Hello all, first post here.

I am currently studying for GCIH, have not registered yet. I am reading Counter Hack Reloaded (2nd Edition) and also the NIST publication 800-61. I am paying for the certification out of my pocket and trying to get through this without burning my wallet. My question, is the official course material a must? Can i comfortably pass the exam without the official course material and the mp3's?
I did CEH, CHFI, and SSCP in the last 6 months. I am hoping to get done with GCIH in the next 2 months. Would be great if i could get some suggestions on this.
Thank you