Tips to Successfully Passing the GRC Professional Certification Exam

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2 Tips to Successfully Passing the GRC Professional Certification Exam Jason Lee Mefford The GRC Professional Exam is administered by GRC Certify, a sister organization to the Open Compliance and Ethics Group (OCEG). OCEG is a non-profit think tank that helps organizations drive Principled Performance by improving the governance, assurance and management of performance, risk and compliance via: Open Source Framework & Standards Capability Evaluation Criteria & Metrics Education & Certification The premier and foundational certification OCEG offers is the GRC Professional. This certification proves competency in understanding the basics of governance, risk management and compliance in organizations. It proves a general understanding of the OCEG GRC Capability Framework, the most widely accepted GRC standard or framework. It also is the basic requirement, or foundational certification, for obtaining the other OCEG certifications. You are interested in improving your professional qualifications by getting certified on GRC topics, but may not know where to start. This document provides you with some quick tips for successfully passing the GRC Professional certification exam. Don t worry. Many people have been exactly where you are and by following these four tips they have successfully taken and passed the GRC Professional certification exam. In fact, I too was in exactly your situation. Before I started teaching people how to pass the exam, I followed these four tips myself and was successful in passing the exam. In fact I have used these same four tips for passing many different certifications. The tips are: 1. Set a Goal, 2. Understand the Exam, 3. Study, and 4. Collect the Helpful Exam Resources (c) Mefford Multimedia LLC, All Rights Reserved Page 2 of 7

3 Set a Goal You may be surprise to see that my first tip is to set a goal. Research continues to show that we are 10 times more likely to achieve something is we set a goal and write it down. Improving your professional career takes time, effort and a commitment that has to start with a goal. Make sure you goal is: SMART. Specific target a specific area for improvement. Measurable quantify or at least suggest an indicator of progress. Assignable specify who will do it. Realistic state what results can realistically be achieved, given available resources. Time-related specify when the result(s) can be achieved. So how do you do this when studying to pass a certification exam. First, set a specific goal of studying and passing the GRC Professional certification exam. Next set measurable, achievable and realistic milestones to help you meet a particular target date for taking the exam. Finally, actually write it down. A sample of how this could be worded is: I will study for an pass the GRC Professional certification exam by June 30th of this year. I will purchase study materials (e.g. tips document, self study course, webinar, live training) before June 1st with which I can study and will spend 1 hour per day studying for the next two weeks. I will sign up for and take the exam on June 25th. Understand the Exam The GRC Professional certification exam is: Computer based and administered through OCEG. You must sign up for an OCEG All-Access Pass (AAP) membership to take the exam. There is no charge to take the exam when you are an AAP member. This can be done anytime of day, anywhere you have an internet connection. 100 multiple-choice questions are randomly selected from a computerized testing bank. Each exam is unique, but based on pre-defined testing areas either of general GRC knowledge or particular components and elements from the OCEG GRC Capability Model v3.0. The exam is made up of the following testing areas: General GRC Knowledge / Introduction (15%) (c) Mefford Multimedia LLC, All Rights Reserved Page 3 of 7

4 Learn Component (20%) Align Component (30%) Perform Component (35%) Review Component (5%) You have 120 minutes to complete the exam once you start. The exam is open book so you can refer to any documents you need while taking the exam. Study Like any other exam, the only way to really prepare is through study. There are several study options, but with any you need the materials with which to study. Study options include: Self study, Self study course, Webinar, Live in-person training. Self Study - Self study can often be a very lonely endeavor so I have put together this document to help you get organized and develop your own self-study program to help prepare you to pass the GRC Professional certification exam. Since most of the information from the GRC Professional exam is based on the OCEG GRC Capability Model, that will be your main resource for self-study. Self Study Course - A self study course allows you to study for the exam at your own pace using materials compiled by a training company. The materials prepared relieve you from having to develop your own training program and are based on training best practices and years of experience with training people to take a particular exam. Self study courses can be either workbook or video based. Webinar - A webinar is a good middle ground between self study and live training. Often training and time budgets do not allow individuals to take several days away from work to study for a certification exam. Technology now makes it possible to individuals to have live interaction with others through a live webinar format from the comfort of their desk, or another internet connection. Another option with some webinars is the ability to have a self study plus webinar option. This allows you to study the materials in more detail on your own while still having the ability to interact in a live environment where you can have your questions answered. In-Person Live Seminars - Live training provides the best overall learning environment. A professionally designed and delivered live training is the most effective means of imparting knowledge. The three adult learning styles can be addressed so all in (c) Mefford Multimedia LLC, All Rights Reserved Page 4 of 7

