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Hello, this is me!

Nur Imroatun Sholihat

Your friend in learning IT audit Digital transformation advocate a-pat-on-your-shoulder storyteller

About me

Hello

I'mNur Imroatun Sholihat

IT Auditor and Storyteller

So I heard you are curious about IT and/or auditing. I'm your go-to buddy in this exciting journey. My typical professional life consists of performing (and studying!) IT audit and leading the reporters of the award-winning magazine, Auditoria. Armed with a Master's in Digital Transformation from UNSW Sydney, I'm currently wearing multiple hats—ambassador at IIA Indonesia's Young Leader Community, mentor at ISACA Global, Head of Public Relations at MoF-Cybersecurity Community, and trainer at IIA Indonesia. You'll also find me sharing insights on my YouTube channel, speaking at seminars, and crafting content on LinkedIn. Let's connect and dive into the world of IT and auditing together!

experience

IT Auditor

2017-present

IT governance, cybersecurity, application--my daily struggle, seriously :D

Storyteller

2005-present

Writing keeps me sane :)

Content Creator

2020-present

Creating Youtube videos and LinkedIn posts, hopefully useful

IT Officer

2011-2015

performing IT services--sometimes about people forgot to plug their cords, sometimes serious incidents :p

Blog

MY TIPS TO PASS A CGEIT EXAM

source: westfloridaisaca.org


Hello, everyone. I hope you all are doing well and staying safe. I’m humbled to share that starting this month, I officially got a CGEIT (Certified in Governance of Enterprise IT) designation. I’ve committed to always write down the tips to pass every certification exam I take as my token of gratitude and also to help every aspirant out there. So here is my version of how to pass the CGEIT exam:


(P.S.: some of them are similar to the tips to pass a CISA exam I posted previously as I believed both shared the similar kind of necessary preparations)

 


1. Recalibrate My Mindset


The one thing I realized the most from CGEIT material is that its point of view and way of thinking slightly differ from what I have. While as a practitioner I sometimes have to think practically, the CGEIT exam requires us to think strategically and ideally. So before embarking on the learning journey, I recalibrate my mindset. Besides, I prepared myself to think based on the roles given e.g. audit committee, CIO, CEO, etc, and understand the buzzwords/terms used by them.



2. Study the CGEIT Review Manual and the CGEIT Review Questions, Answers & Explanations (QAE) Manual 


As I mentioned in my post about CISA exam tips, the review and QAE manuals are two sacred references for everyone pursuing ISACA certifications. Take your time to read the books cover to cover especially the QAE Manual since it introduces us to the kinds of questions we will face. Learn the explanation of the answers suggested by the book to get the logic, perspective, and wisdom that ISACA sets out. I also identified my knowledge gaps and wrote down a note containing them. I reread it again whenever I could.


Anyway, please do make sure you study the latest version of these books. For now, the latest CGEIT Review Manual is the 8th edition and the QAE Manual is the 5th edition

 

I took note of everything I'm confused/didn't know about
 

3. Obtain Knowledge and Experience in the IT Governance Field


Having knowledge and experience in the IT governance field is certainly substantial in solving CGEIT exam questions. Regarding acquiring the needed knowledge, my advice is to read lots of references related to IT governance, discuss them with others, or join a community (or anything. Pick your favorite way of absorbing knowledge). Meanwhile, answering some CGEIT exam questions requires the candidate to be equipped with not only knowledge but also experience so real-life exposure will surely be beneficial. Experience shapes our logic, perspective, and wisdom which will make it easier for us to figure the answers out.

 

Besides, in my opinion, it's important to increase your exposure to IT terms and English (especially when IT isn't your major and English is not your first language). Familiarity with IT terms and English is advantageous!

 


4. Exposure to COBIT is Beneficial


If I have to point out one thing that helped me the most when learning the CGEIT material is that I’ve exposed myself to COBIT 5 and COBIT 2019 framework previously. The familiarity with the frameworks accelerated my learning process as CGEIT and COBIT shared the same underlying logic, principles, and way of thinking. They are heavily linked so I recommend everyone who wants to take a CGEIT exam to also read COBIT frameworks (especially the newest one i.e. COBIT 2019).

 


5. Attend CGEIT Review Training


If you want to have a more solid preparation, I suggest you attend the exam preparation training (especially the one held by a training center affiliated with ISACA). However, even if you can't sit in on the training, don’t worry. With or without training, you can still have sufficient preparation.

 


6. Practice Through the Mock Exams


Having a mock exam is essential so that we get used to sitting and thinking without interruption and distraction for hours. Work on the questions until you scored at least 80 out of 100 (the higher, the better). I tried to complete each mock exam in 2 hours to train my quick thinking and ability to finish the exam under pressure. 

 


7. Mind Our Physical and Mental State


Maintaining health and fitness for an exam is vital. Make sure you get enough sleep so that the next morning we are fit to do 150 questions in 4 hours. Also make sure we take our breakfast, arrive at the test center early, and last but not least manage our emotional and mental state. Be calm. You have prepared enough and are ready to face this test. 




8. Pray


I will always repeat this in every exam tips post I write because it is that salient. Pray that we will be at ease in working on those questions. Pray that the questions will favor our knowledge and preparation 😊


9. Miscellaneous Tips


a. First things first, read the syllabus to understand what needs to be understood and the portion of each compared to the whole exam material.

b. Scheduling the exam is one of the best ways to start studying. When I haven't booked an exam date, it feels like there is still a long time to prepare for it. However, when it is already scheduled, I suddenly felt that I had to study immediately :)

c. The knowledge we gained from experience is something to be treated wisely: sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't. The knowledge that we have gained may not be in line with the standards/frameworks set by the ISACA, so we must identify the alignment of our knowledge with the ISACA's body of knowledge.

