Nervous and Hyperventilating

world_traveler

I am going to take the exam very, very soon. I am extremely nervous. I hate to say that I couldn't remember many things. Fire suppression of Class A? B? C? D? IEEE version for what? Orange book at which level? Level A???? I mean I am screwed.

I did the practice tests in CCCure and took less than 2 hours to finish each test of 250 questions. Scored over 75%. No, I didn't earn over 80%, a threshold that could almost guarantee a pass. I was damn bored taking the tests.

I don't know what else to do. I just bought the scenario-based questions. I am going through them right now.

And worst, I am partially inebriated.

A totally irrelevant question: is this the way to establish merit/assurance/reliability for the InfoSec field? To drive us crazy and make us nervous??? Or to put it another way: is putting a huge hurdle that will inadvertently (or maybe intentionally) inflict pain, fear, and suffering on candidates the most viable way to establish respectable standard in information security field? Are we trying to emulate the medical field or what? Are we trying to say that, "Look! Doctors don't have it easy and neither do we!"

Why the test? Isn't security about blocking access to unauthorized subjects (trying to speak the language here), about being skeptical to prevent social engineering, about controls to make sure things fall in lines, and about whacking individuals who have the guts to refuse compliance? I smell nihilism and at least pseudo nihilism. Given nihilism, why this test? That's illogical, you think? Are we denying logic but at the same time enforcing logic in controlled environment for, uh, organizational security and human safety? In short, for money and the so-called humanity dressed up by the greedy corporations.

Or maybe, I am too old for this. Maybe, I am little drunk while answering questions in CCCure right now.

:::

TheProfezzor

Getting 75% on CCCure does not guarantee success in CISSP exam. CCCure is not close to the real exam. CISSP is indeed a test of logic and knowledge, which is why you don't need to be too technical. Make sure you think like a manager when you are answering scenario based questions.

cyberguypr

You absolutely need to breathe and relax. Being nervous isn't going to help you. Half of the battle in this exam is endurance. If you walk into this with the wrong mindset you are already on the losing end.

You seem to have some misconceptions. NOTHING guarantees you will pass. Experience, study aids, etc do play a role in enhancing the probability of passing, but nothing guarantees it. What other books or CBTs have you used to study? Also, what is your Infosec experience?

jvrlopez

Relax, be confident. Don't second guess yourself as either you know it or you don't. And don't get too hung up on the little minute, Shon Harris like details.

world_traveler

Thanks for listening to my relentless whining.

I know there is no guarantee of passing (or anything in life as a matter of fact). I am just extremely nervous but I will "try" to calm down. You may wonder how can someone working in this field not be able to stay cool under pressure. Well, I wonder that myself too.

I have more or less 10 years experience in the field. What books do I use? Shon Harris and Sybex 6th. Mainly Sybex 6th because Shon Harris's book put me to sleep. I did the 250-questions of Shon Harris though. In all seriousness, CCCure questions do not seem to resemble the real exam questions but at least they compensate for a lack of in-depth study for certain parts of the domains. They tell you what you have missed reading. So, in that sense, they help. Still, there are way too technical and some of the questions threw me out of a loop. I was confident with my answers given my experience but the right answers told otherwise.

I think the first thing I need to do is to calm myself down.

Shendre

Definitely calm yourself down! I failed the exam twice because I was nervous and overthinking things. DONT DO THAT! Take a deep breath, and relax. Don't bog yourself down on super specifics, its going to be rare to see that kinda question (atleast in my 3 times taking the test). I would focus more on the big domains (BCP/DRP, Infosec/Risk mgmt, Telecom, Crypto, Access Control), those are where you will see the most questions, especially BCP/DRP. The 11th hour study guide is a great tool as well, I used that the last few days before my exam. I didn't do THAT much reading the third time I took the test, I did more questions than anything. I would do a question, if I got it wrong, i would read up on it right away, understand it...and keep going. Rinse, lather, repeat. I wouldn't worry about the grades on the test questions, I was getting low to mid 70s the whole time. I think the first 2 times I took it, I was like you...by the third time, I knew I had to change my approach. Good luck, and if you need any other hints/tips, feel free to drop me a line

colemic

I believe Shon Harris has a book out full of practice questions, you may find that useful... when I took the exam I found her questions to be structured similar to the actual exam.

world_traveler

I was reading Shon Harris's book for a little while and going through some problems in Appendix A. Wow! Those questions are brutal. That's really scary!!

5502george

You have to understand the certificate is to give employers the false sense of security that you are knowledgeable and can implement a false sense of security for their company.

world_traveler

5502george wrote: »

You have to understand the certificate is to give employers the false sense of security that you are knowledgeable and can implement a false sense of security for their company.

This is so true! Well, less than 24 hours to take the exam. There is nothing I can do. I don't feel prepared and I am not going to lie. I can only pray.

imthatguy

My advice would be to really identify the areas you are weak in. Go through Eric Conrad's 11th Hour, and identify anything you are not confident on. Next focus on those specific areas, ensuring you can answer any questions that may arise in relation to them. Ask yourself, "What could I possibly be asked about in regard to [insert topic here]?". Finally, test yourself on a variety of question formats to ensure you can answer the question in any context and really understand what the question is asking and what each answer means. I know this sounds rudimentary, but it really helps.

Some tips:

For fire classes, remember "CLEM K"

A Common Combustibles
B Liquid
C Electrical
D Metal
K Kitchen

For integrity and confidentiality models, remember that all integrity models contain the letter "i" and none of the confidentiality models do. This does not apply to the types of models, such as lattice, information flow, etc.

I could go on and on....just relax and watch some TV the day before the exam. I would not recommend do any more reading/studying past 8/9PM that day.

JDMurray

5502george wrote: »

You have to understand the certificate is to give employers the false sense of security that you are knowledgeable and can implement a false sense of security for their company.

I wasn't aware that the (ISC)2 marketed its certifications with that specific purpose in mind.

world_traveler

Going to the exam. I am unusually calm because there is nothing I can do. I chose this path. So be it.

JoJoCal19

Good luck mate!

world_traveler

As expected, I did not pass. Scored 668. I know exactly why. I did not fully comprehend the concepts to apply them to real-life scenario. I was told to think like management but the problem is I did not know the core concepts well enough to "help" management in infosec issue.

That is the problem. Plus, I skipped many details when studying.

I am starting to like this exam!!!

imthatguy

I am sorry to hear that you did not pass. I know it's tough, but I think you'll pull it off the next time. Like I mentioned before, and like you just said, the concepts are really important here. Being able to apply your knowledge of the concepts and being able to think through the questions in a manner that is consistent with ISC2's thought process is crucial. While you can't really skimp on all the details, I wouldn't go to the extreme end of the spectrum. This exam really tests your ability to pull from your knowledge of the topics and be able to work through a scenario or a problem, and implement the best solution. Best of luck on your future efforts. Please don't hesitate to PM me if you would like any more advice or study material.