Do people really pass this test after taking a week long bootcamp with no other prep?

I've been studying for this thing non-stop for a few months. So much info.

Do people really walk into a boot camp, study for a week, take the test, and come out with the CISSP?

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E Double U

I didn't, but yes it can be done.

TheFORCE

Nothing is impossible, but it is highly unlikely that the majority of people that go to a bootcamp walk out with a CISSP.

I took a long week bootcamp and studied 2-3 months after that as well.

cyberguypr

Doable: yes. Common: Don't think so. Those who take it after just a bootcamp are usually very familiar with InfoSec and most of the domains. I came from a Systems Admin role so some of the domains were foreign to me. As a result it took me several months to study and make sure I absorbed all the material. Some here say the test is super easy, others say it's the hardest they've taken. It all depends on where you've been, what you've done and what you bring to the table.

renacido

I passed the CISSP exam the first attempt and my only prep was a bootcamp and about 4 hours of self study. That said, the bootcamp was very little help. I had well over a decade of infosec experience and would have done as well or better with a week of self-study (2-3 hours per day) instead of the bootcamp. The material of CISSP is too much for a one week seminar to "teach". The bootcamp was flying through PowerPoint lightly touching on major topics and occasionally diving a little deeper on stuff that IMO anyone taking the exam should understand already (how SSL works, data classification, etc) and of course off topic questions from attendees on how such and such applies or doesn't apply where they work, as if that is relevant to anyone else or to passing the exam.

If if you don't have deep experience in infosec I don't recommend bootcamp except as an introductory overview to get you familiar with all the domains before 3 months or so of self study. That's if you want to pass the first time.

bpenn

renacido wrote: »

I had well over a decade of infosec experience and would have done as well or better with a week of self-study (2-3 hours per day) instead of the bootcamp.

Bingo. I believe if you already have a strong understanding of Infosec then it can be done.

gespenstern

If you are really smart, have tons of experience in infosec, especially govt style with all of their rainbow books concepts and very good at digesting high volumes of information in a limited time then yes. Otherwise you'd better not waste you money and time until you feel prepared which is measurable via test questions.

danny069

At $600 a pop, I'd rather study my ass off for a whole year and be well prepared than under prepared.

abelamorales

Ertaz wrote: »

I've been studying for this thing non-stop for a few months. So much info.

Do people really walk into a boot camp, study for a week, take the test, and come out with the CISSP?

Hi Ertaz,

So here's the thing, there is a lot of material to cover with the CISSP. Unless you have been in Information Security for a while and understand the concepts, I do not recommend going that route. Even after being in the field for 4 years, I self studied using Clement Dupuis CBT (cccure.org) and reading on my own. I got to the point where I didn't have enough time to study on my own and really needed to get away from home to fully dedicate a week to the material.

That is when I took the CISSP class bootcamp (InfoSec Institute), stayed at a hotel, and took the exam 3 days after the bootcamp finished. This helped me really focus all my efforts into the material and get into the CISSP mindset required to pass the exam. I did pass on my first try.

TechGuru80

You have to consider that everybody has varying levels of experience with each domain (or none in certain domains in some cases). This makes studying requirements different for each individual. With that being said, individuals who are early on their career are not going to pass with simply a week of study...they usually don't have the experience to fall back on like somebody more experienced.

Most people I have talked to about the exam take at least 2-3 months and some even longer. Some people will also have completed other certifications that fit nicely into the CISSP such as CEH (or many others), and can dramatically decrease their study time dedicated solely to CISSP.

If you are fresh to InfoSec or don't have a lot of background knowledge, passing the CISSP with a boot camp is going to be very difficult if not impossible.

Clm

Is it possible yes but those are select cases these are the people who have years of in-depth experience and the boot camp just teaches how to pass the exam

tpatt100

I took a bootcamp, studied for a couple of days before it and failed gloriously.....

Looking back, for the price of the bootcamp I would have done better if I just studied on my own and took a week off work to cram before the test.

avalon111

I know one person who took the exam immediately after a bootcamp, and passed.

That person did mention she had forgotten virtually everything she had learned as soon as the exam finished; as if her knowledge had been committed to short-term memory rather than long-term if she'd studied over the course of several months.

I went for the 'cheap' route; got myself the last edition of the Harris book, another one on practice questions and subscribed to an independent site doing test questions...and passed first time.

What influenced me though was I'm very long-sighted and sometimes get eyestrain with too much study inside a single week. I was concerned than an intense bootcamp would leave me with eyestrain for the exam, and I'd sat an ISACA exam in the past with eyestrain and that wasn't fun (filling-in little circles on the answer sheet with a HB pencil).

Terminator X

A boot camp (week long boot camp) is normally used as a refresher and to drive home some less familiar concepts. It should never be thought of as a comprehensive review of the domains.

jcundiff

I will echo what everyone else is saying, possible but not very likely... I went the boot camp method after 10-12 months of self study and had a lot of experience in governance, risk, policy, bc/dr and access control...but none in Crypto. I used the camp to drive home and polish my weaker areas and sat the exam the last day of the boot camp and passed.

DocRoy

As I've been studying now it occurred to me that maybe I should enroll in a bootcamp after several months of hard studying. I am hoping that this bootcamp will help or enhanced what I've already covered with my studies. After doing this I think maybe a month later I will sit for the exam. I have experience in several of the domains but there are other domains in which I don't.

Does this sound logical.

OctalDump

renacido wrote: »

The material of CISSP is too much for a one week seminar to "teach". The bootcamp was flying through PowerPoint lightly touching on major topics and occasionally diving a little deeper on stuff that IMO anyone taking the exam should understand already (how SSL works, data classification, etc) and of course off topic questions from attendees on how such and such applies or doesn't apply where they work, as if that is relevant to anyone else or to passing the exam.

Lol, that describes too many short courses I've been on.

renacido

Those who know infosec well enough to pass the CISSP exam with no other prep than a bootcamp can pass the exam without the bootcamp. If my employer hadn't paid for my bootcamp I'd have been fine without it.

You're better off taking some reputable practice tests to assess which domains you're weak on, self-study those thoroughly, review the ones you're strong on, and then take a couple more practice tests to rehearse and build confidence. Then relax the night before, get a solid night's sleep, and go sit the exam well-rested and confident the next day. Done and done.

If 1-2 hours a night, 3-4 nights a week for 3 months isn't enough prep time for self-study prior to the exam, I'd question if you have the infosec experience to pass the endorsement process. Associate of ISC2 isn't going to add a ton of weight to your resume, so there's no need to rush taking the CISSP exam until you've got at least ~5 solid years full-time in 2 domains. My two cents.