MY GSLC Track

BillHooBillHoo Member Posts: 207 ■■■□□□□□□□
OK. So I pulled the trigger on the SANS Security Leadership Essentials for Managers Course and today was day one.

They had a nice welcome (for those of us who came in early enough) and focused on things to maximize the training and make it a pleasant experience with a short focus on computer configuration for those in Labs that required it. My course did not, but I took the advice not to trust neighboring wireless services not provided by SANS or the hotel and not to log in as an admin for general web surfing or email.

Off to the course...

So far the instructor is well experienced and knowledgable. As warned in the welcome, the material is like drinking from a firehose. I've taken a CISSP bootcamp hosted by my company. Comparatively, I'd say the SANS course covers a lot of the same material, but is more like drinking from a firehose that is not open full blast. Instead the firetruck presents you the rest of the water in a swimming pool for you to drink later in the form of the books that you should further read and re-read.

The pace is good. There is emphasis on specific topics that we should highlight and scrutinize further. Information density is easily absorbable.

I brought up the topic of creating an index of the books. The instructor pointed to the course syllabus as "the index". True, it covers the modules and gives you a range of pages in the books, but does not pinpoint individual topics or terms. It is recommended to write page numbers next to some of the syllabus topics as we go.

The instructor did mention that one of his students had created a highly detailed index in Excel with greater granularity of information and pagination. He then showed us the format of the spreadsheet index that was created - about 61 pages. I think, the headers used were; TOPIC, Book/Page, Comments (I think there was another column between page and comments, but I forget what it was)

I took this as an opportunity to exclaim "Hey! Can I get a copy of that?" He admitted that the index in its current form is already out of date as the course material had changed, but is still in the ballpark - ie, TCP/IP might currently be on page 54 instead of page 49. He said a SANS staffer will set up a mail list for those who would like a copy and we can opt out of being on the visible CC list if we do not want to share our email addresses with the rest of the class. -- Rewards come to those who ask? It may or may not be useful, but I could use it to build my own index.

The instructors own experience with taking the test - you will still need to KNOW the material. There is just not enough time to simply go to the index during the exam for every question.

You also get some graphic materials when you take the course- such as a huge, poster-sized fold-out reference guide that you can also take into the exam.

Other differences I've noticed so far between CISSP and GSLC - there is a definite emphasis on the material from a management point of view vs. the technical aspects in the CISSP. But the material is still very technical.

In the current course we covered classes and types of fire, but I did not see much emphasis on fire suppression types as I had seen in the CISSP prep.

Also we covered Halon, but no details on the Montreal Protocol and how we can still use existing Halon, but new Halon systems are not allowed or re-filled unless the Halon comes from a recycled source.

But then, maybe I have not yet read deep into the material provided yet. They just gave me the swimming pool today! :D

Also, I'm currently reading "Counterhack: Reloaded" by Ed Skoudis with Tom Liston. It's an easy read that compliments the course material.

A fellow student in the class had mentioned another book he got off the internet - one of those "Guaranteed to pass the GSLC" brain ****. The instructor had reviewed the book and related that the contents were way off and contained a lot of false and inaccurate information.

So far, I like the course!

I'm not normally a coffee drinker. So far today, I've had 4 cups of coffee, a diet Mountain Dew, and a Coke (provided during the breaks). Other snacks included huge muffins, cookies, some fruit. If you want anything healthier, they point to the GNC Health Food store down the block.
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Comments

  • cese59cese59 Registered Users Posts: 2 ■□□□□□□□□□
    Read your post and am curious on two point 1) how did the rest of the week go; 2) if you received a copy of the Index. If the experience was a descent one and yes you did receive the index, possible I'd like a copy so I can use it when I seat the exam.

    I am somewhat confident on the knowledge, but having a backup index to reference when I am actually taking the exam would be a huge help in a tight spot.

    Trying to create one on my own seems like too much of a time vacuum with current responsibilities.

    i have a generic email at gmail.com under caeaopts. I have additional CBTs that helped me prep (willing to trade), just looking for the added edge.

