CISSP Exam: Nov 2008 Attempt

JDMurray

I've been waiting to hear from you! Did you take the exam today or Saturday? What percentage of the questions do you have no idea if you answered correctly or not?

LarryDaMan

I took the test today. I have no idea if I passed, but I am not sure that I failed. One thing working in my favor is that I changed only 5 questions... looked them up in the car, and it looks like I changed them all to the correct answer.... so that might be a 10-question swing in my favor. Generally, it is advised not to change answers, but the test is so long that I was able to use questions within the test to help me with other questions.

My test seemed to be real heavy on Information Security and Risk Management. Our ISC2 instructor said it is not completely unheard of to have all 25 "research questions" come from the same topic, so maybe that is what happened.

I will wait until I get the results to offer any real tips, because listening to tips from a failure is like having a fat physical trainer.

JDMurray

The only answers I changed on my SSCP exam was when I went back to check all my answers a second time before marking the sheet and had discovered that I mis-read several questions. Otherwise, I always make out worse if I start second-guessing myself too.

I'm currently reading through every posting in the CISSP CBK forum at www.cccure.org. It looks like the consensus is that people who pass generally feel as if they have failed, and people who feel confident they passed often find out otherwise. If true, it sounds like you have the post-exam "winning attitude."

Now, go find something non-CISSP-CBK-related to do for the next two weeks and unwind.

shednik

Best of luck Larry I'm sure you did well!!

JDMurray

I just got my 21-day exam notification email from the (ISC)2. Things just got a bit more real...

LarryDaMan

JDMurray wrote:

I just got my 21-day exam notification email from the (ISC)2. Things just got a bit more real...

Time for you to put the pedal to the metal.

I expect my results by Wednesday, but at least by Friday at the latest if the past is any indicator. I've calmed down and life has pretty much returned to normal. I bought and started watching the CCNA CBT Nuggets, so that has helped. The CCNA is mostly for personal interest and to gain some knowledge, it won't help my career or resume too much.

If I had a gun to my head, I would say that I passed... but I have some doubt. I keep telling myself to relax because you can miss between 67-92 questions (depending on how many research questions you miss, then possibly more when they "norm" the exam). I think it is almost easier to resign yourself to failure and then be extra happy if you pass, because failing would sure suck after all of that studying. I don't even want to think about failing... beers of sorrow or beers of celebration? We shall soon see.

down77

Well my ITIL v3 Foundations course is now done and over with so its back to studying for the CISSP. Around 38 more days until the test! I have one more chapter to ready on my second pass of the AIO, and then to read the NIST docs for BCP and start final preparations and daily practice exams.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the second exam date is not canceled. 4 people from work will be taking the exam (1 CISSP, 3 other) so this should be good

down77

Recieved word that another exam date has been canceled and I will have to reschedule. I will attempt to reregister for one on December 20 and then may have to put off my pursuit of the CISSP until next year if they cancel this last attempt... I'm not very happy

JDMurray

down77 wrote:

Recieved word that another exam date has been canceled and I will have to reschedule. I will attempt to reregister for one on December 20 and then may have to put off my pursuit of the CISSP until next year if they cancel this last attempt... I'm not very happy

I'm really sorry and I can completely empathize. I actually checked my email while writing this just to see if I got the same bad news. If my 12/20 exam date is canceled I will give up perusing the CISSP until the second half of 2009. I'm getting pretty sick of putting people and projects on hold while I concentrate on passing this exam.

down77

It's ok JD, and unfortunately it got worse for me over the last 2 days... Another 3 exam dates have been canceled leaving my window of oppurtunity slim and I've settled on scheduling the December 13, 2008 exam in Orlando, Florida.

I do understand the economy is not as strong as a few short months back, but I believe maybe it is time for ISC2 to consider other delivery methods for their exams. It is very difficult to continuously have to tell work that I need to modify my time off request, reschedule hotel/travel plans in different cities, and push back exam dates while maintaining the level of comprehension for the material.

If this one falls through I'll have to postpone attempts for a year or so... it will be difficult to travel as my son will be born around the first of the year and I am having a hard enough time leaving my wife for a day to take an exam.

junklock

Took the exam recently. Pretty rough. I think I failed, I guessed on over half the questions. Most of them were "educated", meaning I was able to narrow the answer down to two choices.

