691 horrible pathetic

sesha437

Failed today....oh God...

g33k3r

Hang in there. You are very close! What resources did you use? Were you able to figure out what areas you had the most challenge with? How long did you prepare?

sesha437

My Preparation went like this.

I Started in May 26th. So 4 months exactly. Used the following resources.

1. Shon Harris AIO 6th edition
2. Eric Conrad 2nd edition
3. Cybrary Videos
4. Total Tester
5. CCCure questions
6. Shon Harris Practice questions 3rd edition

My weak areas are: 1. S/w development security 2. Risk management 3. Asset security 4. Security operations.

I used to score well in total tester and cccure except Pro questions. In SH 3rd edition also 80% in 7 chapters around 70% in 3 chapters.

I think s/w dev security and risk management spoiled my score i think.

In exam first 100 questions are horrible. By finishing 100 questions itself i decided i will fail. But remaining 150 went well.
While reviewing the marked questions, among first 100 i have around 40 easily. Every question is 50-50 only. So there only went wrong i think.

For second attempt is there any fee concession?
English is not my native language, faced tough to understand few questions quickly. that's also one reason i think.

g33k3r

Those look like great study materials. Do you have much experience in the field? From what I've read, since I haven't taken the exam yet, is that you need to understand the material vs. know the definitions if that make sense. Try to break it down into real world implementations. Every time I read something I think of how this could be used within my current company.

I don't know of any reduced exam fee. Is the CISSP only offered in English? or other languages offered?

You are so close so don't beat yourself up too much. You were probably off by only 1 or 2 questions. During my practice questions when I change my answer I am usually wrong. I'd say don't change your answers unless your are very confident that it needs to be changed.

Good luck!

sesha437

I have 6 years experience in info sec, but mostly into Web app and mobile app security. Little bit into network security. So remaining domains become tough for me.

gespenstern

It's okay, actually. A lot of people here passed on their second attempts, some even made 3 attempts.

Just schedule another one, refresh your knowledge and try again.

freedom777

You will make it! Perhaps take a few days away from studying and then regroup and focus on weak areas. To your success in advance!

veronica321

You almost made it. 2 -3 questions might have made the difference. Dont give up. Add some transcender questions this time to your study plan. Good luck.

Mike7

sesha437 wrote: »

In exam first 100 questions are horrible. By finishing 100 questions itself i decided i will fail. But remaining 150 went well.
While reviewing the marked questions, among first 100 i have around 40 easily. Every question is 50-50 only. So there only went wrong i think.

Mark and skip the questions that you are not sure and move on, you can always return to them later.
The objective is to finish the easy questions first, get momentum going, and focus on the more difficult ones later.
For those "best of" questions, answer them from the perspective of an infosec manager.
The exam duration is 6 hours; take short breaks if need to. Personally, I used eye drops to freshen up and relax.

Read up on other takers' experience in the forum to learn a few useful tip or two.

You are almost there. Good Luck!

rony1234

If till the next exam you are going to start reading another book then I'll recommend the new Sybex CISSP 7th edition book to try and brush up the weak areas. I picked up the Kindle version yesterday (the book edition is more expensive in my region and would have taken a few days to get delivered), I already find that it's an easy read and explains a lot of the concepts in an easy manner. It's also has some pretty handy tips interspersed in the material...cheers and wish you all the best in your second attempt.

cubenlink01

hang in there

spark2

Look at the bright side, you will be very confident in the next attempt, you'll be familiar with the exam, the arrangements and the how the whole thing is being done.
Those who focus on the technical side like myself (and perhaps like yourself) are adviced to pay attention to the managerial side of the certificate.
Try to find real life implementations for all the theoretical aspects ex access controls
Be brave and don't give up

sesha437

Hey really super and appreciate your tips and motivated words.

Am planning to give an attempt after 2 months. Taking one week rest.

Have to cover gaps like risk management in very good manner. Because lot of questions came and am new to that.

Someone mentioned like sybex 7th edition book is good. Is it worth to buy ?

In Amazon also reviews are good. Please suggest.

Thanks
Sesha.

Eburon

Thank you for sharing your insights. Wishing you the best to ace that monster the next time.

g33k3r

sesha437 wrote: »

Someone mentioned like sybex 7th edition book is good. Is it worth to buy ?

In Amazon also reviews are good. Please suggest.

Thanks
Sesha.

I bought the new Sybex book when it first came out. It doesn't assume you already know the material so the explanations can be a bit wordy but that isn't a bad thing if a certain area is difficult for you. I am about a 1/4 of the way through it and have used it to supplement my detailed notes from the Eric Conrad Study Guide. I'd say add it to your collection for another resource to explain areas you feel weak in.

CLICK

Sorry to hear man, keep your head up and get back in there, you were one question away. You know you'll ace it the next time around. I've scheduled mine this November. We'll get there

rony1234

Yes I picked the Sybex 7th edition a week back and like the way the study material is presented. It also touches up on a quite few things that are not in the older materials. I recommend on using it along with the Eric Conrad book.

havoc64

I too bought the Sybex CISSP 7th Edition...so much easier to read than the official CBK...

sesha437

Just now ordered the book. Let me have one more try. Hoping to clear this time.

Planning to take more practice questions from different books and strengthen my weak areas.

Any good suggestions of docs/books for Risk management, Security operations, S/w Dev security like NIST docs or online resources?

Thanks all for your wonderful support.

g33k3r

Of the resources you've listed above, was Risk Management, Security Operations, and S/W Development not covered enough? or are you just having a hard time understanding the material and want another resource to explain it differently?

sesha437

Those resources covered the topics. But I don't have experience in those areas, so in exam questions came real time examples. So faced issues. So need other resources where I can understand deeply and solve easily.
Thanks g33k3r.

g33k3r

I don't have direct experience in some of these domains either. Try to imagine how you could use these concepts in your current environment. It may not be quite as elaborate, but not many organizations will follow these steps exactly. I try to think "What If...." when reading about some of these concepts. Especially those related to DOD. Keep in mind, you were VERY close to passing the exam so you don't have to make monumental changes to succeed. Once you've passed, you'll gain more experience to match what you've read

bpenn

As someone mentioned earlier, Transcender is a great resource if you have issues understanding the questions. Transcender grills you with BEST answer questions where there are multiple answers but you have to choose the correct one. It also has flash questions and multiple answer questions. I think it costs 100 dollars for one month but, honestly, it was worth it for me because I went through all 1100 questions twice. I felt much more confident on how to actually comprehend what I was being asked on the actual exam.

Good luck on your second attempt! You are so close.

g33k3r

I purchased a years subscription from Transcender this week. There was a 20% off code. If you don't pass, you get your money back.