What Is the AAISM Passing Score? A Clear Guide On How ISACA Scales Your Results

If you’re preparing for the Advanced in AI Security Management (AAISM) exam, one of the first questions on your mind is likely: What passing score do I need? Most candidates may have heard that the total score is either 800 or 900. But which one is the correct answer?

Understanding this standard is crucial because it helps you plan your study strategy, prioritize weak areas, and set realistic goals for your exam day. It can also direct you to your priorities on which domains to focus on.

In this guide, you will learn exactly what you need to pass to build your confidence as you prepare for the AAISM exam. Let’s explore how the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) scales your AAISM passing score.

AAISM Passing Score: The Official Requirement

To officially pass the AAISM exam, you need a scaled score of 450 out of 800. This standard aligns with ISACA’s other major certifications, such as the Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) and the Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), reflecting a consistent benchmark across its suite of security and risk-oriented credentials.

It’s important to note that the 450/800 score refers to a converted scale, not a straightforward percentage of correct answers. That means you can’t simply equate 56% correct answers with a passing grade. Some online sources mistakenly claim the passing threshold is 900 points, but the only officially recognized passing standard is 450 on the 200 to 800 scale.

The 450-point cutoff represents the minimum level of proficiency determined by ISACA’s certification working groups. After you finish the exam, your results will include a breakdown by domain, showing how you performed in the different areas tested.

Keep in mind, the percentage weight of each domain does not directly affect your scaled score. Instead, the exam result is based on the total number of correctly answered items (minus any unscored pretest items) across all domains. In other words, you could do better in some domains and worse in others, but what really matters is your overall scaled score.

AAISM Passing Score: The Official Requirement

Getting familiar with how ISACA scores your AAISM exam can help you set realistic expectations before you take the test. Unlike simple percentage-based grading, ISACA uses a scaled scoring system to account for differences in difficulty across different exam versions, hence ensuring fairness. By knowing how scaling works, you’d be better positioned to plan your exam preparation and aim for a target score more effectively.

What Scaled Scoring Means for AAISM

Your raw score represents the number of questions you answered correctly, but ISACA doesn’t report this number outright. Instead, it converts your raw results into a scaled score within a range of 200 to 800.

A scaled score harmonizes results across different exam forms. That way, even if you encountered a harder version of the exam than someone else, your performance is evaluated on a level playing field.

Why Scaled Scoring Exists

Since no two exams are exactly alike, some questions may be slightly more complex than others. Scaled scoring ensures that all candidates are assessed against the same standard, regardless of which version they took.

This means that your final score is based on your demonstrated competence, not on whether you happened to receive a harder or easier test form.

What the Passing Threshold of 450 Implies

To pass AAISM, a passing score of 450 or higher on the 200 to 800 scale is required.

While 450 roughly translates to about 56.25% of the total of 800 questions, that’s a misleading way to interpret it, because the scaling adapts to the difficulty of the exam version you’ve taken and doesn’t directly translate to a percentage of questions correct.

Based on community reports from similar exams from other ISACA credentials, many candidates estimate they needed to answer roughly 70 to 75% of items correctly to reach the passing threshold, though ISACA does not officially publish this conversion.

Role of Domain Weightings in Scaled Scoring

AAISM is divided into three domains, which refer to different topic areas covered in the test: governance, risk management, and technical controls.

Each domain has a corresponding weighting that indicates how large the portion of questions it represents. However, these percentages don’t directly influence your final scaled score. Instead, they serve only to tell you how the exam is structured, helping you plan your study time without worrying that one domain’s weight will skew your overall result.

Understanding how ISACA’s scaling works removes common misconceptions around percentages or “cut-offs.” What matters is overall mastery across the full exam, consistency in answering correctly, and familiarity with the breadth of topics. Focus your preparation on conceptual clarity and consistent performance across all domains. That’s what the scaling system rewards.

How ISACA Converts Your Raw Score to a Scaled Score

Behind the AAISM exam’s scoring system is a process called psychometric scaling. This method confirms that your performance is evaluated fairly, no matter which version of the exam you take. Instead of simply counting how many questions you answered correctly, the system also considers how difficult those questions were and adjusts your score accordingly.

Defining Psychometric Conversion

After you finish the exam, ISACA’s scoring model analyzes every question you answered and compares your performance against statistical data gathered from previous and current test-takers. Your raw score (the number of correct answers) is then converted into a scaled score within the standardized 200 to 800 range. This scaled score provides a more accurate measure of your overall competency than a basic point total could.

Differences in Difficulty per Question

Not all exam questions carry the same level of difficulty. Some are intentionally more complex or require higher-level analytical thinking. During scoring, these harder questions carry slightly more weight in the conversion model. This means that performing well on difficult items can strengthen your scaled score more than answering a larger number of easier questions correctly.

Same Raw Scores Can Lead to Different Scaled Scores

It’s possible for two candidates to each get 70 out of 100 questions correctly but end up with different scaled scores. This happens because the mix of questions and their respective difficulty levels can vary between test forms. Even within the same form, two people may perform differently on easy versus hard questions. ISACA’s psychometric model accounts for these variations to make the final score fair and consistent across all testing conditions.

