CISSP prep - stressed

:::Warning rant ahead::::

I've been prepping for the CISSP for 4 weeks now. I've used the boot camp, almost completed with the AIO, I've got a subscription over at cccure for the practice tests and I have the CISSP for Dummies being delivered this week. I've done about 997 questions at cccure so far (as well as practice questions from the AIO cd). So far my score at cccure is 69.54%. I was hoping I'd be a bit higher than that by now since I take the test in about 6 weeks. I try to put in about 1 hour of reading at night (I've got a wife and two kids, by the time we get the kids down to bed I have about an hours worth of energy in me if that), and the weekends maybe 4 hours combined. During the day at work I take a good number of practice tests.

That being said, I'm starting to get really frustrated in that I don't feel I'm improving. I can feel myself getting physically stressed about this. I keep telling myself (wife does too) that I'm going to pass the test, I'm going to do fine - but with the numbers I'm seeing on the practice tests I feel as if I'm going to bomb big time. My other fear is if I fail, I'm going to give up and not take the test again (the next test time in my state isn't until July and I'm afraid with a 4 month gap I'll just say "f it").

I'm venting here and just trying to get some feelings off my chest.

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Comments

cisco_certs

take your time.rushing will surely make you fail. cissp is not an easy test.

ibcritn

I was in a similar boat when I was preparing. What worked well for me is to focus on my weak points. The shear scope of the exam is hard to swallow, but if you focus on just your 3 domains your weak in and improve in those domains you'll greatly improve your score.

Many CISSP questions pull knowledge from multiple domains, but I feel with your prep+previous certs you should have a really good base and just tackle those problem areas.

You will pass

rwmidl

ibcritn wrote: »

I was in a similar boat when I was preparing. What worked well for me is to focus on my weak points. The shear scope of the exam is hard to swallow, but if you focus on just your 3 domains your weak in and improve in those domains you'll greatly improve your score.

Many CISSP questions pull knowledge from multiple domains, but I feel with your prep+previous certs you should have a really good base and just tackle those problem areas.

You will pass

Thanks for the vote of confidence. My weakest area will and has been Crypto (I had problems with it in Sec+, GSEC, so I sense a trend). Next would be App Sec (I haven't read that chapter yet) and Security Arch. and Design.

ibcritn

rwmidl wrote: »

Thanks for the vote of confidence. My weakest area will and has been Crypto (I had problems with it in Sec+, GSEC, so I sense a trend). Next would be App Sec (I haven't read that chapter yet) and Security Arch. and Design.

Those were my weak areas as well. I found myself overwhelmed before the exam because of the scope. So, take your practice tests focused on those 3 weak domains and dissect the test after you complete. "Why did I get this wrong? kinda thing" After you hammer out those 3 weak domains then focus on full scope practice tests and see how you fair.

Mark down things that you plan to commit to short term memory and work on funny little ways for you to remember those items with mnemonics.

For the day of the exam relax and stay positive (its easier said then done I know)

I read through this post and the "test taking tips" were very helpful.

The CISSP Certification Experience: My Study Plan | TechExams.net Blogs

rogue2shadow

ibcritn wrote: »

I was in a similar boat when I was preparing. What worked well for me is to focus on my weak points. The shear scope of the exam is hard to swallow, but if you focus on just your 3 domains your weak in and improve in those domains you'll greatly improve your score.

Many CISSP questions pull knowledge from multiple domains, but I feel with your prep+previous certs you should have a really good base and just tackle those problem areas.

You will pass

+1. Keep faith homie. You got this!!!

TrainingDaze

Don't get down on yourself about the cccure quizzes, I personally found them to be much more difficult and specific than the actual exam.

For your weak areas, take a break from all of the quizzes and spend some time going over the fundamentals. Like for crypto, visit the wiki pages for public key and private key crypto, or go over to youtube and look at some tutorials that explain the entire process and how to use encryption to provide specific services (confidentiality, integrity, non-repudiation, availability) <--oh wait, which one of these does cryptography not address?

I think we've all hit a wall when studying for this thing just because it covers so much area and can be frustrating when the quizzes don't reflect any progress. Change it up for a week and stop taking quizzes and just drill through the material from different formats, and don't let yourself be discouraged.

Chris:/*

It is understandable about the stress and the worries you have. Take some time to evaluate if you need to take the test now or wait till the next test date. Having a family and a full time job requires you to understand that the CISSP does take longer than a standard cert to study for.

At the worst if you fail taking it does not mean anything other than another opportunity to succeed and learn something new.

Best to luck to you in any event.

rwmidl

Thanks for the kind words/encouragement. I was just feeling really frustrated yesterday and needed to vent. And I felt much better for doing so

I started in to the App. Sec. section last night, and I can tell it has already helped some.

core22

When I reach the point where I feel like I'm not improving I change the study style. Instead of reading try writing things out, or go through the material and things you do know skip over but the things you don't know write out summaries on index cards. I found that mixing up methods helps me - maybe it will help you too.