Just took the exam today. How do I boost my 680 score to pass?

I guess I'm back to studying again,

this is my 2nd time taking it. 1st time score was 593 and today I got out with a score of 680. I took the exams a month apart. I just felt so rushed at the end so I couldn't review my questions.

Can anyone suggest anything I can do extra to make the hump? All comments greatly appreciated!

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JasonX

We can't really provide assistance without knowing your study plan.

cyberguypr

^ that and go ahead and check all the "Passed CISSP" threads. It is the best way to see what has worked for those of us who passed.

bunnifu

I definitely did some research on this forum on how everyone else studied for this exam.

So far, what I've done is...

1. Read Shon Harris's book
2. Listened to Shon Harri's mp3s.
3. Read parts of the Dummy's book.
4. Read the ISC2 book.
5. Answer questions in Transcender and ccure.

What I am having trouble is, for what I remember on the test this time around, they love to give you lists of what comes next after "this" step. My weakest domains were 1. Operations 2. Business Continuity and 3. Telecom.

The first time I took it, I studied wrong, I thought it was more memorization like what port numbers, and stuff that I feel like Shon Harris and Dummy's book went too deep in.

Then, 2nd time around, I just studied the ISC2 book that my co-worker got from his bootcamp and did practice questions only in Ccure.

How would you re-study for this exam. If I don't pass this next time, I have to wait 180 days. Currently, I have to wait 90 days to take it now, so the earliest I can take this exam is May 21st. Should I be studying a domain a week leading up to May 21st?

f0rgiv3n

I recommend reading Eric Conrad's book. I would bet that if you read through Eric Conrad's book, did some more cccure and focused on your weak areas, you will pass.

You might need a better test taking strategy too. You should never feel rushed in a 6 hour test. Maybe next time you should try "marking" ones that will take you some time to think about and moving on. Finish the exam, then go back and review the ones you marked. It's better to get all the way through the exam because there might be questions that you know right off-the-bat that you might not get to if you are rushed.

When I took the exam I went through it once, marked some questions and went back through those... finishing after about 2.5 hours. 6 hours is a very long time to keep your brain running at full capacity.

j.petrov

I would also recommend using the Eric Conrad Study Guide and 11th hour study guide books as they are more to the point. The sunflower pdf is also extremely helpful as it pretty much includes all the basic notes you need. I took a very minimal amount of additional notes... probably 1 page worth if it was typed out. Also you should aim to hit 85%+ when doing the cccure practice tests. I did 3500+ cccure practice questions before I got to a comfortable level with the material. Doing a lot of practice test will help you get into the right mind frame to answer the questions correctly. Sometimes is more about your mind frame than remembering specifics. Remember think like a manager.

Good luck on your next try.

bunnifu

Thank you for your suggestion. And, that's what exactly happened, I had like 20-25 flagged questions, and I felt so rushed towards the end. I think you are right. I did what you said half way, then just started answering question by question at like 200. I think that's what slowed me down. I have to just move through the exam with all the questions that I immediately know the answer to and then go back.

I downloaded Eric Conrad's book on my kindle, I'll be reading it too. That's true, I think I started to feel tired and I had to keep re-reading the questions towards the end, I will try this strategy next time.

bunnifu

Thanks j.petrov- I'll do more questions too, I don't think I did that many. I just hope I don't forget everything, 3 months seems like a long time to wait again for this exam. This test has been on my bucketlist to pass this year!

engrsash

Guys please tell me some thing about Michael Gregg-CISSP Exam Cram, has anyone used it before ? Is it better than Eric books ? Please help...

Presently I am using the following

THEORY:
1. Shon AIO 6th Ed (Only Gap Fixing by Quick Tips)
2. Eric 2nd Ed (Primary Book)
3. Eric 11th Hour (Revision Book)
4. Sunflower PDF (Revision PDF)

PRACTICE:
1. Shon AIO 6th Ed (Questions)
2. Eric 2nd Ed (SELF TEST)
3. Eric 11th Hour (Questions)
4. Gregg Practice Questions Exam Cram 3rd Ed
5. Gregg Exam Cram 2nd Ed (Questions)
6. Official CBK (Questions)
7. cccure free version
8. total tester by shon
9. mhprofessional

Is this enough? Any suggestions are very very much welcome. Thanks in Advance.

cyberguypr

I don't think that Michael Gregg book is too popular here. What you'll see everywhere is the Harris-Conrad combo.

!nf0s3cure

Not sure what any exam cram will help either. Your knowledge will see you through the tricky questions, not sure how you could cram situations?

engrsash

Friends I read ISG&RM chapter from both Eric And Greg books and found Greg much better than Eric's. Now Greg is primary book for me. Thanks