What I know about people who take the CISSP a couple of times and fail but score in the 600's each time before they pass is this: They tend to work at least as hard at their job as they did when they studied for this exam, and they are also the ones who are often the MOST successful in the field after the fact. WHY? Because those who come close and retake this exam after studying SO hard not once, but twice, maybe three times, take that same ethos and apply it to whatever job they do, because they appreciate what they have accomplished, and how much they sacrificed to get where they are today. And while they are relieved that they have the cert in their hands after so much trial and error, they are usually NOT the type to squander it, nor do they tend to be the type of person/s who let anyone sully the reputation of what it means to be a CISSP.
If I had to take this test again today, I would CRUSH it, because I have not only an additional three years of knowledge, I also have the confidence it takes now, and the respect of my peers and my subordinates, because I work as hard in the InfoSec field as I did when I studied to pass this crucible of a test, every...single...day.
Now go out there and do the same thing, and then pay it forward!
-Kalkan999
