Provisionally passed the SSCP

I provisionally passed the SSCP exam. Just for context... I have a lot of IT experience. I passed the Sec+ earlier last year and the GSEC in December.

I knew there was overlap in the material with the other two exams. I had a little time between the GSEC and cohort 5 of the Cisco Cyber Ops. I also plan to study for the CISSP later in the year. I took a look at the material on the SSCP and decided that there was enough different material to study for it. The big differences in the SSCP objectives vs the Sec+ is the SSCP seems to be more risk and government focused. It is far less technical than the Sec+.

I began studying in early December. I would have taken it earlier, but the holidays slowed me down. Then I started the Cisco Cyber Ops on December 28.

I liked the exam, but didn't like studying for it. I used the Official Study Guide by George Murphy. It was full of errors. Most of the errors were related to spelling and using the wrong word. The book has been revised a few times, so I don't know why those weren't fixed. The book is like a giant glossary. There are lots of terms with lots of definitions and very little context or supporting material. There are also technical inconsistencies with SANS. I chose the book because people said it covered all of the material as opposed to the Gibson book. I passed, so it's hard to say I would do it differently in the future. I just wish this book was better written.

The test wasn't bad. It was very straight forward. No tricks or answers that were very similar. Lots of "best" and "most" type questions. The test is not overly technical. There are a few technical questions, but it is mostly concepts, risk, and policy related. The Security+ is far more technical.

To study I did the following:

Started on the Murphy book right after the GSEC.
Brainscape: Created my own flashcards. I have done this for other exams. It is an amazing tool.
Passively watched some of the Cybrary CISSP videos.
Began studying for the Cisco SECFND. (Almost no overlap)

I think this exam is for people that want to take the CISSP. It gives you an introduction into the CISSP material. I'd also recommend it to those working in government. The study material covers lots of government related security topics. I'm not sure it's worthwhile if you don't fit into those two categories. It's not as technical as the Security+, not as broad as the GSEC, and not as recognized as either. My recommendation is to take the Security+, take the GSEC if you can, and move onto other topics.

I'm happy to answer any question.

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Comments

cyberguypr

Congrats!

averageguy72

Congrats!

Cisco Inferno

woohoo! congrats. I am hoping to take this too.

PJ_Sneakers

Congratulations! From what you wrote, it looks like you don't think this one is a good ROI?

hxhx

PJ_Sneakers wrote: »

Congratulations! From what you wrote, it looks like you don't think this one is a good ROI?

There is time and money. If your goal is to get a CISSP, then it's a good time/money investment. If you work in government, it's probably a good time money investment. If you want a cert for marketing purposes, it's an OK time/money investment. If you want to gain skills, it's probably not the best choice. Sure, you'll know some more definitions, but I don't feel that this exam and materials is all that consequential otherwise.

PJ_Sneakers

Ok, that makes sense! So there is some reason to take this exam. I always wondered, since it is not popular at all.

sameoj

Congrats