You can see it againUnder pressure people bring back shapes and positions long after the wording has gone.
Picture superiority · Shepard 1967, Standing 1973
GIAC (SANS)GIAC iOS and macOS Examiner
The GIAC iOS and macOS Examiner (GIME) certification validates a practitioner's computer forensic analysis and incident response skills for Mac and iOS systems. It is designed for experienced digital forensic analysts, law enforcement officers, and incident responders who need to analyze data from any Apple device. Earning GIME demonstrates you can conduct traditional investigations and intrusion analysis scenarios for compromised Apple devices.
Exam formatProctored exam
Duration120 minutes
DeliveryGIAC
Passing score67%
Free questions403
Content last reviewed 30 July 2026 · Up to date
The certification
What GIAC iOS and macOS Examiner proves, and what it asks of you
What this certification covers, who it is written for, and what the exam itself looks like on the day.
4domains
13objectives
51concepts
What it is
What this certification is
What it validates, who it is written for, and the experience it assumes.
About this certification
The GIAC iOS and macOS Examiner (GIME) certification validates a practitioner's computer forensic analysis and incident response skills for Mac and iOS systems. GIME certification holders are qualified to carry out traditional investigations as well as intrusion analysis scenarios for compromised Apple devices. The certification covers Mac and iOS file systems, system triage, application data, incident response, malware, intrusion analysis, user data, and timeline analysis.
GIME is designed for experienced digital forensic analysts, law enforcement officers, federal agents, detectives, media exploitation analysts, incident response team members, and information security professionals seeking expertise in macOS and iOS system internals. It is also ideal for SANS DFIR alumni looking to round out their forensic skills. The certification ensures that practitioners are tool-independent and can tackle any Mac or iOS investigation, whether traditional forensics or incident response.
Who it’s for
The GIME certification is for experienced digital forensic analysts, law enforcement officers, federal agents, detectives, media exploitation analysts, and incident response team members who need to analyze data from Apple devices. It is also for information security professionals seeking expertise in macOS and iOS system internals, and SANS DFIR alumni looking to round out their forensic skills. Candidates should have a strong foundation in digital forensics and incident response, and be comfortable working with Mac and iOS systems. The certification is designed for practitioners who need to conduct traditional investigations as well as intrusion analysis scenarios for compromised Apple devices.
Recommended experience
Practical work experience in digital forensics and incident response, along with training or self-paced study, is recommended to ensure mastery of the skills necessary for certification. Practical work experience in digital forensics and incident response; College-level courses or self-paced study through other programs or materials; SANS training, including the FOR518 course, or equivalent knowledge
The syllabus
What you’ll learn
Every domain and objective GIAC (SANS) measures, with the weight they carry on the exam.
The official GIAC (SANS) exam outline · checked 30 July 2026 · See the source
Apple Operating System Fundamentals
- Introduction to Apple Operating Systems
- Introduction to Disk and File Systems
- Application Fundamentals
Forensic Analysis and Artifacts
- Apple File System Artifacts
- Log Analysis and Timeline Creation
- Pattern of Life
Application and Data Analysis
- Apple Application Analysis
- Productivity Application Analysis
- Document and iCloud analysis
Incident Response and Advanced Techniques
- Apple Systems Triage
- Incident Response
- Encrypted Container and Memory Analysis
- User Data and System Configuration
On the day
The exam itself
Everything GIAC (SANS) publishes about sitting it, and nothing we inferred.
Prerequisites
No mandatory prerequisites — this certification has no required predecessor exam or credential.
CertificationGIAC iOS and macOS Examiner
Exam formatProctored exam
Duration120 minutes
Questions75 questions
Passing score67%
DeliveryGIAC
LanguagesEnglish
After you pass
Where this credential goes next
The path GIAC (SANS) lays out, how the credential is kept, and where to book.
Step-by-step path to GIAC iOS and macOS Examiner
Credential earnedGIAC iOS and macOS Examiner Certification Renewal and maintenance
GIAC certifications must be renewed every four years. Renew by earning 36 CPE credits or retaking the exam. Stay current with the latest technologies and maintain your certification.
Learn more about renewal requirements Lifecycle status
This certification is currently active and available. GIAC (SANS) maintains this certification to validate current skills and industry relevance.
Exam status: ActiveMaintained by GIAC (SANS)
Exam registration
Register for the exam through GIAC, GIAC (SANS)’s authorized testing partner.
Schedule your examVisit the official GIAC (SANS) certification page for exam policies and requirements.
View the official pageYour coach
And when you are serious, your coach Pip takes over
Your coach in the app reads what you have answered with the book closed and tells you one thing to do tonight. It will not count an answer you gave with the page open, and it will tell you when you are not ready.
See how the coach worksBefore you book
Questions people ask
How does GIME relate to other GIAC forensics certifications?
GIME is a Practitioner certification that focuses specifically on Mac and iOS systems. It complements other GIAC forensics certifications like GCFA (Windows) and GX-FE (Experienced Forensics Examiner) by providing Apple-specific skills.
Is there a hands-on or lab component in the GIME exam?
The GIME exam is a proctored exam with 75 questions. It does not include a CyberLive hands-on component, which is used in some other GIAC certifications.
