My CIPP/C exam experience, some tips and tricks

As promised, I'm sharing my experience with the CIPP/C as there is interest from candidates looking to complete the exam. There will be an additional post on the sources I used to study.

General Overview and My Personal Experience

• Studied for approximately 2 months.
• Studied extensively for approximately 3 weeks.
• I had 2 accountability partners Jorge Molet Rafael Marinez ... thanks for the support and guidance!
• I arrived earlier and was able to start my test 30 minutes before the scheduled time.
• The registration process at the test center took 15-20 minutes.
• My preference will always be to attend a center instead of taking it at home. This avoids distractions, potential setup issues, and other unforeseen problems.
• Just recently, a fellow test-taker had technical issues taking the exam at home, delaying their exam by about 2 hours and leaving them drained even before starting.
• I skipped the breaks to maintain concentration and momentum.
• The exam is divided into two sections of 45 questions, with a break in the middle.
• You can review questions from the first 45 and submit them, but cannot go back to them later.

Main Resources

Topic to be complemented in a later post!

• Read the book almost 2 times. Studying solely with the official IAPP material is insufficient (you can cover about 70% of what is needed). I felt I needed additional content on health privacy.
• Got access to some notes from previous test-takers (colleagues and friends).
• Completed the IAPP practice exam 2 times (first score 70%, second 90%). Take practice exams at the end to avoid memorizing them.
• Completed an additional practice exam created by Ksenia Laputko , which I purchased from Udemy https://www.udemy.com/course/cippc-practice-test/. Her test is different from the official one, as the language used to present the questions and the topics used have a different focus. It included relevant topics such as international regulation, health, and the cases listed in the book. It was challenging and helped me a lot.
• Reviewed information that is publicly available on channels like YouTube, OPC, and Law offices (a post exclusive for this is coming soon).
• Listened to material from other authors at least once.
• Reviewed other IAPP releases (reports, notes, etc.).
• The Privacy Glossary from IAPP is relevant, as some questions are about concepts (they may create definitions or introduce unrelated names or concepts that sound legitimate).

The Exam Was More Difficult Than Anticipated

• Completed the exam in 1 hour 20 minutes (allocated time is 2.5 hours).
• Hesitated on answers to 10+ questions (2 answers discarded, 2 answers potentially valid).

• If I had to explain the distribution easily, it's roughly 25% PIPEDA and other private sector, 25% Privacy Act and other public sector, 25% Health, and 25% application to use cases.
• Official study material provides a general understanding, but additional depth is needed.
• The exam is based on the Book. The Body of Knowledge will guide you on what topics are more relevant (more questions per topic). Follow the items listed there and prioritize.
• Pay attention to the number of items per domain and allocate more time to the larger ones.
• Practice exams were slightly easier (passing with 85% or more may indicate success).
• There were at least 5 case studies (each with 2-4 questions).