as the delivery method. Checked 10 October 2026.