ICAI DISA Study Material: What to Use
ICAI publishes all six module PDFs free. Here's what's in them and how to use them.
The core DISA study material is free. ICAI's Digital Accounting and Assurance Board publishes the full ISA 3.0 background material as one PDF per module, plus a lab manual and case studies, on icai.org.
Add the 20-hour e-learning and your professional-training notes and you have everything ICAI itself provides. Most candidates need nothing else to read; what they need is practice.
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The Official ISA 3.0 Background Material
Revised Edition, August 2020. All free to download from ICAI's ISA Background Material page.
Module 1
Covers
Information Systems Audit Process
Approx. length
185 pages
Module 2
Covers
Governance, risk management, compliance & BCM
Approx. length
149 pages
Module 3
Covers
Systems development and application system audit
Approx. length
133 pages
Module 4
Covers
IS operations and management
Approx. length
97 pages
Module 5
Covers
Protection of information assets
Approx. length
125 pages
Module 6
Covers
Emerging technologies
Approx. length
77 pages
Lab manual and case studies
Covers
Hands-on exercises and cases
Approx. length
Separate PDF
| File | Covers | Approx. length |
|---|---|---|
| Module 1 | Information Systems Audit Process | 185 pages |
| Module 2 | Governance, risk management, compliance & BCM | 149 pages |
| Module 3 | Systems development and application system audit | 133 pages |
| Module 4 | IS operations and management | 97 pages |
| Module 5 | Protection of information assets | 125 pages |
| Module 6 | Emerging technologies | 77 pages |
| Lab manual and case studies | Hands-on exercises and cases | Separate PDF |
Check You Have the 3.0 Set
Each 3.0 PDF's cover reads "Background Material on Information Systems Audit 3.0 Course" with the module number. Notes or PDFs built for DISA 2.0 follow an older eight-module structure and miss parts of the current syllabus.
Other Official Resources
- check_circleThe ISA 3.0 e-learning (20 hours) on learning.icai.org, which you must finish before training, with its assessment test
- check_circleYour professional-training sessions (72 hours), where faculty work through the same six modules
- check_circleThe three module tests and the group project, which double as checkpoints on what you have retained
- check_circleThe printed background-material set, priced at ₹750 on its imprint page, if you prefer paper
Find your weak area before you read.
A Reading Plan Sized to the Files
Our suggestion, scaled to page counts. Adjust for what you already know.
1: IS audit process
Pages
185
Suggested reading time
5 to 6 sessions
2: Governance, risk, compliance, BCM
Pages
149
Suggested reading time
4 to 5 sessions
3: Systems development, application audit
Pages
133
Suggested reading time
4 sessions
4: IS operations and management
Pages
97
Suggested reading time
3 sessions
5: Protection of information assets
Pages
125
Suggested reading time
4 sessions
6: Emerging technologies
Pages
77
Suggested reading time
2 to 3 sessions
| Module | Pages | Suggested reading time |
|---|---|---|
| 1: IS audit process | 185 | 5 to 6 sessions |
| 2: Governance, risk, compliance, BCM | 149 | 4 to 5 sessions |
| 3: Systems development, application audit | 133 | 4 sessions |
| 4: IS operations and management | 97 | 3 sessions |
| 5: Protection of information assets | 125 | 4 sessions |
| 6: Emerging technologies | 77 | 2 to 3 sessions |
How to Use the Material
- 1
Start with Module 1
It is the longest file and carries the audit process every other module hangs on: charter, planning, risk, evidence and reporting.
- 2
Do the chapter questions as you go
Modules 1 to 5 end most chapters with multiple-choice questions and explained answers. Use them straight after each chapter.
- 3
Give the technical modules extra time
Modules 3 to 5 (SDLC, operations, security controls) are where an audit background helps least.
- 4
Read Module 6 for concepts and risks
Emerging technologies is the shortest file. Focus on what each technology is, its risks and how it is audited.
- 5
Switch to full papers
Reading builds recognition; a timed 200-mark paper shows whether you can recall it under pressure.
FAQs
Where can I download the DISA study material PDF?expand_more
From ICAI's ISA Background Material page on icai.org, which links all six ISA 3.0 module PDFs and the lab manual and case studies.
Is the DISA study material free?expand_more
Yes, the PDFs are free to download. The printed complete set is priced at ₹750 on its imprint page.
Is the 2020 background material still current?expand_more
It is the ISA 3.0 material ICAI links today (Revised Edition, August 2020), and the 2026 Assessment Tests are for the 3.0 syllabus.
Do I need a separate DISA book?expand_more
ICAI's own material covers the whole syllabus. Extra books are optional; full practice papers are the bigger gap for most candidates.
Next steps
- Syllabusarrow_forward
- Preparationarrow_forward
- Previous Year Papersarrow_forward
- Mock Test Papersarrow_forward
Reading is not retrieval. A full paper shows what stuck.