Scored 690 then 695 on CISSP.....

I'm pretty depressed. Took a week-long Learning Tree Bootcamp, then used whatever free resources I could find to do thousands of practice questions. I thought I knew the information quite well. On each test, I thought I did great... until I got the score. Some of the areas that were stressed in my boot camp didn't seem to be on the test at all. I had no questions at all about cryptography and hardly any about physical security. I'm not even sure which questions I got wrong because there were very few questions that stumped me.

Probaby not going to throw in another $600 to take another shot after losing $1200 in 2 months. So close.... Anyone else have the same experience?

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Comments

j.petrov

Do NOT give up! You are so close you should stay on this and make sure you take it again as soon as you can. What other study materials did you use? Any test engines? Two near misses means you are right on it, my suggestion is to keep with it. Have a drink, and carry on!

rulerrock

I did the test questions in the CBK book and the boot camp questions (over and over and over). Did the Skillsoft testprep questions that I had available (over and over). Did the Elsevier test questions that I found online a bunch of times. Not sure if I was scoring better each time because I recognized the questions or if I really understood the concepts. I thought I understood them...

After taking the test (twice) I am not even sure which questions I got wrong. Maybe I said the same (wrong) answer each time since many of the questions were familiar. I think I should get a price break next time.......

E Double U

I passed on my 3rd attempt. Hang in there.

SuperISSO

E Double U wrote: »

I passed on my 3rd attempt. Hang in there.

Same here.

You could always take a break and take the SSCP 1st. That is what I did. They cover some of the same topics, but SSCP is harder than many people think.

Hunter85

I think it is pure luck in your case, dont loose hope, it looks like you are unable to identify your weaknesses, just do several flashcards from each section and grade your accuracy for each subject. You shouldnt focus on things you already know and you are already good at

g33k3r

Hang in there! I know its probably easier said than done. I've been in learning mode the last few weeks so I haven't really started practice tests. I have been trying to use these concepts on the job since we are in the process of developing policies and procedures while developing a organizational security program. Much of this material I've been exposed to over my 12 + year career whether I knew it or not. Topics such as risk management, business continuity, disaster recovery, and security models have been interesting and are starting to compliment my mostly technical background. The more I can relate these topics into what I do at work, the easier it is for me to remember the material. I haven't taken the exam yet so it just my 2 cents.

!nf0s3cure

690>>>>695>>>>700 PASS....third time lucky.....what I would suggest is to re-take ASAP. That was the mistake I made and am that was a bad decision. But take good advice and sit again. Just post you letter that explains the scores. Compare your two scores and feedback, that should she some light on what is lacking

kukku

Hard luck..please do attempt the exam soon..the next time, for sure you will pass..If you wont be able to take it soon, then it would be hard for you to come back to the study mode and take it again..I have seen this many times with my friends...

gespenstern

rulerrock wrote: »

in 2 months

^^^^^^^^^^ That's a problem. You will hardly find anyone here who has spent this small amount of time for preparation. I, personally, took 6 months for prep on top of 15 years of XP.

But you are making a good progress. If you do just the same you can expect another 5 points increment that will get you right into 700, i.e. a pass!

5ekurity

It took me 4 months of studying daily to pass the CISSP. When I was able to teach the material to my co-workers, I knew I was ready for the exam.

I would recommend that any areas of difficulty you encounter, you take the concepts and phrase it into your own words. Also, you can do word / phrase association to help memorize confusing / complex topics.

Since you are so close to passing, it's likely that you are just getting mixed up by the nuances in the test questions (meaning you aren't reading the whole question to find out exactly what they are looking for). Sometimes tests will give you a lot of ambiguous information that has no relevance to the actual question they are asking - so it's fluff material to throw you off, and make you assume they are looking for A when in reality the question focuses on B.

g33k3r

Although I haven't taken the exam yet, I totally agree with 5ekurity.

Since I work full-time and have a family it has been challenging to study. I tend to learn better through repetition and application of knowledge so I like 5ekurity's suggestions. At work we are developing policies and procedures while going through a PCI gap analysis. I try and pair up what I've read in the Eric Conrad study guide to help me associate the material. In some ways, the knowledge I am gaining out weighs the value of the certification because it applies to my company's goal of improving security. Who knows if I'll need to take the exam multiple times or not, but the knowledge gained thus far has been valuable in my current role.