    Thanks for the insight and good luck either way.
  • BillHooBillHoo Member Posts: 207 ■■■□□□□□□□
    Sorry, I've been dealing with some family issues and such the past month, and took a week to prep and pass the CompTia Security+ exan with an 852/900 score. I think reading Reading Darril Gibson's Security+ prep book is a good way to build up toward the GSLC.

    Keep in mind, the GSLC covers additional topics not dealt with in Security+. However, I found Darril's book to be helpful in grasping Cryptography concepts.

    The rest of the week in the SANS class was good, but I probably should have taken time to grill the instructor more on subjects in which I am weak (as in the aforementioned Cryptography).

    TIP: Undersand your own weaknesses when you come into the course so you can steal the instructor's time in helping you solidify those areas. It was all too easy to just keep moving along with the course curricula.

    I think I was the only one in the class who was planning to take the GSLC. The rest were government and corporate workers who just needed to take the class, but did not need to get certified. As a result, the class was subject to mob rule by those who wanted to just get the chapters over with so class would let out early. Remember if you're paying for this out of pocket, make use of the instructor's time while you have it! The class is not cheap!

    Take a few free online IT Security tests to gauge your knowledge and strengths before you take the class. I think CompTia has a couple sample Security+ exams out there.

    "A man's gotta know his limitations!" - Dirty Harry, Magnum Force

    My instructor was G. Mark Hardy - very knowledgeable and kept the course material at a good pace and on track. He would emphasize many of the concepts with anexdotes from his extensive career in the Navy and his personal contacts (both famous and infamous) in the IT security and hacking fields.

    Here is a copy of the index that I got from our instructor. He in turn got it from a student who had painstakingly indexed the course books. Keep in mind, this is not current to the course material I got in October. I've been trying to update it myself, but spent several weeks in October adding to it and only got as far as Book 2.

    The instructor noted that you really just need to mark up you course syllabus as you go to create a quick index of where the topics are. He also noted that they course syllabus covers every question that would be on the test. He admitted, he had to refer to the syllabus just once while he took the exam, even though he knew the answer. He just wanted to be sure. This makes it a very valuable 10 page guide vs. the 118 pages of the extensive index.

    Your best bet is not to count on the index, but to know as much of the material as you can.

    One of my colleagues at my montly Cyber Security Happy hour in Northern Virginia noted to me that the GSLC is an easier exam than Security+!

    I take this with a grain of salt. I value her advice and experience, but she has neighther GSLC nor Security+ (She does have her CISSP). She based her statemen on what she heard from her co-workers.

    Back on track, I got a nasty gram from SANS indicating that I have to take the exam in 30 days before it expires. So I'm spending the next two days doing a quick review of the books and taking my first practice exam that came with the package. If I have a good score, I'll schedule the exam for a week later. If I suck, then I'll spend a week going over the material and take the second practice exam and decide what to do from there.

    Note: I'm trying to attach the Index spreadsheet to this email, but I keep getting an "Invalid File" error. Will try and find another way to get it on the site, otherwise I'll just email it to you.

    Best of luck to all!

    -Bill_H
  • MCLewisMCLewis Registered Users Posts: 1 ■□□□□□□□□□
    I would love a copy of this index spreadsheet as well. If you can, could you send to gmail account michelle dot c dot lewis74?
    I would appreciate it - thanks!
  • BillHooBillHoo Member Posts: 207 ■■■□□□□□□□
    I've been hacking away at the index as I go. Each book appears to have a shift of 10-20 pages between the previous SANS 512 and the one I took in September.

    So with that estimate, I'd say my books have about 100 pages of new material!

    I don't think anyone has done a comparison between previous GSLC courseware and the current. It offers insight on what changed and helps me see the differences between GSLC, CISSP and Security+

    I'm under the gun as I have to sit for the exam by Jan 18 as that is when the exam voucher expires.

    I think I heard sometime afterward, they will be coming out with new course curricula.

    I'm starting the index on Book 5 now. I covers security events that occured in the first half of 2013. I suppose the next book would include Ed Snowden references.

    That's probably why you can't just buy a generic study guide as SANS continuosly updates the course material.

    However, I'm finding that at least 60 percent of the material was covered under Darril's Security+ Get Certified Get Ahead book. Makes me feel good that I got Security+ certification a few weeks go! I might go over those practice tests again.

