693.... arghhhhhh

sat for my exam 10/22/11, just got my results today, 11/30/11, failed by 7 points!

all i did for prep was read and outline shon harris' 5th edition CISSP exam guide.

took me 3 months, while still working 9-5 everyday and also going through a death in the family and a breakup with my gf.

i didnt even have time to actually go back and read my outline...

seriously, at all..

this was my first attempt, im 25 and have 0 corporate experience, all my experience is from being a self-taught IT tech and working for a small repair shop part time for 9 years seasonally/in between school, and since graduating college, this test is to get me out of my town and into a more challenging career. looks like ill be retaking soon.

just wanted to share my experience..

i know my domains that are weak and will read up on them, also, ill actually read my outline

, and then ill do a bunch of practice tests.

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Comments

cyberguypr

That sucks. Sorry to hear so much crap piled up on you. Just regroup, adjust your plan and attack again. According to CyberGuyPR's philosophy of life bad things come in packages of 3. With the test fail, the family death and the GF, you had your quota of bad stuff. Things will be better now as 3 good things are coming your way.

Good luck next time.

rwmidl

7 points might be worthwhile to ask for a manual re-count..

silverh20

how do i go about asking for a manual re-count?

Chivalry1

I am sorry to hear....I was in a similar position on my first attempt. I had prepared for the test for a total of 7 months and was studying 2 hours a day. This is not recommended....but I had to give my brain a rest. Took the test and failed. I vowed to never return to take the CISSP test again. Well of course my subsconsious mind would not allow such rhetoric. I returned a year later to pass the exam.

Advice numero uno....I definitely recommend following up on the domains you are weak in. But pace your self your are not in a marathon. "Slow and steady wins the race", said the turtle!!

Last piece of advice. Enjoy the journey. It not about the destination of receiving a certificate and recognition. But the hard work and dedication it takes to accomplish such a massive feat as the CISSP exam.

Darril

Sorry to hear you dropped it and had a rough patch during this time. However, 693 is very close and it sounds like you know what you'll need to do to take and pass it. Good luck.

Darril Gibson
Security+ blog

badrottie

The majority consensus is that the CISSP is not an easy exam to take. I recently interviewed for a position, and the CTO that I would be reporting to is also a CISSP. His exact words were, "That is one exam I do not want to repeat again, ever." This is coming from a man that has worked in a senior leadership capacity in Fortune 500 firms, went to a Top 10 school and is very competent from both the technical and business aspects.

You know where your weakest domains are now, and can develop a study plan to address those knowledge gaps. The CISSP is worth it in the end, and having it has advanced my career significantly. I am certain others will express a similar view.

Failing with a 693 hurts, but the quote from The Replacements always reminds me why sacrifice is important: "Pain heals. Chicks dig scars. Glory lasts forever." Now do it!

silverh20

thanks for the positive words everyone. im signing up for a re-take January 21, 2012, only thing that sucks is it's in VA and I'm in MA! for some reason the only remaining Boston test date is December 17th, 2011 and I'm not ready for that.

in the mean time i want to request a manual recount for kicks, cant hurt right? only thing is i dont know how, i searched online and looked around the ISC2 site and cant find anything.

how do i request a recount/regrade??

rwmidl

From an older post "The information to contact the (ISC)2 is on the exam results email sent to you." - JD
As badrottie said, the CISSP isn't easy. When I was prepping a coworker said he thought the GRE was easier than the CISSP. CISSP has so much potential material you have to kind of know "everything".

While 693 is close, I would use a bit more when prepping for the retake. Read JD's blog post on how he prepped for it. I used the AIO, and also signed up for the practice tests at CCCure.org. Quite a few on here used that site. Don't rush to re-test, as take your time and study and prep, even if that means taking the test later.

JDMurray

Did I read somewhere that the (ISC)2 is now charging $50US to do an exam recount, which is non-refundable if a mistake is not found?

swild

Go to the CCCure.org practice test site and do all the questions and look up everything you miss. You will not be sorry. You can even try it out for free, but it is totally worth the price.

I used that site plus Eric Conrad's CISSP Study Guide (not the 11th hour version). I used the AIO as a more in-depth reference, but it was really a waste of money for me. I would up googling far more than using the AIO.

I credit cccure.org for getting me prepared enough to pass on the first try. Without that, I really don't think I would have passed. Also, I was only hitting 70% on those practice tests. The actual exam is much easier.