Isaca Cisa Success Guide Three

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Isaca Cisa Success Guide Three

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    1000 Your Guide to Success 1010 Product Introduction 1020 System Requirements 1030 Backing Up 1040 References 1050 Getting Started 1060 Answering and Studying Questions 1070 Reports and Tools 1080 Customize Sessions (Including Practice Exam) 1090 Emergency Study Procedures

    1010 Product Introduction 1011 License and Technical Support Procedures 1011.01 During the installation process, review the license agreement in the

    software that explains your usage rights and responsibilities. (Reminder: This software cannot be installed on more than one (1) computer. You do not want to split up your scoring and have inaccurate diagnostics.)

    1011.02 The study materials contained in your CISA Practice Question Database

    are current as of the purchase date. 1011.03 We are here to offer technical support should you encounter any

    difficulties. Please be at your computer and have your installation code and, if applicable, software/disks available when calling. Service is a priority with ISACA. Technical support is available between 9:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., U.S. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday at 1-877-272-7277, extension 606 (1-303-799-1177 outside the U.S. and Canada) or email at [email protected].

    1011.04 Please note that the screen shots presented in this Success Guide are

    representative and are provided for informational purposes; the current version of the CISA Practice Question Database may vary in terms of data displayed, content of questions shown, etc.

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    1020 System Requirements 1020.01 The system requirements are as follows:

    a. 1GHz Pentium processor or equivalent (recommended); 400 MHz Pentium processor or equivalent (minimum)

    b. Supported Operating Systems: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows 8

    c. Not compatible with MAC d. Microsoft.NET Framework 4.0 e. 1GB RAM or higher for 32-bit OS; 2 GB RAM or higher for 64-bit

    OS f. One hard drive with 250MB free space (flash/thumb drives not

    supported) g. CD-ROM drive

    1030 Backing Up 1030.01 Backups of your data are made automatically by the software. If you have

    any data problems, please call Technical Support at 1-877-272-7277, extension 606. If you try to restore your own data, you may lose your study progress.

    1040 References 1040.01 Your CISA Practice Question Database contains an itemization of CISA

    Task Statements by Domain and a list of acronyms used in the review. 1040.02 To access the reference materials:

    1. Go to the Tools menu in the upper right corner of the dashboard (main screen) and select References:

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    2. Select the reference item from the list:

    3. When you click on the CISA Task Statements link, a PDF document will appear containing the CISA Domains with Task Statements:

    4. When you click on the CISA Acronyms link, a PDF document will

    appear containing a list of acronyms used in the review:

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    1050 Getting Started 1051 Dashboard (Main Screen) 1051.01 On your desktop, select Start, All Programs, ISACA, then click on the

    CISA selection, or simply click on the course icon from your desktop. This will take you to the main screen, called the dashboard:

    1051.02 The dashboard is split into the following panels:

    Study Session Performance Progress by Domain Study History

    In addition, there are three menus in the upper right corner (Reports, Tools, and Setup) for additional features and an Exit text link.

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    1051.03 Study Session Study sessions are launched from this panel. Choose the default study method (Personal Professor) or click Customize to choose from several study options. The Reference Report can also be accessed from this panel. (See section 1071, Progress and Reference Reports, for more information.)

    1051.04 The Personal Professor will default to 30 questions or approximately one (1) hour of study. Part of your success on the actual exam is to remain focused during the exam. Your endurance capabilities are very important, so if you have the time, build your endurance by studying longer sessions to the point where you feel comfortable answering questions in the same time frame as for the actual exam.

    Throughout your study you will notice the options will change, as the Personal Professor will have you concentrate in your weak areas. For example, periodically you will be reviewing questions you missed

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    previously. (See section 1052 for more information on the Personal Professor.)

    1051.05 Performance This panel shows your overall study progress in the CISA Practice Question Database. The review is divided into three distinct phases: Assessment, Adaptive Learning, and Review.

    In the Assessment Phase, you begin to review questions while the software analyzes the results. This phase continues until you answer 35% of the total questions in the review.

    In the Adaptive Learning Phase, the software creates study sessions based on your previous results. This is the largest, most comprehensive phase and continues until you answer each question correctly at least once.

    In the Review Phase, you continue to review your weak areas as your exam date approaches.

    The Performance panel also links to the Success Guide PDF document (Getting Started), displays the number of days until your planned CISA examination date (see section 1053, Set Exam Date), and displays both your overall trending score (most recent score based on the category averages and recent study sessions) and the number of hours spent studying.