    I'm definitely bringing Darril's book with me to the exam (tabbed of course) as a quick reference on some items. AND IT'S ALREADY INDEXED!

    However, where Darril's book had a nice flow to it that allowed me to pick up the information nicely. The SANS books seem to have different material scattered across the 5 books. There is a lot of repetition and there is definitely more detail and depth than in the Security+. I see more UDP ports that were not covered in Security+

    The rest of it contains quotes and anecdotes from the author/instructor's military service (stuff that you cannot find in say a CISSP study guide) and a lot Business/IT/Meeting/Customer Management material.

    Does anyone know if any of the GSLC exam questions contain wisdom from a Navy chief that the author served with? Or any of the many references to Naval personnel management that was anecdotally presented?
  • pappyTpappyT Member Posts: 24 ■□□□□□□□□□
    Bill,

    I sat for (and passed icon_cheers.gif!) the exam yesterday. Did you take the 512 class when it was in Virginia Beach?

    The test I think was as others have noted, is harder than the practice exams. Overall though, I wasn't as stressed about it as I was for the first GIAC exam I had taken earlier, probably because I knew what to expect now, I had a better idea of what/how to study, how to use the index, etc. Because of all that, I was able to better set a pace for myself.

    As far as the anecdotes that were shared throughout the class, and somewhat in the text as well, I don't think any of them were specifically referenced. Most all of the material covered I think was 'just the facts' type of things. One thing I did note that was different in the real exam from the practice, was there were several questions consisting of a story or situation being presented, and then answer a question on course of action to be taken. I hadn't recalled noticing those in the practice exams.

    I did not use any other reference materials for studying or with me in the exam. just the course books, the TCP/IP pocket reference brochure, and the 'fairway marker' document/index, with some of my own notes sprinkled in.

    good luck!
  • BillHooBillHoo Member Posts: 207 ■■■□□□□□□□
    Pappy

    Thanks for the review. I took the SANS class in DC. I'm stressing out a bit.

    I took the Evaluation test and did not do very well. Not sure if those questions had any direct connection with the texts.

    I have until the 18th to take the exam and I haven't even taken any of the practice tests yet. Just making my index and checking it against the Talking points at the end of each book.

    I'd also found some additional quiz questions from the SANS site and I merged them with all the talking points into a Powerpoint document which I'm using as a series of flashcards. The additional talking point seem to be a mix of what is in the current texts and some from what I think are the previous texts. Some of them don't seem to have any connection to the current books, but I am able to find answers in Google searches and added them to my notes just in case.

    I'm going to take the first practice test tomorrow and see what I have to focus on from there before scheduling the test.

    So, from what you are saying, I won't be seeing any questions referencing WATOSH?

    Thanks for your insights and great job on the pass!

    -Bil_H
  • pappyTpappyT Member Posts: 24 ■□□□□□□□□□
    Bill,

    I didn't try the evaluation quiz/test, so I can't comment on how close it matches the questions in the practice tests.

    I don't think there was any reference to WATOSH in the actual exam? There may have been one of the practice tests had a question about it.

    I also did find that the practice tests had a decent amount of questions that mirrored the review questions at the end of chapters. to be honest I didn't figure that out until after I'd taken the first practice test and was going through the books while studying and updating my index.

    One other thing I found with the actual exam as opposed to the practice tests (maybe just my perception) is that you have to make sure you really read the tense/direction of the question. I got fouled up on that a couple times, as I knew as soon as I clicked submit I should have re-read one more time. as an example, some of the questions may say 'which of these do NOT fit', the next one might say 'which of these don't fit', the next might say something like 'all of these have some relation to y, which one fits the least?'

    I don't think they were as subversive from what I recall, in the practice exams.



    I guess I can't really give any pointers of things to concentrate on, because the questions do hit every area of the topics covered really. I think G Mark mentioned in our class a couple things:

    - One was that the question pool had questions from each section and a certain number of questions were pulled from each section to come up with the exam.

    - the practice exams may come from a question pool that might not be the most current version of the text ( I know he said something about this, but dont' remember exactly).

