Passed CISSP on first try wondering about endorsement times...

Macrick1

I'm sure this has been discussed in other threads. I took the CISSP exam on July 7, Monday and passed it (after a grueling 4.5 hours). I submitted my resume and endorsement form on July 8, Tuesday. I received a confirmation email on July 9, Wednesday, that they have received my endorsement documentation and have been placed in queue for review.

I am just curious what people's experience have been in terms of how long the endorsement time takes. The confirmation email mentioned 6 weeks for my submission to be reviewed and processed. Has that been most people's experience?

On a separate note, it appears that those on TechExams threads who plan on or are about to take the exam want to know how people prepare for the exam. In my particular case, here was my study plan and schedule:

1) Back in mid-April, I signed up for the July 7 exam (Pearson Vue)
2) Started studying the day after Memorial Day weekend
3) Study materials are:
a) Shon Harris AIO 6th edition - primary - read the entire book and answered all practice exams
b) Eric Conrad 11th Hour guide - skimmed through 2 days before the exam
c) Attended SANS Institute MGT414 SANS +S Training Program for the CISSP Certification Exam in the last week of June (6 day boot camp taught by Eric Conrad). I made sure to complete reading Shon Harris' AIO book prior to the boot camp to get the most out of it. The boot camp was very helpful, but I don't believe I could have passed the exam with just this boot camp. It's great for reinforcement, Eric had us answer 40 practice questions after each domain. But I feel Shon Harris' practice exams were tougher and closer to the actual ISC2 exam.

As for my background, though I started my career in IT as a developer (and still remain so at heart), I've been in a governance role in our Governance, Risk and Compliance practice for the last 10 years. Our GRC practice includes testing SOX compliance, managing SDLC controls, and managing DR. I also have a CISA and PMP certification. So while I breezed through the governance, software security (to an extent) and BCP domains, I had to study really hard for the Telecomm and Cryptography domains in particular.

I was averaging low to mid-70's in the practice exams. I started questioning my preparedness when Eric kept repeating that we should be getting 80% or higher to have a safe cushion. I went ahead with the exam anyway and thankfully got the outcome I desired and worked hard for.

Hope this is helpful to those who are taking the exam soon. And I would very much appreciate people's feedback regarding endorsement times. Thanks!!

jvrlopez

2 weeks is about how long it takes for most endorsements if everything goes smoothly.

A coworker's endorsement did take 4 weeks which was one of the few times I saw an endorsement take longer than the usual 2 weeks.

emerald_octane

Mine took 3 weeks iirc

EasyPeezy

jvrlopez wrote: »

2 weeks is about how long it takes for most endorsements if everything goes smoothly.

A coworker's endorsement did take 4 weeks which was one of the few times I saw an endorsement take longer than the usual 2 weeks.

Mine has been over 2 weeks... acknowledgement sent 2nd July.
I am eagerly waiting for the reply.

Jonnyg

For me:

CISSP - 2.5 weeks
CAP - 2.5 weeks
ISSEP - 5.0 weeks

In regards to the CISSP, it seems to take about 2-3 weeks for most people, based on what I have heard from many.

Alanjen

Mine has also been over two weeks. I received my endorsement acknowledgement from ISC2 on July 3rd. EasyPeezy and company, let me know when you receive your certification email from ISC2 and I will do the same. (I'm tempted to email them and ask how long endorsement turnarounds are taking now, but I will remain patient.)

Alanjen

Three weeks and four days (07/03/14) since endorsement acknowledgement by ISC2, I'm hoping to hear in the next seven days. Patience is a virtue and that's what I'm learning. The summer must be busy months for endorsements.

Macrick1

I haven't heard back either. I'll definitely post an update in this thread when I do.

EasyPeezy

4 weeks, 2 days and counting...
The wait is killing...

Alanjen

Does anyone know if they batch the endorsement recognition certifications announcements? I am wondering if everyone receives certification emails on a certain day, like Thursdays or day of the month. It would make waiting a little easier if I knew that I would be hearing from ISC2 on a certain day of the week or calendar day. It has been 3 weeks and 6 days since I have received acknowledgement from ISC2 on my endorsement paperwork.

EasyPeezy

Its official... i received my email a few hours ago... I am a CISSP.

Alanjen

Congrats Easypeezy CISSP! 5 weeks exactly. My five weeks will be on Thursday. Hoping to hear back by the end of the week! Thanks for the update and Congrats again.

jvrlopez

Took me 2 weeks to get a reply (which was "You're being audited.") and after that it was a matter of tracking down my previous supervisors (was a bit difficult as some had taken leave and had changed numbers).

Everyone who got certified before took almost 2 weeks to the date of submission. The first coworker to pass after I did took about 5 weeks. Maybe there are a lot of submissions at the moment.

