GISCI does not endorse any particular exam preparation materials, but we have placed materials available beyond the Exam Candidate Manual on this page.
This page will summarize the materials publicly available to assist individuals with their own course of study in preparing to take the Exam. Please investigate the most recent addition, the Updated Unofficial GISCI Exam Study Guide link, available below.
The Exam is fairly robust, and individuals cannot expect to do well with only a few hours of study. The Exam covers an extensive array of knowledge, fully described in the Exam Candidate Manual, and not all individuals will have come in contact with this during the course of their academic work or experience. However, the questions do come from those Knowledge Areas commonly encountered by active GISPs, and it is this minimal level of knowledge that a prospective GISP is expected to demonstrate in order to be approved for GISP Certification.
GISCI Practice Exam
GISCI has produced its first practice exam, available in PDF form for download here:
GISCI Practice Exam 1
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Personal-Assessment Tools
The GeoTech Center has produced a free, online, personal-assessment survey available on their website, here: http://www.geotechcenter.org/professional.html
GeoTech Center Practice Exam
The GeoTech Center is in the final stages of developing an online, practice exam, for release sometime in the 1st or 2nd Qtr, 2018. This would provide a means of further self-assessing an individual's capability of several Knowledge Areas, including those covered by the GISCI Exam. Visit the GeoTech Center web site for updates regarding this resource.
TeachMeGIS Exam Prep Courses
A leader in GIS training and consulting, based in Houson, TX, TeachMeGIS is now in the final stages of releasing a practice exam directed toward the GISP exam. They hope to release this product later in the 1st Qtr, 2018. Visit their web site for further details. GISP Test Prep Course
Study Materials
While study materials are being considered for production by various organizations, one source of material has been provided by an individual who consolidated online reference materials, based on the GISCI Exam Blueprint, prior to his taking the GISCI Exam. He has willingly provided the links, below, as a resource for others to use. This material represents his focus on material he needed to prepare for the exam, and it is the kind of work we expect each individual to produce for him or herself.
Updated Unofficial GISCI Exam Study Guide - This link is an updated and consolidated PDF version of the two Google Docs shown below.
The two Google docs, below, are open-edit materials, and you can expect to see them constantly updated by the contributing geospatial community.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wifTSbtaR_5oT14U_6aydFmArLpkML8Fd4lMwqIf8qg/edit?usp=sharing
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ioKARKLJJpG3lFbPqSqXxNHIdVBhBTrfiQ-H9ivXs_w/edit?usp=sharing
Another individual put together her own blend of study materials, using the quizlet format. She had made that information available to those interested here:
Final GISP Set: All KSAs
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Bootcamp GIS, an online enterprise teaching organization, is reviewing their material as to its applicability for instruction toward specific components of the KSAs in the Blueprint. Their continually updated content can be found here;
www.bootcampgis.com
The Nature of Geographic Information, D. DiBase, with contributions by James L. Sloan II, Ryan Baxter, Wesley Stroh, Beth Fletcher King, & nany students. The Pennsylvania State University, copyright 2018. Among a wealth of resources, printed and online in the GIS profession, this Open Geospatial Textbook from PSU's John A. Dutton e-Education Institute offers an excellent intro into a number of geospatial areas.
Exam Prep Workshop
URISA provided the first workshop specifically directed to the Exam at URISA Pro 2016 in Toronto. A GISP Exam Prep track was added to URISA Pro 17 in Jacksonville, FL, and this material is now being developed, so that it can be offered as workshops and webinars later in 2018.
Please visit this site for continued updates on their progress. http://www.urisa.org/