    -that the question/exam writers aren't necessarily folks that have been through the class, know the context of some subjects, or reviewed all of the content either, (ie., the question writers are not the author of the material or the instructors)so some of the questions may be a bit 'wonky'.
  • BillHooBillHoo Member Posts: 207 ■■■□□□□□□□
    Good to know about the tense!

    Another track in my study is going through all of my books and listing everything I highlighted from the class.

    In the military, instructors tend to stomp their foot on items that you can count of being covered on a test. So I highlighted every item G Mark emphasized. It's a good sized list.

    I'm guessing it was mostly multiple choice?

    That's the thing I don't like about the SANS texts. They end with "talking points" and not actual quizes.

    I recently got the Comptia Security+ cert and using Darril Gibson's book, each section ended with a 15-25 question quiz. That really geared my mindset on test the taking strategy. Security+ then sent us a loop with their simulation questions with drag and drop.

    Thanks again!
  • BillHooBillHoo Member Posts: 207 ■■■□□□□□□□
    Wow! I just discovered the 512 course MP3s in my SANS account. I vaguely remember them being mentioned during the course.

    They're kinda time consuming to go through. If I'd gotten them earlier, I'd have used them at the gym.

    Back to studying! Taking first practice test today.
  • BillHooBillHoo Member Posts: 207 ■■■□□□□□□□
    Practice test went well. Finished in 3 hours. Scored a 77. As most SANS exam takers have discovered, I expect the actual exam is harder than the practices tests.

    Available as references, I had
    - All of the texts. I used a sharpie to write the book numbers 1-5 at the bottom edges of the books (that was a great tip I got from someone here as all the books look the same!)
    - The Fairlane Marker - I did not refer to this at all during the test! I should have reached for it on the one or two that I could not find in my index.
    - The TCP and tcpdump Pocket Reference Guide - I referred to this twice
    - Darril Gibson's Security+ Study Guide - It was reassuring to have because of the nice index and easy to read texts, but I didn't refer to it at all.

    I had spent the last few days updating my index based on:
    - talking point questions from the books
    - talking point questions from the SANS site
    - Questions I noted as I took the free Assessment test
    - I was able to actually read 512.5 and part of 512.1 before I decided to stop indexing and take the first practice test. Reading uncovered more items to add to my index.

    I had improved considerably over the free Assessment test. Considering I have not really read the books as I went through them while making my index, I would attribute my improvement to:
    - 40 percent - Reading Darrils Security+ book and preparing and passing the CompTia Security+ cert exam (It took me 10 days from page 1 to end, taking all the chapter practice tests, memorizing the ports with this website: http://memorize.com/ports-to-memorize-security/hegareco and then taking the certification exam - I highly recommend it as a prep for GSLC!)
    - 40 percent referring to my index
    - 15 percent educated guessing and test taking strategy
    - 5 percdent dumb luck

    What I learned from taking the practice test.
    - Slow down - I lost three questions due to clicking on an unintended answer, then hitting submit.
    - Slow down - I submitted my selection BEFORE reading all the options
    - Slow down - I made decisions without reading the question fully
    - Slow down - 4 hours for 150 questions is plenty. I think I spent 15 seconds on each of the first 50 questions before setting my pace. (after I get certified, I think I'll analyze the number of wrong answers at the beginning vs the end of the test). When I was down to 50 questions and had over 2 hours left, I started to slow down and my correct answers became more frequent.
    - You get to skip 5 questions to do later. I did not exercise the option until the last 45 questions. I think I could have gotten a few more if I examined the questions at my leisure, considering I had an hour left at the end.
    - my index needs to be more complete
    - Tabbing my index with with the Alphabet only in big letters helped a lot! (Lot of nervous finger fumbling as I moved too fast! Big tabs helped a lot to flip through pages)
    - Over-Tabbing the SANS 512.x books was not helpful. I'd only tabbed the first three and there were too many tabs to be useful! It was a mess!
    - Tab no more than 5-7 sections of each 512.x text. ie, 512.5 was tabbed with: PASSWORDS, TCO, Negotiations, FRAUD, Liability/Negligence, and TECH PEOPLE. I used each of those tabs during the exam and found what I needed within 10 seconds (btw this is the only book I read completely, so I kinda knew where stuff was near the tab.
    - Use good quality, heavy paper for the index. I used the cheapest copy paper to print my index and it was hard to flip through. I should have also invested in some heavy alphabet tabs instead of using Post-Its, but it worked.
    - No need to memorize ports as everything I needed was in the TCP pocket reference guide.

