Passing the CISSP!

Time to pay it forward! I was fortunate enough to provisionally pass the CISSP this week and even more so on my first attempt with being allowed to walk away after 100 Questions. This certainly isn’t an easy exam and one you won't pass with minimum effort. Like everything in life, you will get out what you put into it and the same applies to this certification. This was a long journey and one that evidently paid off when I was presented with the piece of paper at the exam center that stated Congratulations! A big part of my success with the CISSP exam was the feedback from others sharing what did and didn’t work for them. The community that has been built with those working through their CISSP certification and those that have passed and continue their journey is extremely impressive. Hopefully my story to success will help guide others to their success.

My experience during the exam was probably close to what I expected. It was difficult but I didn't feel it was extreme or as difficult as what others have stated in their feedback. I began my journey with the same expectation I have with all other certifications but as I started to do my ‘Due Diligence’ ??, I quickly realized this was going to take a lot more effort than I put in for other certifications. My primary source for information by learning from others was reddit (https://www.reddit.com/r/cissp/). This site will set your expectations early and I’m fortunate to have found this resource as it truly allowed me to best prepare.

I found the content on the exam to be very well balanced between the Domains and I didn’t feel at any time there was anything completely off target from the material I used to study. There was a fair balance between technical questions on the exam and those that truly test your ability at a management level to make the right decision. As you have most likely heard from your study resources, security management is the ability to understand risk and to reduce it where possible….only if it makes sense. As Kelly Handerhan mentions in one of her videos, you wouldn’t spend $50 to protect a $20 bill. Balancing between the technical and managerial aspect on the exam enforces the need to know the material in-depth, including a mindset that shows you can make well informed decisions within the enterprise. This also requires experience at times. Don’t let this discourage you though, my point is this is a certification that forces you to roll your sleeves up and it’s not impossible by any means. Ensure you understand all the material and use the resources I reference to provide the knowledge needed to be successful. I have gained more from taking this exam than I have with any other certification, and I have earned quite a few over the years.

I initially attempted this journey earlier in the year but work and family commitments made it difficult. After returning from a vacation in June, I rolled my sleeves up and gave it all until the exam. My availability to study during the day was limited, but I kept consistent and kept to my schedule. Working full-time and with a family including 2 children (4 and 1 year old) and another due soon made this journey a little more challenging. I’m a big believer in work-life balance and even more with spending time with family. After work during the week, I always spend time with the family as well as weekends. This left me with a window to study every evening between 9-12 and first thing in the morning when everyone was resting. Other than some vacation weekends, travel for work and the Orlando City Soccer games ??, I was consistent with keeping my head down during these times. I initially planned to take the exam mid-to-late September but there wasn’t many options so my exam date landed on October 15th. This actually helped as it gave me an additional couple of weeks to re-enforce and add some last-minute knowledge. All in, it took me a little under 4 months to complete this journey.

In order to be best prepared for the CISSP exam, you are going to need more than 1 or 2 study resources. Part of my success is because of the multiple study resources I used as part of my plan. There is an overwhelming amount of study materials available and using them all is unrealistic, so being strategic with what you use will be critical. The following is a comprehensive list of all resources I used as part of my studies. To give an idea of where I focused most of my time on, I have referenced…Heavily Used, Moderately Used or Less Used:

• (ISC)2 CISSP Certified Information Systems Security Professional Official Study Guide, 8e: Less Used
• CISSP Official (ISC)2 Practice Tests, 2e: Moderately Used
• Eleventh Hour CISSP: Study Guide 3rd Edition: Heavily Used
• Shon Harris CISSP Practice Exams, Fifth Edition 5th Edition: Less Used
• Boson CISSP Practice Exams: Heavily Used
• Mike Chapple CISSP Cert Prep LinkedIn Course: Less Used
• Mike Chapple CertMike CISSP Last Minute Review: Moderately Used
• Sunflower CISSP Notes: Less Used
• Kelly Handerhan Cybrary CISSP Course: Moderately Used
• Self-made Cybrary CISSP Course Notes: Heavily Used
• iOS CISSP Pocket Prep: Heavily Used
• Reddit CISSP Forum: Heavily Used
• Kelly Handerhan Why you WILL pass the CISSP: Heavily Used
• Larry Greenblatt - CISSP 2018 Exam Tips: Heavily Used
• Self-made Acronym Notes on iPhone: Heavily Used
• YouTube & Google: Moderately Used

Now you know what I used to complete my studies, I will provide a high level overview of my study plan over a 15 week duration. I often struggle to retain information by only reading so it was critical I was able to find multiple options to help with my knowledge retention. To help I used several methods including reading, videos and questions. The following is the breakdown of my schedule:

***Referenced the reddit forum weekly***

• Week 1~3: (ISC)2 CISSP Official Study Guide and Chapter Exams
• Week 4: Official (ISC)2 Practice Tests: Questions for all Chapters
• Week 5: Eleventh Hour, Official (ISC)2 Practice Tests: Practice Exam 1
• Week 6: CISSP Cert Prep LinkedIn Course, Official (ISC)2 Practice Tests: Practice Exam 2
• Week 7: Shon Harris CISSP Practice Exams, Boson Practice Exam 1, Official (ISC)2 Practice Tests: Practice Exam 3, YouTube & Google, Sunflower Notes
• Week 8: Boson Practice Exam 2, YouTube & Google, Cybrary Course, CertMike CISSP Last Minute Review
• Week 9: Eleventh Hour, YouTube & Google, Boson Practice Exam 3, Official (ISC)2 Practice Tests: Practice Exam 4
• Week 10: Boson Practice Exam 4 & 5, YouTube & Google, Cybrary Notes, CertMike CISSP Last Minute Review, iOS Pocket Prep
• Week 11: Retake Official (ISC)2 Practice Tests: Practice Exam 1, YouTube & Google, Cybrary Notes, CertMike CISSP Last Minute Review, iOS Pocket Prep
• Week 12: Retake Official (ISC)2 Practice Tests: Practice Exam 2, YouTube & Google, Cybrary Notes, CertMike CISSP Last Minute Review, iOS Pocket Prep
• Week 13: Schedule Exam, Retake Official (ISC)2 Practice Tests: Practice Exam 3 & 4, YouTube & Google, Cybrary Notes, CertMike CISSP Last Minute Review, iOS Pocket Prep
• Week 14: Cybrary Course + Boson Chapter Questions after each Domain, YouTube & Google, iOS Pocket Prep, Self-made Acronym Notes
• Week 15: Eleventh Hour, Boson Practice Exam 1-5, YouTube & Google, Cybrary Notes, CertMike CISSP Last Minute Review, iOS Pocket Prep, Self-made Acronym Notes, Kelly Handerhan Why you WILL pass, Larry Greenblatt Exam Tips, Exam

For both the Official (ISC)2 Practice Tests and Boson exams, I made notes of all the incorrect answers for review afterwards. This allowed me to focus and learn what I answered incorrect and why. I was scoring around 90% on the practice exams leading into the last week of studies.

There was a lot of material covered as part of my plan. Everyone learns differently so it’s critical you tailor your plan to what works best for you. Put in the time and effort and you will pass this exam, I have confidence in you!

Time to complete the endorsement process and think about what is next…GOOD LUCK ALL!