I got killed on crypto. I had read in a few different places that the exam didn't cover this domain deeply. Wrong. Also VOIP. Was not expecting so much on the topic. Lastly, common criteria. I don't recall anything about CC in the bootcamp I went to, and it was definitely covered on the exam.

My prep included an expensive 6 day bootcamp that bragged an insanely high pass rate, and that was really it. We were told "if you know the content in the material, you'll pass." So I studied the bootcamp materials the past week, made flash cards, and that was all. At this point I wish I bought the latest Official Guide from ISC and read through it before taking the exam.

If I fail, I think going through that book after having taken the exam will allow me to easily pass. But I'm not sure how big the testbank is, so if I retake, who knows what might come up.

JDMurray

Each CISSP exam seems to contain a greater number of questions for certain domains rather than having exactly 25 questions for each domain. I have read reports of "a lot of crypto and not so much BGP" and reports of just the opposite. Some people have said they had a lot of Telcom/NetSec or risk management and others said hardly any. Taking a gamble on what domains will/won't be heavy on your exam is just too risky, so always study them all.

One bright note to your story is that any "modern" topics that you saw (e.g., Web services, XML, database security, VoIP, IPv6, etc.) were probably part of the 25 research questions on your exam, and they aren't counted in your final score. Some of these research questions will likely end up on the next revision of the CISSP exam due in 2009.

Good luck, and let us know how you did when you get the news.


Oh, I forgot to mention that Common Criteria questions have been reported by several people in the CISSP CBK discussion forum at www.cccure.org. You should really ready through the postings over there to get an idea of the knowledge and mind set you'll need to re-approach the CISSP exam.

cashew

Eh...they are making the exam harder these days. The average time for filling in the correct answers and reading the questions, is equal to about 70 seconds per question. Add in the fact there are a few scenarios in the exam that take up a whole page. Makes the MS exams look short winded. These are the more heavily weighted questions.

Also remember that any fact based question you get is weighted less than a question with 4 correct answers where you have to choose the best one.

tdempsey

Not much wireless and wep. Almost no Kerberos. Too bad because I spent some time committing processes to memory. More risk management than ops.

JDMurray

tdempsey wrote:

Not much wireless and wep. Almost no Kerberos. Too bad because I spent some time committing processes to memory. More risk management than ops.

Every candidate says something like, "I spent so much time studying i]insert CISSP CBK domain topic here[/i and I hardly got any questions on it!" Not every topic is on every CISSP CBK topic is on every CISSP exam, and candidates have no choice but to study everything or risk failing because they are "playing the odds" that they will not see specific topics on their exam.

Remember that a purpose of any IT certification exam is to study subjects that you ordinarily would not. You'll end up knowing more about RM, BGP, Kerberos, MAC, crypto, OpSec, AppSec, etc. than you would have if you'd not taken the CISSP exam. Having that knowledge only makes you a stronger InfoSec professional. Nothing is wasted; nothing is a lost effort.

junklock

JDMurray wrote:

You should really ready through the postings over there to get an idea of the knowledge and mind set you'll need to re-approach the CISSP exam.

I passed.

JDMurray

junklock wrote:

I passed.

Congratz!

I sure hope that I do. Back to studying...

down77

Congrats Junklock!

I second that JD... 4 more days until my exam

JDMurray

I keep reading posts of people who say there were a lot of digital forensics questions on their exam, so I'm reading the first few sections of NIST SP800-86 just in case.

down77

I'm sure as long as you know the investigation steps, chain of custody procedures, and evidence types you won't have a hard time with those questions.

With 2 days left I have identified my weak areas as Application Security and memorizing the darn TCSEC/ITSEC levels (with the required detail). My current plan is to review tonight and drive to Orlando tomorrow. I just printed out the Eric Allaire aide-memoire and am reviewing the Overly Final Review material from CCCure.org.

I'll most likely post an "after thoughts" when I get home saturday night. It will be a rough day of exams followed by 4+hrs of driving home...


And also will review the Code of Ethics before the exam, I have a feeling it will have at least one question on there.

LarryDaMan

down77 wrote:

With 2 days left I have identified my weak areas as Application Security and memorizing the darn TCSEC/ITSEC levels (with the required detail).

