Passed! 28 June.
Well after 9 months of lost weekends, early morning study sessions, and hours lurking around this forum, I finally passed the CISSP on my first go-around! I thought I'd share my obligatory test day story and exam prep.
BACKGROUND:
15 years in a mix of IT roles from help desk to IT operations manager. I have a BS in IFSM and the standard mix of certs from Sec+ to ITIL and few others that just make me feel old.
TEST DAY:
Woke up, had breakfast, and arrived 30 minutes early to the testing center. I signed in, took a seat, signed the NDA and got started. Luckily the first question was relatively easy and I think that set the stage for the rest of the test and served to temper my anxiety.
As I moved through the questions I was pretty satisfied with the quality and didn't really feel as if they were unfairly written. I took breaks after every 40 questions and finished in three hours and five minutes, not counting the 25 minutes I took to go over the 50 or so questions I flagged for review. On review I changed maybe 5-6 questions and honestly I was just ready to get the hell out of there. After I was thoroughly convinced I had failed, I clicked end-test and took the "gallows walk" toward the test administrator. He calmly printed out the results and said congratulations! Needless to say, I'm extremely satisfied with the result!
PREPARATION:
9 months total (3 months focused)
I woke up every morning except Saturday and Sunday at 5am and read a chapter a day starting with Eric's book and ending up with the Sybex text--In the evenings I took practice exams. About 2 weeks before the test I re-watched all of the Cybrary videos and took extensive notes. I recommend taking at least four or five 250-question exams, they help to get you ready for the mental marathon you are preparing for.
RESOURCES:
Sybex Official Study Guide 7th: Great book that covered the domains in a way that worked for me. I think the Sybex questions are the best representation of the actual test questions---minus the drag and drops. I was scoring low 80's on the 250-question end-of-course exams. 8/10
Eric Conrad's 3rd Edition: Great book that was easy to read. I think it was a great complement to the Sybex text. I read it front to back and took all of the chapter exams. 7.5/10
Shon Harris AIO: Tried to read it and lasted about two chapters. This is more of a desk reference in my opinion.
Skillport: I received access through my employer and found the content to be stale and hard to follow. 5/10
Cybrary.it: Not sure there's too much to say about this FREE video library that has not already been said. Bottom line, I would not have passed this exam without Kelley. I donated $50 to the site this afternoon. Side note: download and review the 508 page slide deck the day before the exam--easy to review in about 2-3 hours. 10/10
Sunflower CISSP: Starting to show its age, but still a great resource for review. 7/10
Sybex iPad test app: 9/10
CISSP for Dummies iPad App: 7/10
CCCure.com: I probably worked through about 1,200-1,500 questions. I found them to be far too technical. One good thing about CCCure was the ability to track your progress. I also found the extensive feedback provided for missed questions to be a huge benefit. I was scoring 80's toward the end. 7/10
As almost everyone else has said, you have to answer the questions from a managerial perspective, but don't forget to study the technical details.
Good luck to everyone!
BACKGROUND:
15 years in a mix of IT roles from help desk to IT operations manager. I have a BS in IFSM and the standard mix of certs from Sec+ to ITIL and few others that just make me feel old.
TEST DAY:
Woke up, had breakfast, and arrived 30 minutes early to the testing center. I signed in, took a seat, signed the NDA and got started. Luckily the first question was relatively easy and I think that set the stage for the rest of the test and served to temper my anxiety.
As I moved through the questions I was pretty satisfied with the quality and didn't really feel as if they were unfairly written. I took breaks after every 40 questions and finished in three hours and five minutes, not counting the 25 minutes I took to go over the 50 or so questions I flagged for review. On review I changed maybe 5-6 questions and honestly I was just ready to get the hell out of there. After I was thoroughly convinced I had failed, I clicked end-test and took the "gallows walk" toward the test administrator. He calmly printed out the results and said congratulations! Needless to say, I'm extremely satisfied with the result!
PREPARATION:
9 months total (3 months focused)
I woke up every morning except Saturday and Sunday at 5am and read a chapter a day starting with Eric's book and ending up with the Sybex text--In the evenings I took practice exams. About 2 weeks before the test I re-watched all of the Cybrary videos and took extensive notes. I recommend taking at least four or five 250-question exams, they help to get you ready for the mental marathon you are preparing for.
RESOURCES:
Sybex Official Study Guide 7th: Great book that covered the domains in a way that worked for me. I think the Sybex questions are the best representation of the actual test questions---minus the drag and drops. I was scoring low 80's on the 250-question end-of-course exams. 8/10
Eric Conrad's 3rd Edition: Great book that was easy to read. I think it was a great complement to the Sybex text. I read it front to back and took all of the chapter exams. 7.5/10
Shon Harris AIO: Tried to read it and lasted about two chapters. This is more of a desk reference in my opinion.
Skillport: I received access through my employer and found the content to be stale and hard to follow. 5/10
Cybrary.it: Not sure there's too much to say about this FREE video library that has not already been said. Bottom line, I would not have passed this exam without Kelley. I donated $50 to the site this afternoon. Side note: download and review the 508 page slide deck the day before the exam--easy to review in about 2-3 hours. 10/10
Sunflower CISSP: Starting to show its age, but still a great resource for review. 7/10
Sybex iPad test app: 9/10
CISSP for Dummies iPad App: 7/10
CCCure.com: I probably worked through about 1,200-1,500 questions. I found them to be far too technical. One good thing about CCCure was the ability to track your progress. I also found the extensive feedback provided for missed questions to be a huge benefit. I was scoring 80's toward the end. 7/10
As almost everyone else has said, you have to answer the questions from a managerial perspective, but don't forget to study the technical details.
Good luck to everyone!
Comments
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ITSpectre
Member Posts: 1,040 ■■■■□□□□□□
IDK why but when I got to the preparation part of your post.... "Eye of the tiger" popped in my head.
Congrats on your pass!In the darkest hour, there is always a way out - Eve ME3 :cool:
“The measure of an individual can be difficult to discern by actions alone.” – Thane Krios -
havoc64
Member Posts: 213 ■■□□□□□□□□
Congrats on the Pass! And from a 21 year Air Force Vet, I thank you for your service Brother..
