CISSP Pass Attempt #1

breeliz

Passed CISSP on 11/22/17. Got it on the first try. Too expensive to fail. LOL!

Sybex study materials only. Practice exams from Sybex are relatively poor as they do not really resemble most of the exam questions. But they got me there so I guess they are OK. It took a year of study.

I hold several certifications requiring proctored exams from a certifying body and some that are not so strict. I have two Master's degrees and completed all the coursework for a PhD so I have taken a lot of tests in my times. I do not follow the recommended method for exam taking. What do psychologists know anyway?

I always try to be a LITTLE tired and a LITTLE hungry before I take an exam. CISSP is 6 hours so you may want to make sure that you have enough energy reserve to make it through.

I finished the exam in about 3 hours. I marked 2 questions for review because I thought the answers might appear in subsequent questions as often happens. They didn't so I left my initial answers. I only change an answer that I am not sure about if I am 100% certain that the new answer is correct. Normally that is because a later question gives away the answer. Failing that level of certainty, I never change answers that I initially put down. Over 50 years of test taking I have found that I am much more likely to change a right answer to a wrong answer. So I go with my initial feeling.

I read the questions slowly... a word at a time... so I am sure to answer what they are asking. Reading them fast is a formula for disaster. Go slow, make your choice and move on without looking back. This is the fastest way to take a test like this. Most people spend a ton of time fixing "mistakes" which usually means converting a right to a wrong.

When you have self-confidence in your preparation and your technique, you will finish quickly and have plenty of time to enjoy your Pass letter and get some food and drink. I did not take any breaks. One straight session of about 3 hours and done.

I found that other people in the room would get noisy probably from thinking they were doing poorly on their exams. IGNORE them. Concentrate on what you are doing and not what they are doing. I did not complain because the disturbance would affect my concentration and continuity as well as that of others. Just push ahead regardless of distractions. You know what to do and why you have to do it. You have prepared so just "git er done".

Hope my comments help. I think this is my last cert in my lifetime so I wish all of you the best of luck. Certification is a good thing. It has all the benefits that they promise but it has a benefit unique to each person... it makes YOU better as a person. It is a challenge that you overcame. It is a discipline that steeled you with the armor of knowledge and accomplishment.

Bree

Info_Sec_Wannabe

Congratulations! Passing that exam is no easy feat and you got it on your first try to boot!

breeliz wrote: »

I always try to be a LITTLE tired and a LITTLE hungry before I take an exam. CISSP is 6 hours so you may want to make sure that you have enough energy reserve to make it through.

I kinda understand why as I read somewhere (forgot where) that being a little hungry enhances your senses or makes you more alert.