full image - Repost: Passed this morning @125 questions (from Reddit.com, Passed this morning @125 questions)
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I passed this morning, but it was brutal. It took me 3 hours to get to 125 questions, where I was cut-off. I honestly did not think that I passed; but once I crossed over the 100-question mark and they started to get a little easier, I started to feel better about it. I took advantage of the offer that ISC2 put out a few months ago which offered a free retake. I didn't see that offer until October, so I went in cold and took the exam just to see what it was like, then scheduled my free retake for the last possible day (today). For the past 5 weeks (starting in mid-November) I just totally immersed myself. For me personally, that is really the only way for me to learn and keep the info. I have to immerse myself; so, I didn't think about anything else for 5 weeks (yes, I have a family....my wife and 2 kids understood and gave me the space). Here is what I learned (but keep in mind that it is different for everyone, and everyone has their own learning style):It's nearly impossible to do on your own. I needed something to push me, so I did some research and watched some various free courses on YouTube offered by people that sell the full course separately. I really liked Brandon Spencer and his courses offered in "BeInfosec" (search for "BeInfosec" on YouTube, or Google it), so I signed up on his site for the CISSP course. This changed everything for me. I have been trying for 8 years to take the test, but always stopped and restarted, and always trying on my own. I did take one ISC2 online self-paced bootcamp a few years back, but it was horrible and very boring...a waste of my money, but it might work for some people. The BeInfosec style is completely different and most definitely the reason that I passed.I was in this group here a lot and seeing what worked for other people that passed the exam. I compared it to what I was doing and tweaked anything that I thought might help me.The test is like nothing you will see anywhere in any of your studying. You HAVE to understand the core concepts, and you HAVE to understand the testing methodology as well. Don't believe any test bank that says its similar to the test. DO NOT take any dumps you find online; ISC2 is either monitoring them to see who is signing up and paying for those, or ISC2 is well out in front of that, and those dumps won't do you any good whatsoever.Your studying should be two-fold. Study technically but take some time to watch courses and read books also about how to take the test (you hear things like "Think Like a Manager" and the "CISSP mindset"). There is a great book by Luke Ahmed on Kindle called "Think Like a Manager". And search for Prabh Nair on YouTube...he has some great videos about taking the test. I always thought this was a joke, but its critical. You can do all of the studying that you want, and you can be the greatest Subject Matter Expert ever, but without this mindset you won't get it. I understand the technical side of it (I have always been technical), but I think there was maybe 5 straightforward questions on my exam that I could answer based upon the technical things I have learned. Everything else is applying concepts to scenarios.For studying, I HIGHLY suggest getting your books electronically so that you can search through them digitally. I bought both the electronic and the normal books (so that I could take them to work), but I hardly ever cracked open the book. I did not use the ISC2 OSG (even thought I bought it); I used the Sybex version, which was great. OSG is dry and boring.I also bought the CISSP for Dummies for some of the concept I was struggling with (like cryptography). It did help me a lot.I used the mind maps on YouTube and listened to these every day while I was getting ready for work, getting ready for bed at night, and every time I was in the car driving. I listened to the same material that I was currently studying, to reinforce it.All of my studying centered around the "BeInfosec" course. I used his 4-week plan (I didn't have much time). The goal was to get through approximately 2 domains per week. I studied at least 3 hours every day after work, and then all-day Sat and Sun. I actually logged my hours very carefully because I wanted to know the hours that I put in. I spent over 100 hours in the course (they say it takes about 35 hours, but I stopped frequently to take notes). Taking detailed notes keeps you concentrated, and both listening and writing helps you to retain it better. I filled 8 large notepads with notes, just from Brandon's course by itself. This does not count the notes and studying I did on my own. I spent about 40 hours studying separately, like taking practice exams and reading books.Just reading doesn't teach anything. You don't get the idea of how to take the test. Thats why it worked for me to use the course for learning the concepts and taking the tests to see what I did not understand. Then the critical part is researching things you don't understand either in the course or in the exams. I spent hours upon hours learning cryptography. I think I had maybe 2 crypto questions in the entire test. Just reading through the OSG is a waste of time (at least it was for me).I'm have been a Systems and Network Engineer for years. I have a Master's Degree in Network Management. I know networks, firewall, routers, switches, etc, but simply knowing those things will not help you for this test. That's why its critical to take a course that teaches the concepts, but geared TOWARDS the exam.I liked Brandon's training because it was technical, but he taught it towards the test mindset and not straight out of the book (he barely referenced the book at all). BOSON online test exams then re-enforced the technical for me and showed me what I needed to study more.When you finish Brandon's course, he then has a smaller course geared towards showing you how to take the test. He gives several examples of questions and how to read them. Then he has several practice exams you can take (this is where you should take your practice exams to actually take all questions without immediate feedback....dont use Boson for this). These tests were the absolute closest thing I found to the exam, even though the exam was still very different (lol). But the mindset that Brandon writes those test questions is the mindset that you need to be in for the test.Every day I took at least 30 questions from Boson. I ALWAYS did this in Study mode. I never took a regular exam because I wanted to learn; you can't learn if you are answering questions with no feedback, and you won't remember what you are thinking for each question if you wait until the end for the feedback. So, I did it in study mode, and then immediately got the feedback. Even if I got the answer correct, I read all of the feedback that Boson provided in detail (which is more detailed than any other test bank), and then if I still didn't understand, I went to the Sybex and read the details there. Don't get discouraged if you fail the Boson exams. Don't use them for that; use them to learn the technical concepts. Don't base your exam readiness based upon these tests, because they are not written towards the exam at all; but they are very technical.I used 2 apps on my iPhone; the ISC2 CISSP test bank app, and one called "IT & Security". Both of these were great, and I did at least 20 questions on each one every night before I went to sleep. This just reinforced some of the technical concepts and has some decent feedback to help explain things you got wrong.3 days before the test, I started taking Brandon's practice exams. I also read through the 11th Hour Study Guide that you can buy on Amazon (for this, I bought the paper book because I wanted to read through it. You don't want to start taking real practice exams too early, because you will get discouraged when you fail. You need to learn the concepts first (get that immediate feedback in Study Mode using Boson), and then take real practice tests to actually assess your readiness for the exam.Some people don't study the day before; I did, but just lightly. I researched more issues that I was still not quite grasping, and I watched videos on YouTube for some of the things I needed explained. I watched Prabh Nair's videos about how to take the test and the testing mindset. I watched some of Mike Chapple's videos for some reinforcement of some of the concepts (Due Care, Due Diligence, SOC reports, etc). I did not rely really heavily on him throughout my studying because I don't really like the way that he talks or his teaching style, but the info he is putting out is good.The day of the exam I got up early and ate a good breakfast. I did not look at any notes or anything, because at that point, it's too late and it doesn't matter. I tried to just clear my head and get in the mindset. On the way driving to the test location, I listened to Kelly Handerhan's video on YouTube, "Why You Will Pass the CISSP". This was amazing for me and absolutely the perfect thing I needed to hear before going into the exam. I highly recommend this video to get you into that mindset on the day of the test.It's weird. I started this post thinking that it was going to be quick and short, but it turned into a book. Sorry about that.... but if you get this far, good luck and don't give up. The test is not easy; in fact, it sucked; but now being on the other end of it, it was worth it. If you fail the first time, don't get disappointed. Use the Lessons Learned to knock it out of the park the 2nd time. If anyone wants more information about Brandon Spencer and his "BeInfosec" course, message me and I'll point you in the direction. That was the biggest reason that I finally passed.
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