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    1051.06 Progress by Domain This panel tracks your progress in each CISA Domain. The categories (domains) in which you need the most work are displayed at the top of the panel. The percentage displayed for each bar (e.g., 5%, 12%) indicates the percentage of questions answered correctly in each domain.

    If you wish, you can begin a study session for a specific category by clicking that categorys bar. (For more information, see the Selected categories information in section 1082.05, Categories.)

    You can also access your Progress Report (see section 1071, Progress and Reference Reports) or click the Contents button to see the Domain/Task Statement outline.

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    1051.07 Study History This panel displays a graph of your most recent study sessions. You can access the Session Summary Report of each study session shown in the graph by clicking the point (circle) of the session. (See section 1071, Progress and Reference Reports.)

    You can also access a list of all Session Summary Reports by clicking on the Session Results button at the bottom of this panel.

    Note: The dotted line near the top of the graph indicates an 85% score, which is the overall review score recommended before taking the exam.

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    1051.08 Reports, Tools, Setup, and Exit The drop-down menus and text links in the upper right corner of the dashboard allow additional access to much of the dashboard functionality as well as other review features.

    Reports gives you access to Reference Reports, Progress Reports, and Session Results.

    Tools accesses the Getting Started Guide (the Success Guide, this PDF document), Contents (the Domain/Task Statement outline), Glossary, References (CISA Domain/Task Statements and Acronyms), About (version information for the review), and License (the end user license agreement, or EULA).

    Setup allows you to set your exam date (Set Exam Date), change the font size of the text in the study questions (Options - Font Size), and view or change your software installation information (Install Code).

    The Exit link allows you to exit the review program.

    1052 Personal Professor 1052.01 The Personal Professor, the default method of study, is the easiest review

    method to use. The Personal Professor automatically chooses what you should study next, based upon your strong and weak areas from previous study sessions. The Selection Status defaults are the criteria selected by the Personal Professor based upon your needs.

    1052.02 The Personal Professor provides the following:

    Ongoing diagnosis of your strong and weak areas Automated study with built-in tracking of your performance Self-tailored study sessions based upon individual needs and

    examination criteria

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    1052.03 The Personal Professor will do the following: Prepare you for the examination in the fastest way possible Guide you to review weak areas when necessary Save time by planning your study sessions for you Set your Selection Status defaults for your next session

    1052.04 The Personal Professor saves you the time normally spent getting

    organized, guides you to the content you most need to study, and forces you to concentrate on the exam material that you do not know. The Personal Professor incorporates the use of all the review functionality when appropriate.

    1052.05 If you prefer to design your own method of study, select Customize from

    the Study Session panel of the dashboard. See section 1080, Customize Sessions, for information on the options available.

    Note: Even if you plan to use only the Personal Professor, read Reports and Tools (section 1070) and Customize Sessions (section 1080) to understand the benefits of all the review tools.

    1052.06 To begin using Personal Professor, click Personal Professor on the

    Study Session panel:

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    In the Study Session dialog box, click Start to begin the study session:

    The Personal Professor will default to 30 questions or approximately one hour of study. Part of your success on the actual exam is to remain focused during the exam. Your endurance capabilities are very important, so if you have the time, build your endurance by studying longer sessions. By using the Session Duration drop-down menu, you can modify your study session by number of questions or by time (e.g., 90 minutes).

    1053 Set Exam Date 1053.01 The CISA Practice Question Database assists you in developing your

    personalized study plan through the Set Exam Date functionality. On the dashboard, click on the text Days Until Test in the Performance panel or select Set Exam Date from the Setup drop-down menu in the upper right corner.

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    1053.02 Next, in the Exam Date dialog box, select your examination date and choose the days of the week you have available for study.

    The program calculates how many hours per day you need to study to achieve your goal of passing. You may change your study plan in the Exam Date dialog box as often as you wish to modify your study schedule.

    1053.03 Your Progress Reports and the hours display on the Performance panel

    of the dashboard will tell you how much computer time you have spent.

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    1060 Answering and Studying Questions

    1061 Question Screen Options Each study session consists of several review questions with multiple-choice

    responses. You can answer questions using your mouse or your keyboard.

    The Submit Answer button is in the top left corner of the question screen (if you are using your mouse). You must select your answer onscreen and then press ENTER or click Submit Answer for the software to score you. To select your answer by keyboard, type the appropriate letter for your choice (e.g., A, B, C, or D) and press ENTER. If you do not choose an answer choice and click Submit Answer, an error message will ask if you wish to proceed without answering the question. Then, the answer will be displayed but the question will be marked as incorrect.

