CISSP 2nd timers

I wanted to get a gage for all you CISSP 2nd and 3rd timers that passed. How long did you study before taking the exam again and what did you do differently? Did you study for a few days straight before testing again? Did you stagger it over the 30+ days and then cram a few days prior?

I made the stupid mistake of second guessing and switching too many answers on my 2nd pass. But I know what areas I need to cover.

Another thing I wanted to see is if the SANS GISP practice tests helped more than the Studiscope. I wanted to get a good exam engine to help get me back on track.

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joneno

kiki,
For the second attempt I used Shon Harris AIO (PDF) & audio. A day before the test I took a day off work to study Eric Conrad's study guide. I went through the entire book. Also, I didn't use a practice test this time around. I barely failed the first and I knew the test was easy if only I concentrated. My problem is losing focus/interest...my attention span is bad. Anyways, I see the test more as a mentally challenging test rather than a difficult test.

billyr2009

I am also a 2nd timer. I plan to retake on June 5. I hope i knock it home. Thus far I have studied by reading the Sybex 6th edition. For these last 2 weeks I plan to take as many practice questions as I can read the 11th hour and read online flashcards and possibly make my own.

LionelTeo

kiki162 wrote: »

Another thing I wanted to see is if the SANS GISP practice tests helped more than the Studiscope. I wanted to get a good exam engine to help get me back on track.

I have been mentioning how good GISP practice is better than Studiscope in terms on both cost and quality question. There are so far 5 other people who took GISP practice/real exam also passed CISSP on this forum.

kiki162

LionelTeo - Thanks for the advice. I've been reading about comparing the two and seems the GISP is the better route. I'm going to try that and see if it helps any. Thanks!

bigdummy

LionelTeo wrote: »

I have been mentioning how good GISP practice is better than Studiscope in terms on both cost and quality question. There are so far 5 other people who took GISP practice/real exam also passed CISSP on this forum.

What is it about the GISP practice questions that make them more like the questions encountered on the CISSP exam, compared to the practice questions from other CISSP study sources (such as AIO, Eric Conrad, Sybex, etc...)?

LionelTeo

GIAC has always been known for their scenario base questions, in addition, they also throw in some of the obscure question that tries to simulate the real exam as much as possible. Most other sources are just answers straight from the book, over relying on such practice may make a person under prepared since CISSP had quite a bunch of scenario base and obscure worded question.

CISSP also had those straight from the book question, but personally feeling, the exam was design in a way to ensure that each candidate are worthy to be CISSP certified by ensuring that each candidate had to obtain a reasonable scoring in both obscure/scenario and memory questions. 25 questions of 250 question are not graded in the CISSP exam, if you are unlucky enough to have the additional 25 questions to be all scenario base, you may be hitting the exam with more questions in the scenario/obscure area, and if the stress gets ahead of you, it may hinder you in answering questions correctly.

Going back to GISP material, GISP give a really close feel of the actual CISSP exam instead of just another practice bank, since it is a certification exam, it also useful in assessing if you are really ready for the certification before burning exam fees having to find out that you did not prepared enough and require a retake.

bigdummy

LionelTeo wrote: »

GIAC has always been known for their scenario base questions, in addition, they also throw in some of the obscure question that tries to simulate the real exam as much as possible. Most other sources are just answers straight from the book, over relying on such practice may make a person under prepared since CISSP had quite a bunch of scenario base and obscure worded question...

Thanks for the detailed response, sounds like it would definitely be worth the $129 investment.

impelse

Where do you guys buy exam simulator GISP? I can only find ucertify.com

kalkan999

The only exam transcender out there worth its weight in salt in my opinion is the one from ISC2. CCCure.org is decent, but its questions are often dated, and test questions are nowhere NEAR as hard as the actual exam.

LionelTeo

impelse wrote: »

Where do you guys buy exam simulator GISP? I can only find ucertify.com

GIAC Exam Preparation Overview

Click on Register Now Under practice.
Select GIAC Information Security Professional (GISP) check box - cost 129 USD
Check the pricing and enter credit card information and pay.

tiagotavares

COngratulations for passing and for not giving up! Mine is gonna be at the end of this month...wish me luck!

kiki162

Good luck tiago!