What is the retake policy for the GIME exam?
GIAC does not publicly specify a retake policy for the GIME exam. Candidates should refer to their GIAC account for details on retake policies.
Can I earn CPE credits for renewing my GIME certification by taking other GIAC exams?
Yes, GIAC allows renewal by retaking the exam or earning CPE credits. Passing other GIAC exams may also count toward CPE credits for renewal.
What job roles does the GIME certification map to?
GIME is designed for experienced digital forensic analysts, law enforcement officers, federal agents, detectives, media exploitation analysts, and incident response team members.
Are there any regional restrictions for taking the GIME exam?
GIAC exams are available globally through remote proctoring via ProctorU and onsite proctoring via PearsonVUE. There are no specific regional restrictions mentioned.
Information freshness · Content last reviewed on 2026-07-30 Up to date
Practice free questions 403 questions, free, no account needed.
The curriculum
The whole exam, mapped and written
Every domain, every objective, and every concept GIAC (SANS) measures — each one written out.
4domains
13objectives
51concepts
85free pages
The domains, and what sits inside them
Every objective below is a page you can open and practise now, without an account.
The official GIAC (SANS) exam outline · checked 30 July 2026 · See the source
1Apple Operating System Fundamentals81 questions
2Forensic Analysis and Artifacts94 questions
3Application and Data Analysis109 questions
4Incident Response and Advanced Techniques119 questions
Not a table of contents
Every line on this map already opens
In front of every objective the practice pages are already there, free and without an account. This is one objective, opened.
Introduction to Apple Operating Systems6 pagesOpen →
Free in front of it
28 questions on this objective, five to a page. Every range above is a real page, open now, with no account.
Reading the map is not the same as knowing the ground
The curriculum tells you what is on the exam. Proving you know it is a different job — and it is the one the closed-book run does.
Free questions
403 questions. No account, no card.
The whole bank is open. 5 questions to a page, every answer explained, and a discussion thread on each one.
403questions
85pages
13objectives
Freealways
Browse by domain
Every objective, and every page range, is a link — so you can pick up exactly where you left off.
1Apple Operating System Fundamentals81 questions
2Forensic Analysis and Artifacts94 questions
3Application and Data Analysis109 questions
4Incident Response and Advanced Techniques119 questions
What a practice page gives you
1Five to a page
Short enough to finish, long enough to matter.
2Every answer explained
Not only which one is right — why the others are wrong.
3A discussion on each
Ask, answer, and vote. Every question has its own thread.
A question, and the idea behind it
Every question comes from a concept
These are not trivia. Each one is written against a concept in the book, so when you get one wrong there is somewhere to go and find out why.
The visual book
See it once. Carry it into the exam.
The pages shown here come from our AI-900 book — an example of how each concept is written in plain language and, where the idea needs one, drawn as a full page you can take in at a glance.
51concepts
403free questions
Why a picture, and not another paragraph
Three reasons, and each one is a real finding rather than a slogan.
You can see it againThe whole idea at onceWhere it starts, what happens in the middle, what comes out, and the mistake to avoid.
Multimedia principle · MayerThe look-alikes sit togetherThe pairs the exam tests are drawn side by side, so the difference is seen, not told.
Dual coding · PaivioWhat one page is made of
You are never asked to read a poster here — only to see how one is built. After that, every other page is legible at a glance.
1A numbered strip on top
The idea as a sequence, followed with a finger before a word is read.
2Panels for the parts
What it is, how the machine learns it, when it is the right tool.
3The trap, framed
The distinction the exam tests, given its own box instead of buried in prose.
4One line at the bottom
The sentence to carry into the exam room.
Open book, on purpose
Answer it with the picture beside you
This is the part that teaches. The illustration and the written explanation stay where they are while you work, so a scenario stops being a memory test and becomes something you can simply look at.
It teaches · it does not count
A smartphone uses AI to unlock when the owner looks at the camera. Which AI capability is being used?
AImage classification
BFacial recognition
COptical character recognition
DObject detection
Look at the five steps. Detect finds a face, align straightens it, encode turns it into numbers, search compares it with a stored face, and decide answers one question: is this the same person? Classification would only say “a face”. Detection would only draw a box. Neither decides whose.
Then the page shuts, and it starts counting
The same questions come back with the book closed — that run is the one that counts. After it, your coach picks one thing for tonight, sized to the time you have, and brings pages back before you lose them.
Testing effect · Roediger & Karpicke 2006 · spacing effect · Cepeda et al. 2006
Official resources
Straight from GIAC (SANS)
Where the exam is defined, scheduled and scored.
1official link
51concepts mapped
The source
GIAC (SANS)’s own pages
We link to them rather than repeat them, so nothing here goes stale behind them.
Checked against the source
Every objective on the official GIAC (SANS) outline already has questions here
We build from the official skills outline, not from a summary of it — 13 objectives, 51 concepts written under them, and free questions against every one. When GIAC (SANS) changes the outline, this page changes with it.
13objectives on the outline→51concepts written→403free questions
An official page tells you what will be asked. It cannot tell you what you will get right.
That is the only question worth answering the night before, and no link answers it. You answer it by taking the questions with the book closed, and seeing what comes back.