How Standardization Ensures Fairness

In simple terms, at the core of scaling is fairness. By adjusting for difficulty differences across exam versions, ISACA ensures that every exam administration meets the same competency benchmark, so no one gains an unfair advantage based on which version of the exam they took. This standardized approach means that earning a 450 today represents the same proficiency as a 450 earned last year or any year.

What Does the AAISM Passing Score Mean for You? 

The AAISM passing score of 450 out of 800 might look straightforward on paper, but what it represents goes well beyond a percentage. While many candidates estimate that 450 translates to roughly 56 to 60%, this is only a loose approximation.

Since question difficulty and psychometric weighting influence your final scaled score, there is no fixed number of correct answers that guarantee a pass. What you can rely on is the fact that AAISM follows a similar scoring philosophy to other ISACA certifications, so if you’ve taken something like CISM or CISSP, you’re already familiar with how this system behaves.

In practical terms, the AAISM exam rewards consistency, not perfection. You can miss a fair number of questions and still pass if you perform strongly across moderate and difficult items. This also means you shouldn’t chase the bare minimum of 450; instead, aim higher to create a buffer. Setting a personal target of 500 to 550 gives you more certainty and reduces test-day pressure.

Actionable Tip for Your Study Strategy:

Before exam day, take time to review each domain and honestly assess where you feel most and least confident. Build your study plan around strengthening weaker topics without losing touch with your stronger areas. This balanced approach boosts your chances of landing comfortably above the minimum passing score and prepares you for variability in question difficulty.

If you don’t pass on your first attempt, use your score report and any patterns you noticed in practice exams to identify areas that require more attention. Redirect more of your study time there instead of spreading your effort evenly across all topics. This method strengthens what you already know while deliberately correcting your blind spots, giving you a more reliable path to a 450+ scaled score.

AAISM Score Reporting and Results

After completing the AAISM exam, you’ll immediately see whether you passed or failed, along with your official scaled score on the 200 to 800 scale. Your score report also provides domain-level performance feedback, giving you a clear look at how you performed in each of the three exam domains.

This breakdown is especially valuable because it highlights both your strengths and the areas that may need improvement, even if you passed overall. Official results are typically released within a short processing period and remain valid for certification applications for up to five years. Once certified, your credential reflects that you’ve met ISACA’s advanced standard for AI security management, supported by its global scoring and evaluation framework.

What Happens If You Don’t Pass?

If you don’t pass the AAISM exam on your first attempt, ISACA allows retakes, but you must follow their waiting periods and pay the retake fee before scheduling again. As suggested earlier, use the score report to identify specific domains where your performance fell short.

Remember that your AAISM registration remains valid for 12 months, and all attempts must be completed within that period. When preparing for your second attempt, focus heavily on your weaker domains, practice scenario-based decision-making, and refine your pacing strategies to strengthen your overall performance.

Tips for Applying AAISM Passing Score Knowledge Strategically

When you know what strategies and tactics you need to pass your exam, you’ll find it much easier to plan your preparations efficiently.

Here are practical tips to help you turn the passing score into actionable steps for exam success.

1. Adjust your study focus based on scaled score implications

Because the AAISM exam uses a scaled scoring system, each question can carry different “weights” depending on its difficulty, which means not every mistake affects your final result equally. This makes balanced preparation essential. Aim for solid performance across the entire exam, rather than leaning too heavily on one domain. Focus on building steady, consistent knowledge so you’re prepared for both foundational and more complex, scenario-driven questions.

2. Set your personal score target above 450

Aiming just for the minimum passing score for AAISM leaves little margin for error, especially on challenging scenario questions. Setting a higher target encourages more disciplined study and gives you more breathing room on test day. This mindset shift helps you stay calm and confident as you work through tougher items without feeling pressured by the exact cut score.

3. Use practice exams to simulate scoring and pacing

Practice tests provide a realistic sense of how quickly you can move through questions and where your pacing tends to slow down. By reviewing your results, you can estimate how close you are to reaching a passing scaled-score range. These simulations also train you to switch between multiple-choice and scenario-based formats without losing your pacing.

4. Consider domain feedback to optimize your preparation

Even though domain weights don’t directly determine your scaled score, they offer valuable insight into where your preparation needs the most attention. If you consistently score lower in a domain with high complexity, like AI Technologies & Controls, that’s a clear signal to revisit those topics. Using domain feedback this way ensures you focus on the areas that will have the biggest impact on your final performance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are quick answers to the most common questions about the AAISM exam, its passing score, and how it compares with other certifications.

Get Ready to Pass AAISM With Confidence and Clarity

The AAISM exam introduces challenges that traditional cybersecurity certifications don’t fully address. On top of that, you must already hold either a CISSP or a CISM to qualify. What this implies is that the AAISM is demanding before you even begin, so preparation and strategic planning are essential.

To get marks higher than the AAISM passing score, it’s definitely useful to review both your strongest and weakest domains so you can adjust your study plan with intention. This keeps you from spreading your effort too thin and lets you focus on the areas that boost your overall performance the fastest.

Let Destination Certification support that preparation, so you can get certified with confidence. Our three-day intensive online AAISM BootCamp covers the AI threat landscape, AI-specific risk assessment frameworks, governance and compliance strategies, and incident response methodologies — equipping you with the right skills, knowledge, and structure for exam success.

Explore Destination Certification today and how our expert-led courses can put you in the best position to pass on your first attempt.