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 Information Security Professional
The GIAC Information Security Professional (GISP) certification validates a practitioner's understanding of the eight domains of cybersecurity knowledge that form the critical foundation of the CISSP® exam. Designed for security professionals, system and network administrators, and security managers, GISP demonstrates broad security domain fluency and offers a pragmatic alternative to CISSP, signaling expertise validated by a respected provider.
Exam formatProctored exam
Duration240 minutes
DeliveryGIAC
Passing score70%
Free questions429
Content last reviewed 30 July 2026 · Up to date
The certification
What GIAC Information Security Professional 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.
3domains
8objectives
81concepts
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 Information Security Professional (GISP) certification validates a practitioner's understanding of the eight domains of cybersecurity knowledge, as determined by ISC2, that form a critical part of the CISSP® exam. GISP certification holders have demonstrated expertise in security and risk management, asset security, security architecture and engineering, communication and network security, identity and access management (IAM), security assessment and testing, security operations, and software development security.
GISP offers a pragmatic alternative to CISSP, signaling broad security domain fluency validated by a respected provider. It is designed for security professionals who want to understand the concepts covered in the CISSP® exam, including system administrators, security administrators, network administrators, and security managers. Earning GISP demonstrates a solid grasp of the foundational knowledge required to protect modern organizations.
Who it’s for
The GISP certification is for security professionals who want to understand the concepts covered in the CISSP® exam as determined by ISC2. It is particularly suited for system administrators, security administrators, network administrators, and security managers who need a broad understanding of cybersecurity domains without the depth required for CISSP. This certification is ideal for individuals seeking to validate their knowledge across the eight CISSP domains and demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of information security concepts, from risk management to software development security.
Recommended experience
Practical work experience can help ensure that you have mastered the skills necessary for certification. College-level courses or self-paced study through other programs or materials may also meet the needs for mastery. Practical work experience in information security; College-level courses or self-paced study in cybersecurity; Familiarity with the eight CISSP domains
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
Security Management and Risk
- Security and Risk Management
- Asset Security
Security Architecture and Operations
- Security Architecture and Engineering
- Security Operations
- Communication and Network Security
Access, Testing, and Development
- Identity and Access Management (IAM)
- Security Assessment and Testing
- Software Development Security
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 Information Security Professional
Exam formatProctored exam
Duration240 minutes
Questions150 questions
Passing score70%
DeliveryGIAC
LanguagesEnglish
Certification levelProfessional
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 Information Security Professional
Credential earnedGIAC Information Security Professional Professional level certification Renewal and maintenance
GIAC certifications must be renewed every four years 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 GISP relate to the CISSP certification?
GISP validates understanding of the eight domains of cybersecurity knowledge as determined by ISC2, which form a critical part of the CISSP exam. It is a pragmatic alternative to CISSP, signaling broad security domain fluency without the depth required for CISSP.
Is there a hands-on or lab component in the GISP exam?
The GISP exam is a proctored exam with 150 questions. It does not include a hands-on or lab component.
What are the proctoring options for the GISP exam?
All GIAC certification exams are web-based and proctored. You can choose remote proctoring through ProctorU or onsite proctoring through PearsonVUE.
How soon can I retake the GISP exam if I fail?
GIAC does not publish a specific retake policy on the GISP exam page. Refer to your GIAC account or contact GIAC for details on retake waiting periods.
What job roles does the GISP certification map to?
GISP is designed for security professionals, system administrators, security administrators, network administrators, and security managers who want to understand the concepts covered in the CISSP exam.
Can I renew GISP by passing a different GIAC exam?
GIAC certifications can be renewed by retaking the same exam or earning CPE credits. Passing a different GIAC exam may count toward CPE credits, but it does not automatically renew GISP.
Are there regional differences in GISP exam delivery?
GIAC exams are available online and onsite through PearsonVUE, which has test centers worldwide. Regional availability may vary; check the GIAC website for details.
Information freshness · Content last reviewed on 2026-07-30 Up to date
Practice free questions 429 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.
3domains
8objectives
81concepts
90free 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
1Security Management and Risk109 questions
2Security Architecture and Operations185 questions
3Access, Testing, and Development135 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.
Security and Risk Management12 pagesOpen →
Free in front of it
58 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
429 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.
429questions
90pages
8objectives
Freealways
Browse by domain
Every objective, and every page range, is a link — so you can pick up exactly where you left off.
1Security Management and Risk109 questions
2Security Architecture and Operations185 questions
3Access, Testing, and Development135 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.
81concepts
429free 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
81concepts 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 — 8 objectives, 81 concepts written under them, and free questions against every one. When GIAC (SANS) changes the outline, this page changes with it.
8objectives on the outline→81concepts written→429free 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.