Our Qualifications Team is hard at work ensuring that ISC2
examinations and certifications are among the most highly regarded
in the world. Each examination is in a continuous cycle of
evolution. Throughout this process, there are a few places where
volunteers can share their knowledge.
Participating in these opportunities allows you to make a lasting impact on ISC2 certifications and the future of the cybersecurity profession. ISC2 members can benefit from these activities by building their professional portfolios, connecting with a global network of peers and earning CPE credit for their time.
In our rapidly changing profession, there’s no downtime. ISC2 holds exam development workshops throughout the year to update and refresh the item (aka question) banks and create new exam forms.
ISC2 Exam Development - be a part of the rigorous exam development process
As a practitioner working in cybersecurity, you are the Subject Matter Expert (SME) in the daily tasks executed by today’s professionals and the skills needed to complete them successfully. Volunteers engage in surveys and workshops to create and refresh ISC2 examinations.
Job Task Analysis (JTAs) are a great way to get started. In addition to participating in a workshop to review and recommend updates to the current exam outline, a survey is emailed to all current ISC2 members who hold the certification being reviewed. We ask that, upon receipt, you complete the survey linked in the email – it's that simple! Following the survey, another workshop is held to finalize the exam outline. Our next JTA is always just around the corner, the ISSMP survey will open on April 30, 2024.
Further, SMEs participate in workshops focusing on the creation and review of exam content. These workshop volunteers are responsible for developing, establishing, evaluating and revising exam items.
Additional workshops focus on Item Mapping, which maintains the quality and currency of exam item banks and Standard Setting, where volunteers collaborate to set fair, appropriate and industry-accepted competence levels, recommend passing scores and more.
ISC2 Unified Body of Knowledge
You can join a group of global volunteers in developing the cybersecurity industry’s first Unified Body of Knowledge. The result will be a publicly available and easily accessible compendium to support the educational needs of cyber professionals. It will also help policymakers, regulators and government agencies identify the skills and practices necessary to secure organizations of all sizes more effectively. Opportunities include:
- Technical Advisory Panel – SMEs collaborate to inventory existing content and knowledge sources related to each certification. In these sessions, members evaluate the quality, relevance and accuracy of the existing content to identify outdated or redundant materials and assess gaps in knowledge.
- Content Advisory Panel – A second group of SMEs evaluate the Technical Advisory Panel’s submissions for quality, accuracy, relevance and adherence to editorial guidelines and standards. This group assesses the scientific, technical and literary merit of submissions and provides detailed feedback.
- Request for Comment – In each cycle of development for the Unified Body of Knowledge, the acquired information so far is available to the greater cybersecurity community to weigh in on. This period is open for a limited number of days, we look forward to our first publicly available session coming soon.
Get Involved
This month is ISC2gether Volunteer Month, a time when we share our gratitude for those who gift their time to support our vision of a safe and secure cyber world. There’s no better time to revisit all the ISC2 volunteer opportunities. To begin your journey as a volunteer and become a part of ISC2 history, complete the application form at https://www.isc2.org/volunteer.