Stay in there, I know the wait is a killer! As long as you got the pass print out and knowledge that your ducks are in a row, it's just a matter of time

Alanjen

I heard back from ISC2 this morning at 9:33am CDT! I am a CISSP!

04/15/2014 - Started studying, seriously - two hours a night four days a week and four hours each on Saturday and Sunday.
06/30/2014 - Passed the CISSP exam - more difficult than imagined
07/03/2014 - Submitted endorsement paperwork and received endorsement acknowledgement from ISC2
08/06/2014 - Received Congratulations from ISC2 acknowledging me as a CISSP!

It is a fun and difficult journey. Thank you all for support and encouragement.

exspiravit

June 28th; Passed CISSP exam.

July 9th; CISSP application faxed and submittal confirmed via mail.

August 7th; was notified I am an officious CISSP via email.

Macrick1

So finally, after passing the CISSP exam on July 7, submitting my endorsement documentation on July 8, receiving their submission confirmation the next day, July 9, I finally received the official notification on Aug 8 that I am now a certified CISSP! Whew! Thank you all for your support.

jvrlopez

Congrats to all!!!

Shendre

I'm still anxiously awaiting my response back. I passed the exam on 7/23. Got notification they got my package on the 28th of July...hopefully not much more time now! Reading your guys posts helps put me at a little more ease!

xheesh

I am in the same boat! From this thread it looks its taking them 4-5 weeks to process.

Exam Passed - 6/17
Endorsement Submitted/Acknoweldgement - 8/4

Zeeb

Shendre,

Spooky, I too passed the exam on the 23rd July and received notification of receipt of my application on 28th July. From this thread I am expecting something by the 5 week point which will be next Monday. However it may take longer due to summer vacations.

I will update when I hear anything, we should be quite close together in the same queue.

Shendre

Oh man....I'm glad I'm not the only one that is waiting this long. Hopefully we hear at the same time!

Shendre

Actually, I just got notice about 15 min ago that I'm official!

Zeeb

Congrats,

mine has just flashed up on my email. Now whats next.....

2013CBS

Congrats to all who have passed. It seems that this year during the summer it is taking about 4 weeks. Here is my timeline:

July 23rd - Took and passed CISSP - received email notification for next steps.
July 25th - Sent in packet information (endorsement, resume, etc.)
August 22nd (4 weeks) - received an email that my application is being audited.
August 26th - sent in additional information, release form, etc.

Now we wait some more...

jvrlopez

Good luck with the audit. During mine, they contacted my references right away if they could get a hold of them. If not, they waited to try again. The best thing to do is make sure you provide the correct phone number and email addresses.

My audit was in limbo until I emailed about it after 15 business days. Turns out the phone numbers were outdated. As soon as I provided the correct numbers, they were contacted almost immediately and my audit was done the next day.

2013CBS

Thanks - I reached out to my former managers and gave them all a heads up that they may be contacted. Heard back from one and they had already contacted that manager. Hopefully all goes well, if not I'll contact them in 3 weeks (15 business days).

2013CBS

2013CBS wrote: »

Congrats to all who have passed. It seems that this year during the summer it is taking about 4 weeks. Here is my timeline:

July 23rd - Took and passed CISSP - received email notification for next steps.
July 25th - Sent in packet information (endorsement, resume, etc.)
August 22nd (4 weeks) - received an email that my application is being audited.
August 26th - sent in additional information, release form, etc.

Now we wait some more...

Just an update to my previous post....I AM OFFICIAL AND AUDIT COMPLETE!!

Got the email yesterday on September 3rd.Total time 5 and a half weeks (including Audit). Hope this helps you guys who are waiting as well.

aftereffector

Congratulations! That's a long time to wait, but it's worth it.

imthatguy

I know this may seem silly, but when having a current CISSP endorse you, should you still try to highlight certain domains within your resume just in case? (Ex. Mentioning "access control" or "telecom") Just wondering.

2013CBS

imthatguy wrote: »

I know this may seem silly, but when having a current CISSP endorse you, should you still try to highlight certain domains within your resume just in case? (Ex. Mentioning "access control" or "telecom") Just wondering.

It doesn't hurt - I didn't at first (I also had an active/current CISSP endorse me). I just sent in my resume and duties figuring they should be able to figure out what domain applies to which skill, AD administration = Access Control, firewalls = network security + access control, etc. However when I was audited I sent in an updated resume highlighting the domains under each job title. Not sure if it helped but think that (ISC)2 goes through thousands of these applications and what little you can do to help them I say do it.

aftereffector

I laid it out in a very obvious manner. I listed my job, employer, dates of employment, duties and scope, and then explicitly mentioned the domain ("Information Security Governance and Risk Management", for instance) and the number of months.