    Moving forward, I intend to continue reading through the books and updating the index as I go and updating based on notes I made as I went through the exam. I'm also going to remove most of the tabs in the first 4 books and limit to 5-7 major tabs.
  • pappyTpappyT Member Posts: 24 ■□□□□□□□□□
    bill, you hit on some lessons learned for me as well.

    your points on 'Slow down', yep, got caught on each of those in my practice tests, and I know I got zapped at least once on the real test.

    putting some tabs on the index helped, with it being so large.

    many of my tabs in the I had made in the 512 books themselves during the class sessions I didn't even refer too. Or I'd see them after I'd already checked the index and went to the page.

    I also updated the index as I did my studying and practice tests. If there was some critical concept or acronym that I knew I'd forget, I put it right in my index.

    I used both the index and the fairway marker (TOC) document about equally when I did the real exam, though for the practice exams I did use the index more. With studying and knowledge retention, I found for the real exam I didn't need the full blown index as much.

    biggest advice (and you probably already know this), but if you got 77% and had 2/3 of the questions done in 1/2 of the time allowed, need to slow down, read the questions thoroughly, and check up on your answers. Knowing your own acceptable, efficient pace is key.

    Here's the key. If you spend more time reading through questions, thinking about them, getting accurate and correct answers up front, by the time you get to the end, of the exam, if you're running short of time, THAT'S OK. If you're busting out 85-88% and get to 30 minutes left, and still have 35 questions left, that's fine, you can afford to take come guesses. You only need to get like 1 out of every 3 remaining questions right to still pass.

    I am positive your next practice exam and your real exam you'll do better.
  • BillHooBillHoo Member Posts: 207 ■■■□□□□□□□
    As I said before Pappy, Thanks for the great advice.

    I think other people considering the GSLC Cert will appreciate your revelations and I have clicked on the star icon on the lower left to give you a rep point for it!.

    To be honest, I have not found much information from people who have actually taken the GSLC Certification. Those who do have not really revealed much of their experiences with it.

    Hopefully this thread will be useful for people taking the GSLC in the future.

    I just scheduled my exam for Friday at 1PM at the local PearsonVue testing center. Same place I took the Security+ cert. (My brain doesn't start working till after 11AM, a few hours after I've had my coffee, so I'll be at peak around 1PM.)

    I'm reading through the rest of the books today and part of tomorrow and will take my 2nd Practice test either tomorrow afternoon or Wednesday. This gives me another day to finalize my studying and maybe take some time to relax a bit before the exam.

    -Bill_H
  • BillHooBillHoo Member Posts: 207 ■■■□□□□□□□
    Did the 2nd Practice Exam. I improved a bit, but not as much as I'd wanted - I got an 80 percent score.

    I stopped studying and indexing last night at 11:30 PM, but found myself unable to nod off to sleep til 2:30.

    Up at 6 AM to drop my wife off to work. I intended to take a nap when I got back and do the practice test at Noon.

    I couldn't sleep. Finally decided to eat a bit and make coffee. I printed out my new index with the addition of another 800 entries. I also applied a new tabbing scheme - I put the Alphabet tabs at the TOP of the index. Reason: Easier for me to thumb and flip through the pages along the side. I increased my speed on searches. Less page fumbling.

    Practice Test 2 11:30 AM. Coffee hasn't kicked in yet. Have a low headache. Need to hydrate.
    I tried slowing down. May have done that too much. I started second guessing myselft and changing the answers for the worse. Ended up getting 5 wrong in the first segment of 15!

    Then I reflexivly started speeding up again! My average was hanging around 68 percent halfway through the test and I still had 3 hours left.

    I drastically slowed myself down, but tried not to second guess myself and started bringing the score up.

    Some test strategists suggest taking the day off from studying before an exam. I'm somewhat tired now, but feel the need to re-read and update my index further.

    Tomorrow will be a light day as I have a cardiologist appointment (wonder if the chest pains I've been having are stress-related?)

