Advice needed at the beginning of my CISSP journey

hxhx

I'm beginning to formally study for the CISSP. I read the CBK book over the last 6 months, so I have an idea what is covered by the material. I have a few questions.

There are a lot of seemingly minor references in the CISSP CBK to standards organizations, laws, NIST documents, etc. Do I need to know what every single reference is in the study materials? For example, I just turned to a page on Mobile technologies. Do I need to know that DECT is a 3G mobile technology?

Study Notes and Theory (SNT) recommends taking 5000 practice questions. What are good sources of practice questions other than the Official Study Guide, Sybex Test Book, and CBK? Does it make sense to test on areas I haven't covered yet?

I have used Brainscape flash cards heavily in my past studies. I see that Sybex provides something like 700 flash cards for free. Should I continue to create my own or use what's already there?

SNT says the CISSP is about concepts, not lists. Any opinions?

Also, any opinions on whether it's worth joining SNT?

I appreciate any and all feedback.

Info_Sec_Wannabe

hxhx wrote: »

There are a lot of seemingly minor references in the CISSP CBK to standards organizations, laws, NIST documents, etc. Do I need to know what every single reference is in the study materials?

Having a high-level idea of what those documents are (including their purpose) would suffice IMO. At least that's how I prepared for it.

hxhx wrote: »

Study Notes and Theory (SNT) recommends taking 5000 practice questions. What are good sources of practice questions other than the Official Study Guide, Sybex Test Book, and CBK? Does it make sense to test on areas I haven't covered yet?

In as much as I wanted to do more practice questions, I wasn't able to due to lack of time (I think I did less than 2000 questions). More than the number of questions, I think the emphasis should be on the domains and concepts covered in the practice questions that you will cover. I used the Total Tester that came with the Shon Harris AIO book and the practice questions that came with the Sybex book (see Appendix section).

hxhx wrote: »

I have used Brainscape flash cards heavily in my past studies. I see that Sybex provides something like 700 flash cards for free. Should I continue to create my own or use what's already there?

Largely depends on how you learn stuff. There are those who find flash cards useful and there are those who don't. I originally planned on using the free flash cards that came with the Sybex book, but wasn't able to use it in the end.

hxhx wrote: »

SNT says the CISSP is about lists, not concepts. Any opinions?

Also, any opinions on whether it's worth joining SNT?

Not sure what you meant by "... CISSP is about lists, not concepts.." In my case, I joined the SNT Facebook group and found the practice questions and materials (e.g., videos, etc) available to free users useful.

roxer

hxhx wrote: »

SNT says the CISSP is about lists, not concepts. Any opinions?

I'm not sure what test was taken, but the CISSP is most certainly about concepts. Understanding how the BCP and DRP flow is needed as well as the listed steps. The CISSP is not a straight out "fire is hot" test, it is a mixture of "fire is hot" and understanding the how a fire is started. It is also not a truly technical exam, but more so than the CISM. There are no questions I have had that can prepare you for the their questioning style. So the best you can do is take tests that make sure you understand the subject and the subject's concepts. You need to know it all.

hxhx

Info_Sec_Wannabe wrote: »

Not sure what you meant by "... CISSP is about lists, not concepts.."

This was a mistake on my part. I reversed the words. They said it was mostly about concepts, not lists. Sorry about the confusion.