How long do you study before taking CISSP exam?

MykeC

Hi Everyone,

I am wondering how long do you all study before taking CISSP exam? Saw few threads where some only take 30 days before heading to exam. Understand that if I stretch my study period to 6 months then it might not be so productive.

Thanks in advance for the advice.

TheFORCE

I studied for 4-5 months, wanted to make sure i pass on my first attempt. Had 5-6 years experience at the time. Others that only study for 30 days, might have more experience. It all depends on you. What worked for other might not work for you, so dont base your studies on how long some else studied. There are people who studied for 6 months and failed 2x., it doesnt man anything. Everyone gets a different set of questions.

Danielm7

Agree with TheFORCE 100%. Everyone wants to know how long to study, or how quickly they can finish X college course, etc. There are a million different variables that can change that number. FWIW, I took on the lower end of your range, my friend told me a coworker of his "studied" for 10 years, somehow, and failed, as a very high level security engineer. So obviously, everyone is different.

dhay13

I studied overall about 6 months but that was just after completing the Sec+ then studying for CASP. I decided to skip the CASP and go straight to CISSP but about a month in I got sidetracked studying CEH. After I got back on track I probably studied about 4 months but I was getting burned out so I'm glad I didn't wait longer. I think those that study too long fail because they started getting bored or burned out but that is my opinion. I know if I had waited any longer my study habits would have started to suffer and that likely would have been reflected in my score. I also wanted to be sure to pass the first time so didn't want to go in too soon. I had about 10 years of overall IT experience and 2 years of directly related security experience. The other 8 years had security related functions peppered throughout.

cbdudek

I have 20 years of experience in IT and 13 of those as a manager. I had 5 years of solid infosec experience and I studied for 4 months before I took the exam and passed on my first try.

thesecuritybro

I personally say 4 months should be adequate for people who have the experience. I'm currently studying for it and gave myself 7 months to study for it but I feel like it's just a big re-hash of topics I already know.

I may end up just taking it in 3 months, but don't be frightened. It's not as hard as people make it out to be.....

TankerT

It has very little to do with how long someone studies. It has more to do with what your existing knowledge is, how you learn, how much you need to study to take this type of test and so on.

I took a boot camp, and that was pretty much it. But, it was pretty much a review for me. I know some folks that studied for 6 months. Some used video courses. Some classroom. Some reading.

There is no one size fits all.

ITSec14

I haven't taken the CISSP yet (plan on tackling the exam early next Spring), but you should look over the domains, read a book or two, then try to identify your comfort level. Once you get a feel for your comfort level go ahead and schedule the exam X amount of months out. This will ensure your studies are consistent and you don't slack off.

It's all about YOUR level of comfort, not anyone else's. Get an idea of what you're going up against and establish goals.

Blucodex

thesecuritybro wrote: »

I may end up just taking it in 3 months, but don't be frightened. It's not as hard as people make it out to be.....

I agree. I studied for 6 weeks, don't over think it.

dragonfly_222

I studied for about 6 months. I have 20+ years of experience, but I was able to take my time and took one domain at a time and I wanted to be sure I passed the first time. I was really chomping at the bit, though, by the end.. I just wanted it done. One piece of advice I'd give is that I'd check earlier for test dates.. when I felt I was close to ready, (like 2 weeksish), I checked and the wait time was 6 weeks in my area. So, I probably could have done it a month or so earlier if I'd thought to check for test availability earlier. Once I had a test date, I just kept going, even though I felt I was pretty ready. Doing the tests, like from CCCure, and the Shon book, really helped me gauge at the beginning where I was and what I needed to do. Good Luck!

s1krdr

I scheduled my exam with 6 weeks of study time planned. Needless to say things did not go quite as planned and in total I had maybe 20 days of actual studying during that 6 week period. I was scrambling a little bit that last week with reading and taking practice tests but I still passed first time. Probably not the most common approach, but it can be done.

deadjoe

Two months, only on weekdays (during work), three hours per day (avg). Passed first attempt. 10+ years of infosec experience.

clarkincnet

I spent 92 days of studying a minimum of 4 hours a day Monday – Friday and more on Saturday. I felt like I took my time and made sure I understood the concepts.

beads

Couple of weekends. Most of the information was known to me and Shon Harris' AiO second edition was all that was available. The exam has far less material today then back in that day.

Just depends on how much time in industry people have. I've heard everything from easy to something called: 'male child birth'. I really cannot take those folks who tell me its the hardest exam in their lifetimes at all seriously.

- b/eads

Luc3nc3

Sitting for exam in end August. Planned for 90 days.

shimasensei

I studied for about 2 months...also have about 5 years of IT/IS experience. These guys are right, there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to your studies (college or certifications).