    -Bill_H
  • BillHooBillHoo Member Posts: 207 ■■■□□□□□□□
    I tried to relax and do other things yesterday, but I caved in and studied last night til midnight. Fell asleep around 1:30 AM. I had packed my books, my index and Darril's Security+ book, Test reservation letter and lucky pigeon foot in the SANS bookbag, so I did not use those at all while studying.

    Instead, I went over the list of highlighted items emphasized during the course which I had made into a spreadsheet list identifying the book and page number.

    Then I went over all of the talking points and answers found at the end of Volume 5. These, I incorporated into a Powerpoint document with the overlapping talking points from the SANS site. It made a nice flashcard type reference that I flipped through as a 162 slide Powerpoint presentation.

    Then, I went over the notes I took from Practice Tests 1 and 2 where I noted each wrong answer I got. After each test, I looked up why they were wrong in the books and made those into a list that I studied from.

    Woke at 6 AM to drive my wife to work. Got back at 6:30 and went back to sleep. Woke at 10 AM.

    Went to McDonalds to get a cup of coffee and some food. I ensured that I was hydrated, so I also drank a bottle of water and Arizona iced tea. Stopped for some more food at a takeout place, but did not finish.

    12:30 got to the testing center and received parking pass. Went back in with books and registered at the desk where they took my picture and validated ID. Used the restroom and drank some more water.

    My appointment was for 1PM, but they led me in around 12:45. Slooooow down, I said.

    First 15 questions at good pace, averageing 94 percent.

    Took my break at question 110. Still had 1 hour 44 minutes left. Average was at 95 percent.

    Only took a 7 minute break. It seemed long. Mind was racing. My brain seemed to counter my "over-clocking" by running an alternate process - The whole time I took the test, I could not get the song and video "What does the fox say?" out of my head!!!!!

    Got back to the test and took my time on the remaining questions. My average at question 130 was still at 95 percent.

    Finished with 13 minutes left on the clock. I had skipped onely one question. Final score was 93 percent!

    I think I fumbled two questions regarding management of an employee, manager and project and a time management question. I spent at least 10 minutes reading and re-reading the section on time management, but I could not see what they were leading to with the answer options!

    Test ended with a questionaire and the option to get my certificate framed for additiona cost of shipping the free frame.

    Afterward, I felt like I wanted to puke.

    The test proctor did not have any printouts to give me. I just signed out and went home.

    This was NOT an easy test!

    By my guess, many of the test questions seemed familiar.
    - 40 percent derived from the talking points
    - 20 percent were variants or exact copies of the Practice test questions
    - 40 percent new material, but of that, maybe half were items emphasized in the classroom by the instructor.

    At least 2 questions I could not find references in my index.

    Two questions I found the answers in my Security+ book - But I could have found them in the courseware via my index, but the book seemed easier to pinpoint.

    Not one required the TCP handout - the practice tests each had one question that required the handout.
  • BillHooBillHoo Member Posts: 207 ■■■□□□□□□□
    Woohoo! I got the invitational email to join the SANS Advisory board earlier today and a few hours later, I got my framed certificate. Nicely mounted and very solid.

    I suppose this brings closure to this particular adventure.
  • BillHooBillHoo Member Posts: 207 ■■■□□□□□□□
    OK, I didn't expect this... Due to my test score, I've been invited to join the SANS Mentor program.

    I wonder if I get CPEs for other certs by doing taking on a mentor role?
  • docricedocrice Member Posts: 1,706 ■■■■■■■■■■
    Ah yes, the Mentor program. I wouldn't mind doing this as well, but I just have no time. One way to really elevate your command of the material is to be able to teach others on the subject.
    Hopefully-useful stuff I've written: http://kimiushida.com/bitsandpieces/articles/
  • BillHooBillHoo Member Posts: 207 ■■■□□□□□□□
    docrice wrote: »
    Ah yes, the Mentor program. I wouldn't mind doing this as well, but I just have no time. One way to really elevate your command of the material is to be able to teach others on the subject.

    CONGRATULATIONS! You have just made your 1,111th post on TechExams!
  • docricedocrice Member Posts: 1,706 ■■■■■■■■■■
    I feel like a number one.

