CISSP: It is 696

It is really painful to see 696 on the CISSP exam report. I wonder how I would have earned the missing 4 points to pass the exam. I studied hard for the last 6-7 months. I covered the following:

Sybex CISSP Study Guide
Conrad Study Guide 2nd E (read twice).
Conrad 11th Hour 2nd E.
CCCure.org Practice questions
AIO Study Guide (End chapter review)
AIO Practice Questions
The 25 Page Sunflower PDF
And lots of online reasearch

Well, Santa came up short. I will enjoy the Holiday Seanson and get back to studying mode by second week of January.

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Comments

broli720

Sorry to hear that. I failed my first time as well so don't feel too bad. I'm sure you'll get it the next time around.

Humbe

Jesus.....

I'm so sorry..

zxbane

Sorry to hear that man, that is so close it hurts! Just hit the studying again in your weak areas and next time you will be fine!

sanret

so sorry to hear that..good luck for the next time, i am sure you will clear it..

hylaab

Thanks all for your responses and words of encouragement. I will perhaps read the AIO for the first five weak domains and give it a shot.

cgrimaldo

Sorry to hear that. Enjoy this time off and regroup!

JDMurray

You should only need to re-study your two or three weakest domains as indicated on your exam printout. Try to avoid going back and changing answers unless you can plainly see where you made an obvious mistake. I would also be good to use CISSP study preparation material that you didn't use before. You may receive more enlightening explainations of concepts that you don't understand well.

hylaab

Thanks JD. I will dig into books24/7 site and look for the domains of interest.

ash.mur

Hi hylaab

I am on the same page, i scored 696 last month in my first attempt and i shud say i used pretty much the exact material except for sunflower pdf and read for 10 months. I completely feel the pain and understand the dissapointment when we see such close score. I am writing down the notes from AIO and re-taking the cccure questions, AIO 6th edition test questions , shon harris website questions, hearing mp3's

I hope i shud be able to clear it up in first week of Feb. In the meanwhile , i would encourage to retake the exam . All the very very best

kalkan999

696 is too close. SO many people here score in the 600's and we never hear from them again. Take it from someone who had to fail twice before he passed...That score + studying where you are weak will get you a one page 'Congratulations' sheet on the printer at your Prometric test center.

hylaab

Thanks Ash. I am planning on taking the exam perhaps at the end of March. I will try to read different books from the once I used before. Good luck on your upcoming exam and I am sure you will nail it this time around. Here is a link to the SunFlower pdf just in case you don't have it:

www.kilala.nl/Sysadmin/Images/CISSP_Summary_V1.1.pdf

ash.mur wrote: »

Hi hylaab

I am on the same page, i scored 696 last month in my first attempt and i shud say i used pretty much the exact material except for sunflower pdf and read for 10 months. I completely feel the pain and understand the dissapointment when we see such close score. I am writing down the notes from AIO and re-taking the cccure questions, AIO 6th edition test questions , shon harris website questions, hearing mp3's

I hope i shud be able to clear it up in first week of Feb. In the meanwhile , i would encourage to retake the exam . All the very very best

hylaab

Thanks Kalkan999. I hope I will sprint for the "Congratulations" print out and stay active in this forum.

kalkan999 wrote: »

696 is too close. SO many people here score in the 600's and we never hear from them again. Take it from someone who had to fail twice before he passed...That score + studying where you are weak will get you a one page 'Congratulations' sheet on the printer at your Prometric test center.

kccomputerpilot

I am really sorry to hear you missed it by one question. Study hard and pass it on the second attempt (take the exam after 30 days of not passing). Don't rethink not passing, this is a tough exam. I took it three times before I passed (just like kalkan999). I failed it by 2 questions the first time, 7 the second time (crazy because I would of bet my life I passed) and thought I failed it the third time only to find out I passed. Best advise is blank out your mind and don't think about passing/failing or anything but to concentrate on the exam when taking. Take breaks when you can, and make sure they are 15 minutes minimum! This test is not easy and you will never be a step ahead so know your stuff when retaking. You'll be alright this time around.

hylaab

kccomputerpilot wrote: »

I am really sorry to hear you missed it by one question. Study hard and pass it on the second attempt (take the exam after 30 days of not passing). Don't rethink not passing, this is a tough exam. I took it three times before I passed (just like kalkan999). I failed it by 2 questions the first time, 7 the second time (crazy because I would of bet my life I passed) and thought I failed it the third time only to find out I passed. Best advise is blank out your mind and don't think about passing/failing or anything but to concentrate on the exam when taking. Take breaks when you can, and make sure they are 15 minutes minimum! This test is not easy and you will never be a step ahead so know your stuff when retaking. You'll be alright this time around.

Thanks for your encouragement. I will read from different sources on the weaker domains (just not to get bored). I will definitely take longer breaks this time around.

rawhide

Please dont give up, Taste of success will be even more sweeter for you now..I have seen many very well respected security professionals and co-workers failing this exam for the first time. I also see you have mentioned you studied hard for this 6-7 months.

I "personally" think:

Spreading CISSP preprations over a period of 3 months doesnt help much.
Its what you read in last 2-3 months which matters most.
One should devote more and more time and intensify the level of studies as exam apprcoahes.
When I studied I made sure no Domain is left untouched / unrevised for more than 7-8 days. This way I made sure I am not forgetting what I have already read.
Do atleast 25-50 questions from finished domains even when you are reading new domains.

hylaab

rawhide wrote: »

Please dont give up, Taste of success will be even more sweeter for you now..I have seen many very well respected security professionals and co-workers failing this exam for the first time. I also see you have mentioned you studied hard for this 6-7 months.

I "personally" think:

Spreading CISSP preprations over a period of 3 months doesnt help much.
Its what you read in last 2-3 months which matters most.
One should devote more and more time and intensify the level of studies as exam apprcoahes.
When I studied I made sure no Domain is left untouched / unrevised for more than 7-8 days. This way I made sure I am not forgetting what I have already read.
Do atleast 25-50 questions from finished domains even when you are reading new domains.

Thanks for the input, rawhide.
Yes, I agree with the 3 month study plan, at least the contents will stay as fresh as possible as the exam day approaches. My 6 month study plan was designed to help me register, encode and retain as much information as I can, particularly with the least familiar (weak) domains, ultimately without getting lost in the weeds.