SSCP passed, resources and experience
I passed the SSCP today, it was a lot different from what I expected so I'll give my experience below.
Resources:
- AIO SSCP Exam Guide - Darril Gibson
- Google
Method:
I read a few chapters of the SSCP Exam Guide then went back and wrote my own dot point notes on it, repeat until finishing the book. After finishing the book I went to the practice exams, both I was passing with over 90%, even so I was noting down items that I wanted more knowledge on, e.g. Kerberos, IPsec, etc.
The Exam:
I felt confident going into the exam given my high scores on the practice exams, but after about 10 questions into the real exam I thought failure was almost certain. The questions were much more complex than the practice exams, I can't say much given the NDA but feel like Gibson's book skimmed over many topics that were heavily tested in the exam. The practice exams took about 40 minutes each, the real exam took me over 2 hours, it was gruelling, stressful, and much more complex than expected.
In the end I passed though, but to be honest I don't feel that confident. Next up is ITIL Foundation then the CISSP which is now more daunting than ever.
My advice to would-be test takers is to take any SSCP or CISSP practice exam questions you can find, even if some CISSP questions are out of your depth you just have to get used to complicated wording of questions that take time to read. Practicing quick and easy questions like "what port does SSH use" will not progress you much.
Resources:
- AIO SSCP Exam Guide - Darril Gibson
- The two practice exams that came with this book, 250 questions total. (These come on a CD, not the end of chapter questions.)
Method:
I read a few chapters of the SSCP Exam Guide then went back and wrote my own dot point notes on it, repeat until finishing the book. After finishing the book I went to the practice exams, both I was passing with over 90%, even so I was noting down items that I wanted more knowledge on, e.g. Kerberos, IPsec, etc.
The Exam:
I felt confident going into the exam given my high scores on the practice exams, but after about 10 questions into the real exam I thought failure was almost certain. The questions were much more complex than the practice exams, I can't say much given the NDA but feel like Gibson's book skimmed over many topics that were heavily tested in the exam. The practice exams took about 40 minutes each, the real exam took me over 2 hours, it was gruelling, stressful, and much more complex than expected.
In the end I passed though, but to be honest I don't feel that confident. Next up is ITIL Foundation then the CISSP which is now more daunting than ever.
My advice to would-be test takers is to take any SSCP or CISSP practice exam questions you can find, even if some CISSP questions are out of your depth you just have to get used to complicated wording of questions that take time to read. Practicing quick and easy questions like "what port does SSH use" will not progress you much.
Comments
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impelse
Member Posts: 1,237 ■■■■□□□□□□
Congrats of the pass, sometimes we get surprises.Stop RDP Brute Force Attack with our RDP Firewall : http://www.thehost1.com
It is your personal IPS to stop the attack. -
tahjzhuan
Member Posts: 288 ■■■■□□□□□□
Congrats on the pass, I'm in the process of studying for the SSCP now using Gibson AIO. I haven't gone through all the practice questions in the book, but they do appear easier than the studISCope questions I've taken. -
Sheiko37
Member Posts: 214 ■■■□□□□□□□
The practice questions at the end of each chapter are really simple and just to check you understood what you just read. There should also be a CD with the book that has practice exams. -
Sheiko37
Member Posts: 214 ■■■□□□□□□□
Updating that I've just received acceptance of endorsement, it took 54 calendar days.
