CISSP vs PMP

shoey

Does anyone have both a CISSP and PMP cert? I read a few of the end of chapter questions in the pmbok (my buddy is studying up for it now), and it seemed pretty straightforward; especially when compared to the CISSP.

Just curious about study time (or if you really had to study that much compared to the CISSP). Please know I'm not trying to be derogatory towards the PMP (I know it's highly regarded), but I was surprised at the types of example questions.

datacomboss

You'd fail going off of those questions.

shoey

datacomboss wrote: »

You'd fail going off of those questions.

I figured the questions weren't a good indictor of exam readiness; I was more curious about the level of effort required (assuming you had already passed the CISSP) to study. I got my eligibility approval last week (figured I'd go ahead and schedule my exam), and am just trying to determine how far out I should schedule it.

*Note: I don't need this cert - but based on the content of the questions figured I'd knock it out (depending on the LOE required to pass).

shoey

PawanDwivedi wrote: »

I have a friend who is now taking PMP at Excelr Solutions. When I asked him this question he said that he can't tell anything strongly as he is not sure about this CISSP. I think the person who experienced both can tell the exact answer to this question.

Appreciate you asking about this. I found out yesterday a coworker of mine has both and she said the PMP took minimal studying (as she had completed the CISSP just over a year before taking the PMP). I will be scheduling the PMP in December and will update what I found.

soccarplayer29

I took the CISSP about 2-3 years before the PMP. Having taken both I'd say that the only overlap between the CISSP and PMP is the "think like a manager" mentality.

I found the PMP material to be a bit dry and required considerable amount of studying/memorization of the processes and formulas. Some of the questions/material might seem counter to your real-life work project management experience which complicates things also.

I'd highly recommend studying some of the materials (Rita study guide book, pm-exam-simulator, pm prep cast, etc.) and reading the other PMP Pass threads on here before scheduling the exam.

Both the CISSP and PMP are difficult exams and because my experience prepared me better for the CISSP I felt like the PMP was more difficult even though the concepts/breadth of the exam appears lighter than the CISSP.

Kyrak

A lot of it depends on your experience with both and as SP29 mentioned they are really apples and oranges. For me the PMP was harder to study for with a lot more rote memorization and new concepts. I took my CISSP right after I had completed my Security + then my CCNA Security and there was a fair amount of overlap. I have found though if you get both you will be in pretty rarified air. There aren't a whole lot of us who hold both.

For study times, I studied maybe 3-4 months for the PMP but I wasn't working full time then so it was pretty involved. For the CISSP due to an extended vacation I had planned, I actually prepared for about a month but it was intense studying outside of my full time job which was also quite demanding. YMMV though.

shoey

Appreciate the responses from everyone! I've been spending my time going over Rita's Study Guide, and decided to schedule the exam for Monday . Should be interesting hahaha!

Normally I would wait and be a bit more confident; but want to give this a try before I start the OSCP. Will let everyone know how it goes.

mzx380

curious to see how you do, keep us posted

shoey

mzx380 wrote: »

curious to see how you do, keep us posted

Sat for the exam this morning and passed!! Here are my notes:

Studying (about 2 weeks):
1. Took a full 200 question practice exam once and highlighted my weak areas.
2. I started reading through the PMBOK (but didn't make it far) and I decided to use Ritas instead. I skimmed through the domains I scored well on and concentrated mainly on my weak areas.
3. I made flash cards for several topics (e.g. Tools/techniques, equations, diagrams, etc.), and placed them around my office at work.
4. Read over my notes before bed.

Exam:
1. The exam questions were a bit more difficult than I expected. I personally found myself having to read over the question multiple times (this was an issue for me with the CISSP albeit not nearly as bad during this exam).
2. I enjoyed having the ability to highlight text and strike-through answers, but think I may have gotten carried away with it. I found myself spending more time on questions than necessary, and when I looked at the clock I realized I had to pick up the pace... Drastically... The last 40 percent of the exam felt extremely rushed for me.
3. It took me the entire four hours to complete my exam and review about 20 questions I had flagged (note: it took me 2.5 hours to complete my CISSP exam - the time I actually passed).

General Observations:
1. Domain Scores:
-Initiation (13% of Exam) - Below Target
-Planning (24% of Exam) - Target
-Executing (31% of Exam) - Target
-Monitoring/Controlling (25% of Exam) - Above Target
-Closing (7% of Exam) - Target
2. While I passed, I was not prepared for the exam. Period.
3. While I passed, I failed myself. Period. I've never been someone to flaunt a certification or get one just to have the title. I've taken/achieved them because I want the knowledge; and looking critically at this situation I believe I have failed myself. I will go back over the material until I feel competent in the subject matter.

Rants:
1. I do not understand why people who are very sick sit for a $#@!*%@ exam. Some woman in the room literally spent the entire time coughing, wheezing, blowing her nose, and hacking &^%# up. I've never used ear plugs or noise canceling headsets during an exam until today. THEY STILL DIDN'T WORK! I don't want to say I hope she failed whatever exam she was taking, but I hope she failed; and I'm sorry I'm not sorry for feeling that way!!!

Study Suggestions:
1. Rita Study Guide FTW
2. Mind maps and flash cards are great for memorizing various inputs/outputs and processes.