Good luck. I would make sure you have a decent grip on the TCSEC/ITSEC, but don't sacrifice too much time on it if you still need to brush up in other areas.

Common Criteria is important, but I wouldn't expect any super detailed memory recall type questions about TCSEC/ITSEC. Just know what they are, the basics about the levels and how all three generally relate to eachother.

The questions from my test are a long forgotten blur, but the general consensus seems to indicate that CC is much more important to know. Of course, knowing EVERYTHING is a sure way to pass too!

Again, good luck. Get some rest the night before, don't under estimate the mental and physical strain of a 6 hour test.

JDMurray

Here's my Common Criteria study resources:

http://www.cesg.gov.uk/products_services/iacs/cc_and_itsec/media/intro-guides/criteria.pdf
http://www.niap-ccevs.org/cc-scheme/definitions.cfm
http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistbul/html-archive/nov-98.html
http://www.niap-ccevs.org/briefings/rsa_cc_workshop_05.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Criteria

down77

Those are definately wonderful resources on Common Criteria and I would have to HIGHLY recommend reading the first document on the list as a pre-req before taking the exam.

down77

Well I can now say that my exam is over and like many others the waiting game begins. I now know why people say that this is as much of an endurance based exam as a gauge of ones knowledge.

Though I will not give the specifics of the material on my exam, I will suggest that anyone who takes it knows the steps involved in creating an Information Security Policy, know Computer Forensics, and most importantly take your time to read the question and HIGHLIGHT the detail. I found myself time and time again highlight key words and phrases so that when I went to review the potential answers provided, I was almost immediately able to eliminate at least one, if not two wrong answers.

I'm not sure how well I did because it was such an exhaustive exam... there were a number of questions I found easy and a few that I honestly had no clue. I guess the waiting game begins over the next 4 weeks (proctor told us the testing group were backed up with exams, and that due to the holidays it is taking longer than normal).

Good luck to all who are taking this over the next few months!!!

... oh and JD? The woman next to me who had her SSCP commented that the CISSP was almost exactly as difficult, just more domains and a few areas slighty deeper in depth.

shednik

Best of luck on the results...I know I will hate the wait once I take this exam.

JDMurray

down77 wrote:

I guess the waiting game begins over the next 4 weeks (proctor told us the testing group were backed up with exams, and that due to the holidays it is taking longer than normal).

I'm expecting to wait 4-6 weeks because of the holidays.

down77 wrote:

... oh and JD? The woman next to me who had her SSCP commented that the CISSP was almost exactly as difficult, just more domains and a few areas slighty deeper in depth.

Honestly, I hope the CISSP exam questions are better-written than the SSCP questions, but not necessarily more difficult. I'll let you know in another week.

shednik

JDMurray wrote:

Honestly, I hope the CISSP exam questions are better-written than the SSCP questions, but not necessarily more difficult. I'll let you know in another week.

So are you still able to bring yourself to review the material anymore JD?

JDMurray

shednik wrote:

So are you still able to bring yourself to review the material anymore JD?

With only five days to go, it's just a matter of reading all my study notes and trying to remember all the stuff listed in the CISSP Candidate Information Bulletin that I don't normally use. I am greatly encouraged in that this is the last week I'll be putting myself through this. After the CISSP exam, I'll start digging into the CSSLP material, but not too deeply at first.

LarryDaMan

JD, how was the exam? How do you feel about it? I am sure you did great, the waiting is the hardest part. Good luck.

JDMurray

OK, I just got back from taking my CISSP exam in downtown Los Angeles. The exam was challenging and a lot of fun. I didn't start to feel a mental fade until after the third hour, and I finished all the questions in 4.5 hours. After the exam I felt quite energetic, although that might have been from blasting Aerosmith while dodging idiots on the freeway drive back home.

There wasn't any topic on the exam I didn't know, but I do wish that I had spent a little more time studying VoIP, ConfigMan, SLAs, the details of authentication protocols, and just the basics of security policies. There were a smattering of questions that had no good answers and two sets of near-duplicate questions. I don't want to jinx myself, but I do have a very good feeling about the experience.

Oh--and my after-exam meal is Trader Joe's Chicken Eggrolls and Sam Adams Honey Porter.