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CISSP passed - my advice

suntosunto Member Posts: 29 ■■■□□□□□□□
I passed the CISSP, but I wanted to give some insight and advice. Everyone is different, so take it (as with all other posts like this) with a grain of salt.

What I didn't do:
  • I did not study for the exam beyond the 1-week boot-camp I took with Training Camp.
  • I did not cram questions at all. Instead, I focused on content and how it applies in a managerial setting.
  • I did not change answers after I made them, unless I was 100% correct that I misread the question. See more in the 'I did' section below.
  • I did not try to inject your perception or understanding of the security management world. That will mess you up quicker than anything else. Learn the ISC(2)/International way of doing things. You don't have to agree with it, but you have to know what it is.
What I did do:
  • I did slow down and reach each question very carefully. I was surprised at how much this affected my answering it correctly. Humans tend to skip over information they don't deem important and fill in the blank without knowing it. Read questions in a slow, deliberate manner. Many of them scream the answer at you when you do it this way.
  • I did review the content of each day's class after dinner. Reviewing your notes will help reinforce what you've learned.
  • I did sleep each night. Sleep is very important to the retention and storage of knowledge. Don't skip it!
  • I did take the boot-camp away from home, work, and other distractions. This piece of advise probably helped me the most. You have to get away and frame your approach so you are not distracted.

There's a whole world of commerce around passing this exam. Try to keep that in mind. It's easy to spend money to get prepared for it, but I don't follow the notion that it gives anyone that much of a bump.

I hope this helps. I am glad to have the certification test completed and behind me. Stay calm, keep your emotions at bay, and you'll do just fine if you follow the path I set above.

P.S. do not try to memorize or cram. I can't emphasize that enough (literally, this BB won't let me emphasize it any more than I have :p)
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