    On the actual exam, you will occasionally be forced to guess on an answer. Use the Guess and Mark Wrong button to practice your guessing technique. The

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    software will mark you wrong on the question even if you answer it correctly. This will ensure that you review this question later in your study.

    The Task Statement button opens a PDF document listing the CISA Domains with Task Statements.

    The Acronyms button opens a PDF document listing acronyms used in the questions.

    Click the End Session button to quit the session and save scores for study up to the current question.

    At the lower right corner of the screen, the software keeps track of your progress in the study session.

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    1062 Answer Screen Options

    The answer screen provides a variety of resources to help with your understanding of the question, answer, and concepts behind each question.

    The original question with the response options is displayed in the upper

    window. The lower window contains the explanation for the correct and incorrect answers. A question that has been answered correctly will include a green bar across the screen. A question that has been answered incorrectly will include a red bar across the screen. A question where you have selected the Guess and Mark Wrong option will have a yellow bar across the screen.

    The Go to Next Question button takes you to the next question. Do not leave the screen until you are finished studying the current question.

    The Glossary button provides a glossary of auditing/information technology terms to support your study. This is a good remedial tool. You can also look up content term definitions on the dashboard (main screen) by selecting Glossary on the Tools drop-down menu (see section 1074).

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    The Task Statement button opens a PDF document listing the CISA Domains with Task Statements.

    The Acronyms button opens a PDF document listing acronyms used in the questions.

    The Print Question button prints a copy of the question, response options, and explanation.

    Click the End Session button to quit the session and save scores up to the current question.

    In the lower left corner of the screen, the question database number and the job practice task statement number associated with the question are displayed. For your reference, a complete list of task statement numbers and descriptions is accessible via the Task Statement button at the top of the screen. Please be aware that if you are using the CISA Review Manual as a study aid, the task statement numbers DO NOT correspond to the content numbering sequence used in the printed review manual.

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    1070 Reports and Tools

    1071 Progress and Reference Reports 1071.01 The Progress Report and Reference Report are accessed from the Reports

    menu in the upper right corner of the main screen (dashboard). The Reference Report can also be accessed from the Study Session panel, and the Progress Report is available from the Progress by Domain panel.

    1071.02 Progress Report Progress Reports provide you with the following:

    The accumulated results of all your study sessions

    Reports on what you have completed in your study plan, so you

    know what is left to be accomplished before the examination

    Valuable statistics. Key items are: o Average and trending scores o Number of questions that have not been seen o Number of questions that have not been answered correctly o Score in individual categories o Total and average time spent per question

    A realistic status on your readiness for the examination

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    You can view the Progress Report broken down by content outline categories (CISA Domains) by clicking Summary Report in the upper left corner, or you can view your report by subcategories (Task Statements) by choosing Detailed Report. In the lower left corner, click Print if you wish to print out a copy of the report. Click Done at the lower right corner to return to the dashboard.

    1071.03 Reference Report and References

    The Reference Report feature, accessed on the dashboard in the Reports drop-down menu in the upper right corner or from the Reference Report button in the Study Session panel, generates a report based upon the results of your study sessions that shows you the Task Statement areas you should focus your study on.

    By clicking the selections at the top of the report, you may see a Reference Report for the following:

    All questions New questions Missed last time seen Trouble questions Last x number of sessions

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    A listing of the CISA Task Statements and Acronyms can be accessed from the References text link on the right side of the reports menu bar. (These documents can also be accessed from the Tools drop-down menu in the upper right corner of the dashboard by selecting References.) You may also print out a copy of the report by clicking Print in the lower left corner. Click Done at the lower right corner to return to the dashboard.

    1072 Session Results 1072.01 After you end a study session, the Session Summary Report gives you

    the specific score for the session just completed.

    Note: These scores will automatically add to your overall cumulative history, which is presented in your Progress Report.

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    There are four options for this screen:

    Review All: Review all questions from this study session. Review Missed: Review the questions you missed in the study

    session. It is especially helpful to review when you have scored very low in a session. Do not worry if you choose not to review these questions, since the software has noted that you have missed them and in future sessions will have you attempt them again.

    Print: Prints out a copy of the Session Results. Done: Completes this study session and returns to the main screen

    (dashboard).