 


10. Tips During the Exam:


a. If you take the exam at the test center, pay attention to the temperature of the test room. If it is too cold to stay inside for 4 hours, wear a jacket. Also, sit as comfortable as possible. Four hours is not a short time, sweetie. 😊

b. Do it serenely. We have a relatively long time to do it. If we are calm, we’ll be more careful. On exams where there are many tricky questions and answers (and accuracy becomes the key), managing our tranquillity is a must.

c. Be careful with the “almost correct” answers. In general, CGEIT questions leave us with 2 alternative answers that both seem true. Hehe. Make sure you choose the right one, not one which looks like it.

d. Focus on the easy questions first. We can skip the difficult/long questions (don't forget to flag them). We can always come back to them later.

e. The duration of the exam allows us to review the answers. Review the answers as if we do it again from the beginning. Don't get bored just yet even though your stamina and concentration have decreased. Here’s my personal advice: if you haven't so sure about the results, use the 4 hours fully.

f. If you take the option of a proctored exam (like what a friend of mine chose), you have toilet breaks twice (10 minutes each). These breaks are also provided if you take the test in the test center. My friend suggested using the break to regain your balance after working on the questions. (for me, I took a break in the middle of the exam duration.)

g. Don't forget to fill out the post-test questionnaire.


Those are the tips I can share with everyone who wants to take the CGEIT exam. Good luck, everyone. If you have anything to ask, feel free to reach out. It's my pleasure to help you. Cheers!

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Indonesian version: Tips Ujian CGEIT

INVEST IN YOURSELF

image source: greepx.com

Some months ago, a close friend of mine, Iis Setiani, promoted SK II Facial Treatment Essence (FTE) to me. Actually, she had done it many times but only this time did she succeed (talking about persistence, SK II Indonesia should hire her as their influencer *wink 😊). When I argued that the low-priced skincare products are enough for me (and deep down assumed that the effect on my skin isn't significantly inferior to the expensive ones), she convincingly said that the reason she loves this essence dearly was no other than it has improved her skin condition greatly. 

GROUNDED

image source: Maxwell Nelson in unsplash.com

When I was a senior high schooler, I remember almost every cool kid in the school wore Piero shoes (please don’t judge us. In Purworejo at that time, the shoes were a subtle sign you are well off. Hihi). So like every other kid, I asked my parents to buy me one. I mean the pair wasn’t that expensive so it wasn’t too much to ask, right?


However, my parents were against the notion. I couldn’t own the shoes since we didn’t have the luxury to afford them while projecting our future where the children could live well. Coming from a modest background, we needed to do frugal living and save money so that both my brother and I could attend colleges, secure good jobs, and live better than my family did. Because of that long-term mission, we didn’t have the privilege to possess the things we wanted, even the seemingly inexpensive ones. It was frustrating that even the relatively cheap stuff for other people wasn’t affordable for us. Was I finally okay with that? Of course not. For kids at that age, it was totally disappointing. 


For years, I brought the disappointment of not being able to own the “cool” stuff along with my life as I can’t wear beautiful clothes, stylish shoes, bags from popular brands, etc. I basically have to wear the cheaper everything so that the family’s dreams were achievable. What happened next was that I promised myself to live a comfortable life where I can acquire the items I want to have in the future. I worked hard to ensure that I could succeed so the money problem won’t bother me anymore. 


However, when the time has finally come, for example, now that I can purchase the shoes with my own money, surprisingly, I didn’t buy one. Even when I could afford the goods from the more expensive brands, I was still the person who wore relatively cheaper things than what people around me did. Not that I am not interested in the luxurious stuff. Of course, as a human, I like to be clad in branded items. However, the experience of not having the things I wanted has put me into this perspective: I need to be aware of whether I need something or just want it. That the hard-earned money should be spent wisely as I am also grateful for the life I have today. That I need to be patient because, in life,  my dreams may or may not come true.


Seeing it from my current standpoint, the experience I had in the past was what grounded and humbled me. I had walked so far to be here so all I have is to be thankful for the life I have today.  Whenever I feel that my day sucks, I remember all those days when everything seemed so far away. It was such a humbling reminder. 


However, if I have to mention one precious lesson that I learned from that experience is to not judge everything harshly. My past self was upset with my parents even though maybe it was already the best they could do for me. Maybe they already did all they could to support me yet for me it wasn’t enough. Perhaps it was the best experience for the young me to embrace the future yet I was ridiculously ungrateful. So I beg myself to not be too hard on anyone (including me) since maybe they already provided/did the best they could.


If I could go back to the 16 years old self of mine, I would just hug her and tell her not to be upset over this matter. (Hey I can’t stop crying typing this part). The old me who was sad over the trivial things, look at you now. You are fine. You are completely fine. You walked properly in the right direction even without the dream Piero shoes.


So my dear self, even when you couldn’t have something, please remember that everything is still okay. You’ll be fine, as always. 


Love, 

iim


UNDERSTANDING WHAT TRULY MATTERS

image source: gene.com

(For weeks, I wrote a bunch of halfway done writings and can finish nothing so I am beyond happy to finally be able to publish one.)


When I was in the period of entering senior high school, my dad said something to me who just learned to ride a motorcycle: “Don’t rush on the road. What you are after, Im, that you need to speeding?”. He said that too many times as if I couldn’t truly comprehend it by hearing it once. Indeed my dad agreed with the Javanese proverb: alon-alon waton kelakon (I don’t even know how to translate this saying hihihi. The closest I could come up with are the phrases ‘slowly but surely', ‘what’s the hurry?’ or ‘wise men are never in a hurry' depending on which aspect we want to emphasize.)

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Jakarta, Indonesia

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