Yes! Newly minted Associate of (ISC)2!!!

Huzzah good folk of Tech Exams Nation!

I know it's been a while since I've been on here, but there is a certain exam with 5 letters that I passed a week ago.

Note: I am only an Associate of (ISC)2, but I will share relevant pointers to help me succeed.

Number of times taken: 2

Books/resources used:

Sybex 7th edition (good but can get too deep at times)
Sybex Practice tests (IMO these go way into the weeds)
Syngress 11th Hour (a must - boils down 8 domains in 250 pages)
CCCure (yes they are a bit on the more technical side, but some of the questions are abstract. And there are abstract questions on the exam)
Cybrary videos with Kelly Handerhan - THESE ARE A MUST!!!
I made my own flashcards and OSI spreadsheet that had what each layer did and what attacks were on each layer.
And yes, I did go to a bootcamp. If your company is willing to send you - go! But make sure your instructor is definitely (ISC)2 endorsed.

Take your time with the questions! The first time I did it was done in about 2 and 1/2 hours. The next time, I slowed down and re-read each question. Trust me, I thought I failed a second time, but when I found out I passed, I was shocked (and excited!!!!).

Thanks to everyone on here that gave me advice.

Now onto GSEC!

VV5

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Comments

gespenstern

Congrats! Any estimation on time spent preparing?

ThePawofRizzo

Congrats!

VictorVictor5

So there's a reason why I had to take it twice. I originally was going to take it in December of 2017 after the first bootcamp I took in late September of that year before the changes came out, but at the time I was dealing with the after effects of a car accident (drunk driver hit me). So I was told to not take any tests. I rescheduled for August 2018.

I studied off and on until I received the "all clear" - so the first attempt I'd say it was about a month. Then the second attempt what I did was take another bootcamp and scheduled it a month out from the last day, that way it was still fresh.

So ideally 1-2 months. I think the big thing was practice questions and writing my own cards. Writing helps me remember.

threesir

Hi, may I know which boot camp program you choose?

CyberCop123

That's brilliant news - well done Victor.

I completely see what you mean about Sybex being really indepth. If I was going to advise someone just starting out (depending on their background), I would say, skim read Sybex, and then use the Conrad book or something more compact to focus in on the bigger areas.

I'm really not a fan of the Sybex questions either, surprised so many people like them. As stated, Sybex goes into the most unusual, off-the-beaten-track part of a subject, and then tests you on it.

I also like the Kelly Handerhan videos. I listen to the MP3 versions every day for abuot 90 minutes to and from work. Going over each chapter 2-3 times as well as reading about it that evening has helped loads. It was worth it just for her explanation of Kerberos alone!

Well done again!

VictorVictor5

Don't know which area you're from, but my company sent me to one where Dennis Lee was the instructor. If you google him, he's got rave reviews. Yes, he was AWESOME! He used to do Training Camp, but I don't know if he does that anymore. He might be his own entity. But he did use the most official ISC2 book (not Sybex and not the 2015 CBK).

VictorVictor5

CyberCop - Yes Kelly is a MUST! I did the same thing. MP3s during commutes, and I took notes when I had time to watch the videos. The OSI model spreadsheet she does is INVALUABLE! When she says know it inside and out, she's not joking.

But be careful - her slides on Cybrary don't really match up 1 to 1 to the videos. I think some were left over from the 10 domain CBK.

Also, during my studies I know that there tends to be some conflicts of information from multiple resources, e.g. Kelly would say one thing, and my ISC2 would say something different. My advice (common sense) stick to what the official ISC2 word is.

tedjames

VictorVictor5 wrote: »

My advice (common sense) stick to what the official ISC2 word is.

Absolutely! For the sake of the test, go with ISC2. And then in the real world, go with best practices. Sometimes they are not the same (ISC2 v. real world).

DZA_

Congratulations! I've passed the CISSP on my second attempt as well.