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    1072.02 Sessions Results for previous study sessions can be accessed from the dashboard through the Reports menu in the upper right corner or from the Sessions Results button in the Study History panel:

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    1072.03 The cumulative Session Report will present a list of your past study sessions. Click on a session under the first column (Date) to access the results of that particular session:

    By clicking on the selections at the top of the report, you may view all of your study sessions or select the number of previous sessions you wish to see.

    1072.04 Another way to see the results of previous study sessions is through the graph in the dashboards Study History panel. The study history graph shows the results of the most recent five (5) study sessions. The numbers on the left indicate the percentage of questions answered correctly in each session. Click the point (circle) in the graph to see the Session Summary Report for that particular session:

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    1073 Course Contents 1073.01 You can access the CISA Domain/Task Statement outline with the number

    of questions for each Domain and Task Statement. From the upper right corner of the main screen (dashboard), click Tools and select Contents from the drop-down menu, or click the Contents button at the bottom of the Progress by Domain panel.

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    1073.02 In the Contents dialog box, you can view the number of questions in each Domain (category) and Task Statement (subcategory). If you wish to create a customized study session with questions from specific Domains and Task Statements, see the Selected categories information in section 1082.05, Categories.

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    1074 Glossary 1074.01 The glossary provides easy-to-use reinforcement of terms, definitions, and

    concepts. You select what you want based upon your needs.

    1074.02 Use the onscreen Glossary tool to select a term from those that appear on

    the screen to enhance the learning process. The glossary is available from the main screen (dashboard) through the Tools menu in the upper right corner. The glossary terms are also accessible during study sessions.

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    1080 Customize Sessions (Including Practice Exam) 1081 Self-Guided Study 1081.01 Self-guided study, or customized study, provides access to questions by:

    All Categories: Generates questions according to the CISA exam outline specifications.

    Trouble Categories: Accesses your weak areas once they have been defined by the software.

    Selected Categories: Allows you to choose the areas you wish to study in a session.

    1081.02 Customize gives you the capability to see questions by:

    Those missed last time seen New questions Question number Trouble questions (questions seen but not answered correctly) All questions, whether previously seen or not

    1081.03 Customize also allows you to determine the length of your study session,

    either by number of questions or time allowed, and uses the same Glossary, Reference Report, Progress Report, and other tools as the Personal Professor default method.

    1081.04 You may also take a Practice Exam, which presents questions in the same

    number and time format as the actual CISA exam (see section 1082.06). 1082 Customizing Sessions (Including Practice Exam) 1082.01 You can choose self-guided study by clicking the Customize button in the

    Study Session panel of the dashboard (main screen):

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    We recommend that you use the Customize method only under special circumstances. One such instance is if you are taking a review class that references the CISA Practice Question Database for homework assignments. You might use this method if you do not have enough time before the exam to utilize the Personal Professor.

    1082.02 Clicking Customize will take you to the Customized Session dialog

    box.

    Select from the options available (described below) and then click Start to begin your customized study session. If you decide to let the software develop your study sessions for you through the Personal Professor, exit the Customized Session dialog box by clicking Cancel, return to the main screen (dashboard), and click on Personal Professor in the Study Session panel for the easiest, fastest way to study.

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    1082.03 Session Duration

    The Session duration drop-down menu allows you to determine the length of each study session by selecting either the amount of time or the number of questions to work.

    This time option enables you to fit long and short sessions into your

    schedule at your convenience. By Number of Questions Enables you to work short and long sessions, from 5 to 200 questions.

    Many users like to set a daily goal of a certain number of questions to be worked.

    By Time

    Enables you to work short and long sessions based upon your schedule, from 5 to 120 minutes (2 hours). You can still take advantage of the software features regardless of the length of time you decide to use. We encourage you to attempt to study every day, even if it is only for 15 minutes.

    Note: The software translates time into a specific number of questions, e.g., one (1) question equals two (2) minutes.

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    1082.04 Questions Selected From

    The Questions selected from drop-down menu provides the flexibility to allow you to create study sessions to funnel your study to your weak areas:

    New questions Accesses questions you have not seen before. If you choose self-guided study, we recommend using this option until you have worked at least 35% of the questions in the database. You should see every question one time before sitting for the examination, but you also should review previously viewed questions that you have answered incorrectly. Missed last time seen Enables you to see questions that were missed the last time you worked them in previous sessions. It is a good idea to go back over missed questions at least once every 60 questions. The Personal Professor will automatically take you to this option. Trouble questions Trouble questions are questions answered incorrectly more than 50% of the times attempted. All questions Generates questions regardless of whether you have seen or missed them previously. Once you are ready for the examination, use this option as a daily drill up to the examination.

