Exam format
ISSMPWhat the ISSMP exam looks like
ISSMP has 125 questions in 180 minutes, multiple choice and advanced item types. Every figure on this page is read from the official exam page and linked to it.
How many questions, and how long
ISC2 states 125 questions for ISSMP, with a time limit of 180 minutes. That is about 1.4 minutes a question, including the time it takes to read the stem and the options.
The count is fixed, but the score is scaled rather than counted, so no fixed number of questions you can miss follows from it.
What the questions look like
Multiple choice and ISC2's advanced item types. There is no lab and no simulation, so the practice that matters is reading a scenario and choosing well.
What passes
The passing score for ISSMP is 700 on the vendor's scaled range.
If you do not pass
A retake costs another $599.
How long it stays valid
ISSMP is valid for 3 years from the day you pass. ISC2 operates a three-year certification cycle with automatic recertification once CPE credit and annual maintenance fee requirements are met. Holders who also have a CISSP must earn 20 Group A CPE credits annually, 60 over the cycle, directly related to the ISSMP; holders without a CISSP are listed at 47 annually and 140 over the cycle. A single annual maintenance fee of U.S. $135 applies regardless of how many ISC2 certifications are held. ISC2 runs a three-year cycle. Renewal is CPE credits plus the annual maintenance fee, and the fee covers every ISC2 certification you hold.
What this means for practice
Our ISSMP practice exams are assembled to the published domain weightings and sat against a 180-minute clock, in exam conditions or in study mode. Every answer shows the official page it was checked against.
Keep reading
- ISSMP exam overview
The format, the domain weights and the renewal terms, sourced line by line.
- ISSMP passing score
The exact cut score, what kind of number it is, and the retake terms.
- How hard is ISSMP?
An honest difficulty read from the format, the clock and the weights.