Expect

It took me one month and a half to entirely complete CISSP, but I studied 6~ hours a day almost everyday. (at least 5 times a week)

Cyberscum

As been explained many times before, time does not matter. How well do you grasp the subjects matters. Many people on these forums have passed in less than a months study time.

IMHO practice questions and boot camps are useless. If you can explain the concepts in detail to someone that is not familiar with them then I would think you are ready.

spk001

Somewhat general advice and maybe not completely specific to the original post follows...

I wouldn't say practice questions are completely useless - the day I decided to try for CISSP I took one of the ISC2 self tests and used the results to rank the domains and prioritize what areas to study. I bought the Shon Harris book, worked through the three domains I wasn't clearly passing on according the the self test, reviewed the rest, finished the book and took the test about a week and a half later and passed.

I wouldn't say that it took me only that long to prepare, though - I'd add in some percentage of 20+ years in IT, various home lab experiences, grad school (crypto is easier with number theory) , college....even high school era playing around with timeshare systems might have been good for a question or a concept or two.

I guess what I'm suggesting is that as assessment will suggest what you need to spend time on, then study that for awhile, see how much you improved, then estimate the study time based on how long it takes you to pick stuff up. I expect it will vary a lot based on what you've had hands on and how often & what your learning style is.

!nf0s3cure

Bottom line as you are consistently so close to the score, just compare the 2 scores and you should see a consistent lack of knowledge in some areas, just focus more in those area and you will fly through the exam. Mind you unlike ISACA where you get your score for PASS or FAIL, with ISC2 whether you are close to 1000 or just at 700 there is only one word PASS with no feedback. So you are almost there! I am not sure why you are not looking at it that way. There is no difference between a result topper and just over the line candidate!

But in your case you know your advantage is you know where you are lacking so here is an scenario. A latest phone is released on the market for $900, that will give you some use, some improvement, and you may spend that in a whim. Why are you thinking it as a waste of money for a word that can kick start the recruitment world for you and get more return on investment almost instantaneously. So solider on, next I wish we hear from you is when you come back with a 'I PASSED'.

Best of luck. You can do it! Consider this you have almost done it TWICE. My last attempt was 67x 68x some where there and I haven't gone back to take it again. You are there! Can't encourage you more. Just do it!

kalkan999

Same here with the third time as the charm. Read some of my posts. I do post a lot. Don't pay attention to my arguments with B/eads. Read past them, and read into how people like me, and E Double U passed this test. I have a lot of years of experience in Information Assurance, Information Security, and I tanked the test for a myriad of reasons. truth is, now that I am more diverse in my experience, I would crush this test. I'd barely have to study. Part of my problem was that I studied SO hard, that I over-thought a lot of these questions. Third time in, I took the full six hours. I finished with about an hour left, took a break, came back and looked at a lot of the questions I flagged and said to myself: 'Who sat in front of this terminal and answered these questions?' I went back and changed those answers and I passed the test. Don't give up when you're too close. the fact that you're coming so close to passing each time tells me that you know the material, but you're allowing yourself to be tripped-up too easily.

-kalkan

g33k3r

Interesting comment Kalkan999:

"Part of my problem was that I studied SO hard, that I over-thought a lot of these questions."

Due to work, I won't be taking the exam until the end of November. I've already put in almost 2 months of studying (3 or 4 hours day - reading and notes). I've avoided practice questions because I really want to make sure I understand the material I've read thus far. I will use practice exams/questions, but I hope by then I'll at least be familiar with the subject matter.

I say give it another shot! Only being 5 points away on such a challenging test is still impressive in my book!!!

unwankwo

hello, did you end up taking the exam again? I took the exam twice and had similar scores to yours and i really feel the same way you feel. Got 691 the first attempt and 695 the second. What did u end up doing? do you have a personal email i can contact you on?

unwankwo

User2097

Just like everyone said here, just get it together and push it again. I was a first time go, but for PMP... had to retake and passed. I even had a 30 day plan if I had to take PMP the third time. It boils down just pushing it. I know it's tiresome, but it just keeps making you a smarter security practitioner.

CLICK

Keep going man.. i just passed my 3rd attempt a few days ago.. and as you can see, T.E community will really give you great advice and encouragement.. keep going and don't give up, i can tell you it is worth it.. just started on my new role with a great company and got a 50% raise one day after passing.. it's really worth it... God Bless..