    By number When you want to review a particular question, this option enables you to access the question quickly.

    Warning: The By number option provides quick access only and is not intended to be a study session.

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    1082.05 Categories The Categories drop-down menu allows you to select your study based

    on your individual needs by selecting all categories or those where you have had more difficulty or where you want to focus your study:

    All Categories

    This selection provides powerful features for each study session by generating questions based upon the CISA exam outline. Begin your study with this option to determine your strong and weak areas. Use your Progress Report to determine your overall scores. (See section 1071 for more information on Progress Reports.)

    The Personal Professor will keep you in ALL categories until you are achieving an 85% score in a particular category. Users tend to find studying all categories less monotonous than studying one category at a time. In addition, if you study only one category at a time, you may not finish all of them before the exam date. By studying all categories until your strong and weak areas are identified, you will be assured of being exposed to all subjects before sitting for the examination, even if you do not see all of the questions.

    Trouble Categories

    This selection enables you to reach questions in categories in which you have had the greatest difficulty. For users designing their own study sessions, plan to use this feature at least once a week.

    Hint: Use the Questions selected from drop-down menu to choose the New questions to see any remaining unseen questions in your difficult categories.

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    Selected Categories This selection is used to study weak areas as shown in your Progress Report. Live courses that use the CISA Practice Question Database will normally assign homework by category. This option enables you to choose specific subcategories. To use this option, choose Selected Categories from the Categories drop-down menu, and then click the Select link that appears to the right of the menu:

    You may then choose which categories or subcategories you wish to study by checking the appropriate boxes, and then clicking OK.

    For those categories that have subcategories, click on the + box to the left of the category to expand the selection and check the appropriate boxes.

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    You may also create a study session of specific categories and subcategories from the dashboards Progress by Domain panel. Click the progress bar of the category you wish to study, and the same sequence described above will occur. Review the selections or make any necessary changes, then click OK to begin the study session.

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    1082.06 Practice Exam

    The Practice Exam generates questions without answers in a timed situation, mirroring the experience of taking the CISA examination. During the Practice Exam, any questions unanswered will be marked wrong. This method should be used to determine exam readiness and to practice working within the time frame allotted for the actual exam.

    Warning: If you move too quickly through the questions, you are apt to make careless mistakes. Plan to use all the time you are given on the actual examination.

    To access the Practice Exam, click on Customize on the dashboard (main screen). In the Customized Session dialog box, click Practice Exam, then click Start at the bottom of the dialog box to begin the timed test.

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    The menu for the Practice Exam questions has the same features as regular study sessions (see section 1060). You can move back and forth through the Practice Exam questions at the bottom of the screen. Click on the question number to go to that question, or click on the 10 buttons to see questions throughout the Practice Exam.

    At the bottom of the screen, the question you are currently viewing is displayed in black (question 25 in the example above). Questions you have not seen are displayed in blue. If you have already seen the question but have not answered it, the question number is in light red (questions 21 and 23 above). If you have already answered a question, its number will appear in light grey (questions 20, 22, and 24 above). The timer for the exam is in the upper right corner of the screen.

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    1090 Emergency Study Procedures

    The reviews default study method (Personal Professor), given your time and dedication, will help you to pass the exam. If you are absolutely set on taking the exam and the software indicates that you are not ready, the following suggestions are from users who have started using their software for the first time with less than two weeks remaining before the exam:

    1. Study in one-hour increments. 2. Once you have an average score of 60% in each Domain, pick the Domain

    with the highest weighting and focus your study in that area until you are averaging at least 85% (weightings are shown below). Once you have achieved this goal, select the next highest weighted Domain and continue this process until you have moved through all Domains.

    CISA Job Practice Areas by Domain

    CISA Job Practice Area % of Exam

    1 The Process of Auditing Information Systems 14

    2 Governance and Management of IT 14

    3 Information Systems Acquisition, Development and Implementation 19

    4 Information Systems Operations, Maintenance and Support 23

    5 Protection of Information Assets 30

    3. Cramming each day is definitely important. Spend every minute you can

    studying. 4. Your attitude on exam day must be a positive one.

    1010 Product Introduction 1020 System Requirements1030 Backing Up1040 References1050 Getting Started1060 Answering and Studying Questions1070 Reports and Tools1080 Customize Sessions (Including Practice Exam)1090 Emergency Study Procedures