5 attendance are able to walk away with and understanding of the materials. The ability to ask questions and network with peers is also a major benefit of live training. It also forces you to take the time out of your schedule to actually learn the material. A listing of upcoming GRC Professional courses offered by OCEG Approved Training Partners can be found on the Events page of the OCEG website. These courses are extremely helpful in preparing to take the exam, as 99% of the individuals who have taken this course passed the exam on their first attempt. Adult Learning Styles - If you are asking yourself what the three adult learning styles are, here s the answer. Knowing your preferred learning style will help you determine your best learning option. Adults learn in one of three preferred methods: Auditory Visual, or Kinesthetic Auditory learners need to hear the information. They learn best is training environments where they hear others speak and have the ability to speak themselves. They are best suited to live in-person or webinar trainings where a trained instructor is delivering content through speaking. Visual learners need to see the information. They learn best with pictures, charts and lists. They need to see slides, pictures and charts. Writing and taking notes is a great learning tool. Kinesthetic learners need to interact with the materials. They need to be manipulating their hands or moving around. Writing and taking notes is a great learning tool. Live inperson trainings that allow for exercises are particularly beneficial for kinesthetic learners. The key is to understand your learning preference and select training materials to match your learning style. (c) Mefford Multimedia LLC, All Rights Reserved Page 5 of 7

6 Helpful Resources Here is a list of helpful resources to have in front of you when you take the GRC Professional certification exam. You will not have time during the exam to refer to the resource materials for each question, but having them in front of you is extremely helpful is you need to take a quick look back at the information on certain questions. Having the documents in front of you will also save valuable minutes you would lose on the exam if you needed to procure the documents during your exam time. OCEG GRC Capability Model v3.0 (Red Book) OCEG Red Book - Components & Elements Graphic Sample GRCP Exam Questions that can be found on the OCEG website You Can Do It You can do it! I know you can do it. Remember many people have been exactly where you are and by following these four tips they have successfully taken and passed the GRC Professional certification exam. In fact, I too was in exactly your situation. Before I started teaching people how to pass the exam, I followed these four tips myself and was successful in passing the exam. In fact I have used these same four tips for passing many different certifications. So remember the tips are: 1. Set a Goal, 2. Understand the Exam, 3. Study, and 4. Collect the Helpful Exam Resources The first step is to just get started. Set a goal right now, write it down, and you will be on your way to passing the GRC Professional certification exam. (c) Mefford Multimedia LLC, All Rights Reserved Page 6 of 7

Jason Lee Mefford President jmefford@meffordassociates.com jasonmefford@mac.

He is currently the President of Mefford Associates, a professional training, coaching and boutique advisory firm.

7 Jason Lee Mefford President office Skype: jasonmefford Jason Mefford is an internationally sought after adviser and speaker on ethics, corporate governance, GRC, and internal audit topics. He is currently the President of Mefford Associates, a professional training, coaching and boutique advisory firm. Jason has been the chief audit executive at two different multi-billion dollar manufacturing companies. In addition to internal audit, he was also responsible for ethics & compliance, risk management and information security. Prior to that he was a manager at both Arthur Andersen and KPMG, performing internal and external audits and advisory services for clients in various industries. He was also a national instructor at both firms. Jason is a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Governance, Risk Management and Compliance Professional (GRCP), GRC Auditor (GRCA), Certified Risk Based Auditor (CRBA), Certification in Risk Management Assurance (CRMA), Certified Government Auditing Professional (CGAP) and Certified Internal Controls Auditor (CICA). He is a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) and is an active IIA volunteer serving at the local and international level. He is currently a fellow with the Open Compliance and Ethics Group (OCEG) a nonprofit think tank that uniquely helps organizations drive Principled Performance by enhancing corporate culture and integrating governance, risk management, and compliance processes. He is a contributing author on the OCEG GRC Capability Model v3.0. He has been recognized by Yale University as a rising star in corporate governance, and was a finalist for the Corporate Secretary Magazine rising star in corporate governance award. Jason is a graduate of Boise State University (BBA in Accountancy) and the University of Southern California s Marshall School of Business (MBA in Business). (c) Mefford Multimedia LLC, All Rights Reserved Page 7 of 7

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