Passed CISSP today!
It was a long and stressful process at times, but I'm glad it is finally over. I know there are some people who pass this thing with a week or month of studying, but even with some very relevant real world experience it was not anywhere near that easy for me. My background includes networking, systems, and infosec in the Marine Corps and a few years of private sector risk management consulting. I also have a degree in Information Systems Security. I finished the exam in about 3 hours with around 15 questions flagged for review. I realized I probably didn't magically learn or remember something at the end that I didn't know 2-3 hours ago, so I didn't end up changing any flagged questions. There were times during the exam where I was extremely confident, and other times where I was convinced I failed it and started going over my strategy for a re-take in 30 days. Enough about me, here are the details of my prep (My personal favorites are in bold):
- Started by reading the Shon Harris AIO 6th edition (Every last word). A bit dry, but Shon really makes it a point to teach you the actual concepts, rather than giving just enough material to pass. I personally was not in this just for a piece of paper and appreciated her approach.
- Supplemented each chapter with the Shon Harris mp3's after the reading was done (These are a bit dated, but I loved them)
- Tried watching the CBT Nuggets, but they didn't do much for me at all.
- Took all the Skillsoft courses, provided due to my Veterans status (These were brutal and even counterproductive)
- Spent some time on Youtube and other sources like this site to fill in small gaps like new material, success road-maps, etc.
- Watched the Cybrary videos. These are awesome and really helped me a lot. Kelly really knows how to explain the material without coming off as boring or robotic. She is the truth when it comes to adding context to this material.
- Read through the entire CISSP 11th Hour book the final week, while taking practice questions (Started with practice questions about three weeks to a month out and took about 4-5,000..)
Practice Questions:
- Started with using Skillset since it was free. This database of questions is strange and many are completely out of scope, but it helps a bit with basic knowledge. I wouldn't use this as a primary source.
- McGraw Hill questions were great for challenging me, and even kicked my ass just a few days ago. These questions seemed like they went out of their way to confuse you, which I don't personally think the real exam does.
- CCCure questions were the ones that put me over the top. These questions were worth every penny and then some. Without a doubt, this is where I got the closest simulation to the real thing. I wouldn't recommend memorizing these because you won't see a single one on the exam, but they are worded in a similar way and stay within the same scope as the real thing.
Another thing I wanted to mention... I definitely noticed the new material on this exam. Quite a bit, actually. I would definitely recommend looking here https://cccure.training/m/articles/view/CISSP-CBK-2015-WHAT-WAS-ADDED for the changes. I spent a few days on these new topics and doing my own research on them.
Thanks to everyone here who has provided some kind of useful information. I really combed through this forum and gathered some awesome information that certainly helped or saved time along the way.
- Started by reading the Shon Harris AIO 6th edition (Every last word). A bit dry, but Shon really makes it a point to teach you the actual concepts, rather than giving just enough material to pass. I personally was not in this just for a piece of paper and appreciated her approach.
- Supplemented each chapter with the Shon Harris mp3's after the reading was done (These are a bit dated, but I loved them)
- Tried watching the CBT Nuggets, but they didn't do much for me at all.
- Took all the Skillsoft courses, provided due to my Veterans status (These were brutal and even counterproductive)
- Spent some time on Youtube and other sources like this site to fill in small gaps like new material, success road-maps, etc.
- Watched the Cybrary videos. These are awesome and really helped me a lot. Kelly really knows how to explain the material without coming off as boring or robotic. She is the truth when it comes to adding context to this material.
- Read through the entire CISSP 11th Hour book the final week, while taking practice questions (Started with practice questions about three weeks to a month out and took about 4-5,000..)
Practice Questions:
- Started with using Skillset since it was free. This database of questions is strange and many are completely out of scope, but it helps a bit with basic knowledge. I wouldn't use this as a primary source.
- McGraw Hill questions were great for challenging me, and even kicked my ass just a few days ago. These questions seemed like they went out of their way to confuse you, which I don't personally think the real exam does.
- CCCure questions were the ones that put me over the top. These questions were worth every penny and then some. Without a doubt, this is where I got the closest simulation to the real thing. I wouldn't recommend memorizing these because you won't see a single one on the exam, but they are worded in a similar way and stay within the same scope as the real thing.