    Oh wait, I just ruined it.
    Hopefully-useful stuff I've written: http://kimiushida.com/bitsandpieces/articles/
  • pappyTpappyT Member Posts: 24 ■□□□□□□□□□
    Congrats on the GSLC. I found that a bit odd about the handout not being needed. I know all the practice exams had a couple questions, and I think my real exam had at least 2 questions that referenced it. I supposed with all of the questions in the test pool, it just depends how they play out.

    again, congrats!
  • flipflop4567flipflop4567 Member Posts: 15 ■□□□□□□□□□
    Congrats on passing Pappy! My bosses are wanting me to take the CISSP but I think there is benefit in GSLC as well. Most of the technical guys say CISSP but the management has GSLC on their resume. I am not a technical guy but I can get the job done when needed. Any other advice? CISSP voucher is $600 and GSLC is $1000, not sure which my company will pay for due to the budget but either way, I want to know that sh*t out. THanks.
  • BillHooBillHoo Member Posts: 207 ■■■□□□□□□□
    Your course instructor should have an index that you can update as you study.

    Otherwise, send me your email and I'll send you the one I got from my instructor that was done by one of his previous students for the older courseware.
  • jreiner3jreiner3 Registered Users Posts: 1 ■□□□□□□□□□
    Thanks for the thread. I may need to take the course online (budget constraints) any suggestions or helpful hints are greatly appreciated.
  • EmiliofdzEmiliofdz Registered Users Posts: 1 ■□□□□□□□□□
    Hi guys...newbie here. This is good stuff for somebody going down the "self-study" route. I’m sort of in the same "budget constraints" boat....Any more additional guidance, pointers or tips would be helpful. I would also be forever greatful for any materials you might be able to share.
  • JGANNONJGANNON Registered Users Posts: 1 ■□□□□□□□□□
    Passed today after taking the 512 OnDemand over the last while.
    Course covers the content really well.
    Exam is sufficiently hard but if you have studied the materials provided well it is easy enough.
  • BillHooBillHoo Member Posts: 207 ■■■□□□□□□□
    Congratulations!

    Now, the "On Demand" is that where they send you the books and podcasts only?
  • tanohatanoha Member Posts: 6 ■□□□□□□□□□
    BillHoo wrote: »
    Your course instructor should have an index that you can update as you study.

    Otherwise, send me your email and I'll send you the one I got from my instructor that was done by one of his previous students for the older courseware.


    Please send me the GSLC INDEX TEST because I want to take the test next month

    Richard
  • tanohatanoha Member Posts: 6 ■□□□□□□□□□
    Please send me the GSLC INDEX TEST on this email tanoha@comcast.net because I want to take the test next month

    Richard
  • BillHooBillHoo Member Posts: 207 ■■■□□□□□□□
    If you ask your course instructor, they will probably have a more recent index for the GSLC produced by a student from the most recent class. The index I made was from the course in 2013 and the index I got was from a course in 2012. The classes and books change each year. So the index won't match your course materials. As a basic index if you want to build one from scratch, make an excel spreadsheet. Mine had columns for:

    Topic
    Book#
    Page #
    Remarks

    Also my index included the locations of my handwritten notes in the book.
    After reading through each page make an entry in your index to any topic you think will be in the exam. TIP: Each time your instructor stops to emphasize a topic, highlight it in your courseware and make it a part of your index.

    When your done with your index, sort it by Topic and it will be alphabetized for easier searching.

    I had gotten a basic index from my instructor made by a student in a previous class. The pages and topics did not match my courseware. I had to redo the index from scratch - took me roughly one book every 3 days. It was a pain trying to track things in the old index that were either no longer in the courseware, or part of the student's handwritten notes. In hindsight it was better just to make an index from scratch.

    I'll be doing that now that I'm registered for the GCIH.
  • hilldhilld Member Posts: 42 ■■□□□□□□□□
    I am currently scheduled to take the GSLC exam on 2/11. I have also started building an index, started with the fairway markers, but found that inadequate. Got an index from another class mate, but I am expanding that a bit to season it to my taste. I currently finished the 1st book, hope to have the indexes done before my test. :D
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