CISSP vs. PMP Comparisson:
1. The CISSP exam was far more difficult for me than the PMP. While the CISSP lacks depth, it requires knowledge on far more topics.
2. Generally, the PMP processes seemed quite linear and was therefore easier for me to retain. The issue I had was caused by how similar some are. I found myself occasionally mixing up processes.
3. While I agree that comparing these two exams is like "Apples and Oranges" (as someone previously stated), I think that from start to finish the PMP would require less effort. That being said, I would highly suggest not taking this exam lightly.
4. While the CISSP and PMP are totally different, I can confidently say that I would not have passed this exam without having already studied/passed the CISSP. If you can understand the methodologies outlined in the CISSP then many of the frameworks provided in the PMP should be straightforward. On the other hand, if I had taken the PMP first, maybe I would have found the CISSP easier...

***If you've read all of this - awesome! Hopefully someone can find something useful!!!

dizzy_kitty

This thread is a gem. I currently have a PMP and would like to take the CISSP after I get more experience so your feedback definitely helps.

soccarplayer29

Congratulations on the pass!

shoey

dizzy_kitty wrote: »

This thread is a gem. I currently have a PMP and would like to take the CISSP after I get more experience so your feedback definitely helps.

Glad it helps! This forum has been great for me, so glad I can give back.

shoey

soccarplayer29 wrote: »

Congratulations on the pass!

Thanks! I really appreciate your previous advice as well. Rita's was much better than the PMBOK.

Kyrak

Congrats! Maybe the CISSP seemed easier to me because I took my PMP first. There is overlap I found especially in the Risk Management area.

shoey

Kyrak wrote: »

Congrats! Maybe the CISSP seemed easier to me because I took my PMP first. There is overlap I found especially in the Risk Management area.

Thanks! My biggest issue with the CISSP was not answering from a technical standpoint... it killed me inside

mzx380

Congratulations on the pass and thank you for your tips
Hope to join you sometime early next year

psheehan5

@Shoey, Congrats on the pass! I have a friend that did both the CISSP and the PMP and he thought the PMP was much harder. But he is a career IT guy...not that you aren't...
Also, AMEN on your rant!!! Stay the #$%& home if you're sick! You're bothering everyone else in the room, not to mention you're probably infecting them too!!!

CryptoQue

Congratulations on passing the PMP. The exam content is different, but the critical thinking mindset you should have for both exams is the same.

jaleman

Hi I failed pmp exam first time this week

I feel like crying but after real assessment I know I cut corner tried to learn key concepts processes formulae knowledge areas
to recall these in an appropriate order was the difficulty

I have all the material but didn't read it cover to cover

I will attempt second time without cutting corners

Tuningislife

This thread should provide useful. We went over Project Management in my MBA class this past semester, and I think the PMP would be good for me to do. I just want to get the CISSP done first since I have most of that knowledge.

za3bour

I'm planning to do PMP then CISSP next, anyone knows how much time would it require to study for PMP (just an estimate). I'm thinking one month.

I'm currently not working so I can really put as much as 8 hours or more daily into studying

heatmizer6

how long did you study for the PMP? I also have both certs but thought the PMP was a lot harder than the CISSP. I studied for the CISSP for only 1month and was able to pass it. However, I know people much smarter than myself fail the test 2/3 times before passing. I studied for the PMP 4 months fail it the first time studied another month using Andy Crowe and was able pass the test with high marks.

justdavey

I have to agree with some of what @shoey said. My road was as follows:

I did the previous version of PMP in 2015. Procrastinated to the last weekend I was eligible on the PMI site to do the exam, but really studied in the last 3 months before at a few pages out of Rita a day and some practice exam questions, then really turning it on the 3 or so weeks before the exam. I was lucky in the contact hours/class requirement I had a kickass instructor that would make the most dry earned value report calculation into something fun and better yet something I could remember and could pick his brain after the fact if I had questions.

The test itself was hard - I pretty much took the whole time limit and checked over once. So much overlap and similar names in each of the project phases, trying to keep it all together would make me cringe.

My background was networking and got to work with some great PMs who were patient and showed me the ropes from a more practical aspect at work. I found this the hardest cert exam i'd ever taken, just due to the fact that it was not a core competency of mine and I wanted to look at other avenues outside of tech at the time.

The CISSP was done more recently, while hard, was nothing compared to the PMP. Again, very lucky to have had some good infosec mentor friends and colleagues to guide and quiz me through the material. Shon Harris's book was the best for this even if dated. Even though I'll never use orange book or trusted computing coding ever again, it was good to see how concepts evolved back in the day to now.

After the CISSP I went and did the CISM the month after, many of the same concepts were on the exam. Used the ISACA practice questions pretty exclusively to prepare for this, many overlaps.

Hope this helps

matt18e

I took the CISSP exam in 2013. I took a 2 week crash course, and the following Monday I took the exam and passed. I took my PMP in 2017. I took an online course and studied for 5 months and passed. They were both very tough exams, but PMP was a lot more difficult to me because you really have to know the processes as well as how they interact, and the inputs, tools, techniques, and outputs. For CISSP, if you have the requisite experience in the information security sector and can think like a manager, then you have a good shot at passing. Just my two cents.