I am delighted to have just passed the new RESILIA Foundation exam.

As this is a brand new course and certification released by AXELOS, I thought it would be a good idea to provide some details of my experience and the materials I used to prepare for and take the exam.

As part of the current international Train The Trainer (TTT) programme for RESILIA I was provided with comprehensive courseware provided by ITpreneurs. ITpreneurs is one of the four official global RESILIA courseware providers licensed by AXELOS.

I was provided with a copy of the trainer slides which are externally interactive and a digitally protected softcopy version of the student handbook, which includes comprehensive notes and guidance on both cyber resilience and areas which are likely to be examined.

The course book contains one full sample exam and a second sample exam is available for download from the RESILIA website (login may be required). This provides delegates with a total of one-hundred sample questions to use to prepare for the exam proper. The exam consists of fifty questions with a pass score of 65%.

First off I scanned the course book and slides. As the RESILIA foundation course is based at Blooms Level 2, key definitions are certainly examined. Also examined are key and pivotal points and areas regarding cyber resilience. As a trainer it was easy enough for me to spot the key tenants of the course and using the syllabus I got a clear view of what areas are examined. Then I took a day out oy my schedule to read, take notes, prepare, do the sample papers, review and repeat the process again.

Beware though, this approach is not for everyone, and as I learnt later on during the exam proper, once you rule out the question distractors you are generally left with at least two plausible answers.

As part of the TTT, I was provided with an exam voucher to take the exam online. As I am registered through PeopleCert, I took the online exam with them. The process was seamless and best of all, with online proctoring, I did the exam in the comfort my own home office.

Overall the courseware is good, the book is concise and the two sample exams help prepare for the exam proper. Beware though, the exam is not to be taken lightly.

For those trainers out there who want to upskill and deliver RESILIA courses, I understand there is still an opportunity to register for the RESILIA Train The Trainer for free up until the end of August 2015, at least through ITpreneurs.

The next step is to tackle the forthcoming RESILIA Practitioner exam in order to quality as an official trainer for the RESILIA Portfolio.