Passed CISSP - 23 June 2016
Hi guys ,
I passed the CISSP exam on my first attempt. Thanks to the wonderful advices on this forum and Cybrary videos from Kelly Handerhan, I nailed it
BACKGROUND : Wireless - 1 year , Networks - almost 4 and did a bit of coding in University ; worked with ISP, Data Centres and Financial Institutions
Other Certs - CCNA, CCNP, CCNA Sec , CEH, ITIL
Location - Canada
PREPARATION :
Total time - 4 months (about 250 hours)
Resources - Eric Conrad 3rd edition , Cybrary Videos and CCCURE practice exams , Eric Conrad 11th hour , google,youtube
I started by watching the Cybrary videos(the 10 domain one's). I printed the pdf files for the videos and added other information as I watched the videos. Next up was the Eric Conrad book which was really good and concise. I then reviewed all the chapters from Eric Conrad and my notes from Cybrary , took about 1000 questions from CCCURE scoring about 78-80% on an average. I then wrapped it up by watching the new Cybrary videos and read the 11th hour book on the last day. I used google and youtube to get a more in-depth understanding of a few concepts.
I focussed more on the concepts rather than memorization as has been recommended on this forum time and time again. I took my own sweet time with Risk , BCP and SDLC. The technical part was just a review for me.
The exam was completely different from CCCURE but I highly recommend it as it sets your brain to Exam mode and you get a feel of how to answer the questions. The explanations were what really helped me. The hard mode aligns more with the real exam.
EXAM : The exam was not very hard but it does need an understanding of concepts. All the questions will be applying the concepts. Do not over analyze the questions. I'm comfortable with processes and best practices because of my experience in the financial and banking industries and that really helped me.
I completed the exam in just over 5 hours taking two short breaks and marking down 9 questions for review. I did feel that I would pass , which I did. Overall , I would say the exam had about 15% technical questions and the rest were conceptual. I felt that the exam was fairly balanced , maybe a little bit more on Rick/BCP but study all domains equally. Do not spend time memorizing fine details like header size etc. Understand the flow of Risk and BCP.
If in doubt I would rephrase the question and ask myself- what will I do as a Risk Advisor ? I also used good test taking skills and narrowed down the answers to the last two and picked out the best one. My biggest challenge during my preparation was staying motivated and keeping everything fresh so I would recommend not to let this drag.
I would also read the posts on this website and reddit everyday , which was really helpful in motivating me and the tips were very useful.
Good luck to the people preparing for the exam !! Understand the concepts and be confident
Now next step is the endorsement
Thanks again to everyone who posted/commented on this forum.
I will be more than happy to answer any questions.
Thanks everyone.
I passed the CISSP exam on my first attempt. Thanks to the wonderful advices on this forum and Cybrary videos from Kelly Handerhan, I nailed it
BACKGROUND : Wireless - 1 year , Networks - almost 4 and did a bit of coding in University ; worked with ISP, Data Centres and Financial Institutions
Other Certs - CCNA, CCNP, CCNA Sec , CEH, ITIL
Location - Canada
PREPARATION :
Total time - 4 months (about 250 hours)
Resources - Eric Conrad 3rd edition , Cybrary Videos and CCCURE practice exams , Eric Conrad 11th hour , google,youtube
I started by watching the Cybrary videos(the 10 domain one's). I printed the pdf files for the videos and added other information as I watched the videos. Next up was the Eric Conrad book which was really good and concise. I then reviewed all the chapters from Eric Conrad and my notes from Cybrary , took about 1000 questions from CCCURE scoring about 78-80% on an average. I then wrapped it up by watching the new Cybrary videos and read the 11th hour book on the last day. I used google and youtube to get a more in-depth understanding of a few concepts.
I focussed more on the concepts rather than memorization as has been recommended on this forum time and time again. I took my own sweet time with Risk , BCP and SDLC. The technical part was just a review for me.
The exam was completely different from CCCURE but I highly recommend it as it sets your brain to Exam mode and you get a feel of how to answer the questions. The explanations were what really helped me. The hard mode aligns more with the real exam.
EXAM : The exam was not very hard but it does need an understanding of concepts. All the questions will be applying the concepts. Do not over analyze the questions. I'm comfortable with processes and best practices because of my experience in the financial and banking industries and that really helped me.
I completed the exam in just over 5 hours taking two short breaks and marking down 9 questions for review. I did feel that I would pass , which I did. Overall , I would say the exam had about 15% technical questions and the rest were conceptual. I felt that the exam was fairly balanced , maybe a little bit more on Rick/BCP but study all domains equally. Do not spend time memorizing fine details like header size etc. Understand the flow of Risk and BCP.
If in doubt I would rephrase the question and ask myself- what will I do as a Risk Advisor ? I also used good test taking skills and narrowed down the answers to the last two and picked out the best one. My biggest challenge during my preparation was staying motivated and keeping everything fresh so I would recommend not to let this drag.
I would also read the posts on this website and reddit everyday , which was really helpful in motivating me and the tips were very useful.
Good luck to the people preparing for the exam !! Understand the concepts and be confident
Now next step is the endorsement
Thanks again to everyone who posted/commented on this forum.
I will be more than happy to answer any questions.
Thanks everyone.