Another thing I wanted to mention... I definitely noticed the new material on this exam. Quite a bit, actually. I would definitely recommend looking here https://cccure.training/m/articles/view/CISSP-CBK-2015-WHAT-WAS-ADDED for the changes. I spent a few days on these new topics and doing my own research on them.
Thanks to everyone here who has provided some kind of useful information. I really combed through this forum and gathered some awesome information that certainly helped or saved time along the way.
Comments
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stryder144
Member Posts: 1,684 ■■■■■■■■□□
Awesome! Congratulations on the pass!The easiest thing to be in the world is you. The most difficult thing to be is what other people want you to be. Don't let them put you in that position. ~ Leo Buscaglia
Connect With Me || My Blog Site || Follow Me -
gio629
Member Posts: 10 ■□□□□□□□□□
Thanks! I prepared for about 4-5 months, with the final two being the ones that I ended my personal life and studied several hours per day. -
BK Mathivanan
Registered Users Posts: 4 ■□□□□□□□□□
Congrats. Already a CISA. I am split to go for CISSP or CRISC? Any thoughts......?? -
Archon
Member Posts: 183 ■■■□□□□□□□
Congrats. I think I started flagging questions for review even though I was fairly confident with my answer. Not a good idea when you have loads to go over at the end! -
gio629
Member Posts: 10 ■□□□□□□□□□
Does anyone know if the endorsement assistance takes longer than being endorsed by a CISSP in good standing? If the timelines are the same, I would prefer to just let ISC2 endorse me so I can submit it right away.
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Archon
Member Posts: 183 ■■■□□□□□□□
I think its 2 weeks longer. I was informed it was 8 weeks when i sent off my docs this week.
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NotHackingYou
Member Posts: 1,460 ■■■■■■■■□□
Congrats on the pass, thanks for your detailed study strategy explanation!When you go the extra mile, there's no traffic.
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soccarplayer29
Member Posts: 230 ■■■□□□□□□□
BK Mathivanan wrote: »Congrats. Already a CISA. I am split to go for CISSP or CRISC? Any thoughts......??
Having passed both the CISA and CISSP I think I have a little insight here. First off both are great and they are compliments to each other. I decided to go CISSP first as it directly related to my current role, but I plan to take the CRISC later. I wanted a little more technical (inch deep knowledge) and think I'm going to continue that path in pursuing CEH and/or GSEC prior to doing the CRISC.Certs: CISSP, CISA, PMP -
analyst
Member Posts: 48 ■■□□□□□□□□
soccarplayer29 wrote: »Having passed both the CISA and CISSP I think I have a little insight here. First off both are great and they are compliments to each other. I decided to go CISSP first as it directly related to my current role, but I plan to take the CRISC later. I wanted a little more technical (inch deep knowledge) and think I'm going to continue that path in pursuing CEH and/or GSEC prior to doing the CRISC.
I can speak to the GSEC, which I got almost two years ago. The class (401) is great! Worth every penny. The cert (GSEC) is basically validation that you paid attention in class and read the books and did the labs. In hindsight, two years later, I am of the firm belief that the class is where the true value lied. The GSEC didn't open any doors for me (GCIH and GCIA seem to be much more marketable among the GIAC certs) but the content I learned in the 401 enabled me to perform my existing work with more of a security focus, which did later on open some doors. -
riyan
Member Posts: 161 ■■■□□□□□□□
Congratulations.... Now apply for the endorsement and wait for 8 weeks...
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voodoo26
Member Posts: 56 ■■□□□□□□□□
Congrats ! Waiting moment is harder than exam
2014 Goals CISSP COLOR=#008000]Passed[/COLOR, 2015 Goals CISM COLOR=#ff0000]June[/COLOR -
gio629
Member Posts: 10 ■□□□□□□□□□
Thanks! You guys weren't kidding about the 8 week waiting period..
"Due to high volume, please allow 8 weeks for your submission to be reviewed and processed". -
harun52
Member Posts: 6 ■□□□□□□□□□
Hello,
Are the old books ( Shon Harris and Eric Conrad) valid for new CISSP domain ?
Do I have to take a new book ?
Thank you,
