Tamed the Beast - CISSP last week. Some feedback.

howdy all,

bit of background, I have 3 1/2yr experience in Info Sec and 15yrs in IT technical background ie Unix, Windows and support. I also have my C|EH and Sec+.

The exam is a beast, it makes you think about things that you cant really prepare for apart from understanding the concept holistically.

firstly let me tell you about my materials used ..

1. Cybrary - Kelly Handerhan videos - this needs to be watched atleast 2 times , one early on and one 2 weeks before exam 9/10
2. Sybex 7th edition plus practise tests - 8/10
3. AIO 5th edition - only to reference 7/10
4. Memorize Website - Create your own definitions and understand terms 7/10
5. McGraw Hill Practise Questions - If you can get to 80% success rate on all your doing well ! - 6.5/10
6. Udemy - CISSP 4 x 250 practise question exams - more difficult then real exam, good prep - 7/10
7. Official Android App CISSP Question - This is actually really good when you travelling and waiting - 8/10

The exam is very broad, you really need to have a good understanding of all 8 domains. I noticed that having a good understanding of the following areas help !

1. Software Development Lifecycle
2. BCP / DRP and BIA
3. Good to ensure you have an understand of NIST SP800 - 37, 53 and 137

When studying, try to listen to binaural beats .. helps retain memory !

GOOD LUCK !!