Just took the CISSP earlier today, 3-25-12....
Wow, that was rough. Now it's time for the waiting game. I was told it takes about 6 weeks, but a coworker of mine took it twice and waited only 4weeks each time. I did the 7day TrainingCamp bootcamp and had an amazing teacher. I'm confident I learned the information, and this is the first time in 12 years that I can actually explain to someone how encryption actually works.
I don't really have a feeling on how the test went, although there were plenty of WTF questions that I had no clue...there were many questions that all 4 answers were correct, but of course "Find the BEST answer". Some I was able to deduce the answer, and about 1 in 4 I knew without a shadow of a doubt what the answer was. The wording, imho, is very poor on this test. Not sure how else to explain it, without giving too much away. I feel like I have the knowledge to pass, but I guess we'll see. This was by far, the most grueling and mentally exhausting test I've ever taken. It was rough. Hopefully, I played the game well enough to pass.
I don't really have a feeling on how the test went, although there were plenty of WTF questions that I had no clue...there were many questions that all 4 answers were correct, but of course "Find the BEST answer". Some I was able to deduce the answer, and about 1 in 4 I knew without a shadow of a doubt what the answer was. The wording, imho, is very poor on this test. Not sure how else to explain it, without giving too much away. I feel like I have the knowledge to pass, but I guess we'll see. This was by far, the most grueling and mentally exhausting test I've ever taken. It was rough. Hopefully, I played the game well enough to pass.
HAIL TO THE REDSKINS!!!
Comments
Taking that into account, I had about 1 solid week of study before the boot camp and prior to that, maybe another week of casual study preceeded by 2 weeks of very sporadic study. I ordered Shon Harris' book about a month out and ramped up my effort the final week.
During the boot camp itself, we were in class from 8am to about 6:30pm, with 15min breaks every 1.5 hrs and a 1 hour lunch. After class, I'd usually get dinner and come right back to my room and resume studying from about 8:30 to 10:30pm. I studied very hard in and out of class during the bootcamp. We'll see if my methods pay off or not.
I'd give my experience with training camp an A due to 1.) having the information taught in an absorb able manner and 2.) passing!
Good luck!
I had Steve Kalman. He was OUTSTANDING. I don't know what it was about his teaching style but it really helped me absorb the info. There were a few minor topics he glossed over, but they weren't on the test. Anything he covered in depth was hit hard on the test. I would say he spent a good amount of time on the major domains...Telecom/Network, Access Control, Crypto, etc.
Thanks for the kind words! This wait is killing me and of course, I'm second guessing all my answers....
lol...please excuse my exuberance!!!
And now, I have to "apply" for certification hahaha!
Congrats dude!
Thanks guys...I couldn't bear another weekend. Thank God i didn't have to. I really give a lot of credit to the boot camp and the instructor. He gave some great little tips that really helped me out on the test.
This gruelling exam is an endurance test at least as much as it is a knowledge test. Even if some of what you study seems outdated or irrelevant to today's world, remember that even 'old stuff' is still valid. It's actually a POSITIVE that you know it's old, because you have the experience to know. BUT even with that experience and advanced knowledge, there is still real-world requirement for so much of what they teach us that seems to date to the 70's. Example: Isn't the very foundation of SELinux (for those of us who have any experience with same) still somewhat based on Bell-Lap?
Remember that this test is not easy for anyone, save about 1% of CISSP test takers, and unfortunately for the rest of us, those one percenters are often the one's providing input to the exam questions. We cannot all be blessed with 180 IQ's, but you can be a normal person and still pass this exam, as I am absolutely, 100% living proof.
I have another bootcamp scheduled next Monday-Fri. Not sure if he'll be the instructor or not but hoping so.
Congrats.
Is it in the Sterling VA (Dulles) location next week? If so, my co-worker will be there. I don't know if Steve was the key to me passing the test but he certainly gave me every reasonable advantage possible. He would mention these little tips/tricks for how to evaluate questions and what exactly the questions were really asking. Those tips were invaluable to me on the test as I felt like I "blanked out" on some of the questions but was able to make a pretty good run at them based on his tips. The tips are nothing that would violate the NDA, just a bit of common sense applied, when the situation called for it.
As I said a few posts above, I certainly didn't study hard prior to the bootcamp...and if I had to guess, I was certainly one of the "less smart" people in the room that day. For the record, I don't test well, I was an average at best student in school (had to work hard for B's/C's) and I really don't know "how to study".
For me, I think the atmosphere of learning in the bootcamp setting, plus Steve's methods, were what put me over the top. The night before the test, I felt like I had the knowledge to pass and that the real battle would be deciphering what was actually be asked as well as battling fatigue. Although I didn't prep too hard prior to the bootcamp, while I was at the hotel, I was a hermit. I watched TV maybe 2 hours a day (1 hour durning lunch) 1 hour when I got back to my room after class in the evening. I got take out every night, came back to my room and hit the books until about 10:30 every night. I made sure to get good sleep. I would wake up at about 7:15am, eat breakfast and be ready for class at 8am. For me, that kind of routine and distraction free environment was really beneficial.
Hey sorry I haven't checked in here in a while, shoot me a pm. it will trigger an email.