full image - Repost: Passed CISSP at 125 on the 1st try: An ADD brokie's Hail Mary (from Reddit.com, Passed CISSP at 125 on the 1st try: An ADD brokie's Hail Mary)
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First off, I'd like to thank the Most High for giving me the strength to pass this test.TLDR: Motivated by brokenness and seeing people less competent/richer than me pass, I passed at 125Q with no ADD meds. If I took it again, I'd only use the OSG, learnz, wanna practice, YouTube and Anki. I also wouldn't have impulse bought the exam on my credit card before I had the $. Concepts >>>>>>> Memorization. The only things I needed that I memorized were the Incident Response, BCP, OSI, and SAMM. Total time spent studying: 84 hours from Nov 1st to Feb 4th.I'm ashamed to admit it, but what motivated me the most to take this test was seeing people I saw as less competent than me pass it and make way more money than me lol.I bought my exam voucher when the peace of mind protection came back 2 weeks ago on a credit card. I DO NOT RECOMMEND doing this ever, but I was quite broke, and desperate times called for desperate measures. Thankfully, it worked out.My Background:6 years of IT experience, with 2 years in security. I also have a Bachelor's in Applied Computer science, Security +, Network + and a security clearance.I was diagnosed with ADD 4 years ago, so the CISSP is the 1st cert I've studied for and passed start to finish without any meds!Resources:CISSP Reddit: By far the most helpful resource other than the OSG. I can't remember the name, but there was a post called "A realistic view of the exam" that I found super helpful. I also read a bunch of other great posts, but only the passing ones because I didn't want to discourage myself.OSG Book + Audiobook: Read it cover to cover while listening to the audiobook at the same time. I must be a super-nerd because I enjoyed every minute of it and didn't find it dry at all lol. In hindsight, I probably didn't need to read it cover to cover, as my exam was a lot more high level than I expected. But it gave me a confidence boost, knowing that I wouldn't be blindsided by any topic that may not have been covered in a more condensed book. 10/10Mike Chapple's LinkedIn Learning Course: I watched this course on 2X speed while on the treadmill just to prime my brain with all the topics. 8/10Learnzapp: Fantastic resource to find strengthen your weak spots, but is WAY more technical than the exam IMO. Did 2,200 questions with a 76% readiness score. 9/10Gwen Bettwy Udemy Practice Exams: IMO this was harder than the actual exam but good because it trained my ADD brain to read questions slowly multiple times. It also helped me with my timing. Scored 64% on the full test and 71% on the rapid review. 8/10WannaPractice: Whoever made this question bank needs to be hired by ISC2 because he asked questions just like them. Of course, no practice questions compare to the exam, but these were the closest. They bent my brain and made me question my reading comprehension, but when I got an 81% on a 175Q test, I knew I was ready. I also took 10Q exams until I had over 70% in each domain. Hats off to whoever made these. 10/10Destination Certification Mind map videos: I watched these in the 2 weeks leading up to my exam. I like the way they explain concepts, and it served as a great high level review for me. 9/10Pete Zerger exam cram: Listened to this at 2X speed whenever I had downtime. He also has the best due diligence vs due care explanation I've heard. 8/10Josh Madakor Anki deck - His questions were more technical and based off the CBK. I never finished it so I don't feel comfortable giving it a rating. I also made a personal Anki deck of concepts from questions I consistently got wrong from other resources.A gaggle of Youtube videos: I watched every think like a manager video I could find. I'm not sure which ones because I just listened to them in the background on the way to work or at the gym.Test Day: Thanks to me waiting too long to book my exam, I had to drive 60+ miles to the nearest available testing center, or I would lose my peace of mind protection. I listened to a motivational book and my personal CISSP victory playlist on the way to keep my spirit high.I arrived 45 minutes early, and I'm glad I did because the testing center took a little while to find and the security at the testing center was quite time-consuming. (A little Overkill IMO, but I get why)This exam was such an emotional rollercoaster. I kept getting a simple question, followed by a hard one, followed by one that made no sense to me at all. This test is scary good at finding your weak points and drilling you on them. I had NO CLUE if I was passing or failing the whole time. I just kept reminding myself to take it 1 question at a time.At about Q50 I read a question that made me feel dyslexic because the more I read it, the less sense it made. I was so distraught, I bowed my head and said a quick prayer, trying not to freak out and keep my head in the game.Around question 80 I took a break to pee and do 50 jumping jacks in the bathroom, and I'm glad I did! When I came back, I was focused like the test had just begun. If the test had gone beyond 125 I'm not sure if I'd have passed because I started to get hungry around question 123.After Q125 the test shut off, and I kinda wished they showed you your results immediately on the computer screen like CompTia does, because my heart was pounding like a jackhammer before I got that printout. All I read was "Congratulations!" and I stood there in shock for a little bit. This exam made me question my reading comprehension, recall ability and tested my faith in myself and God. And I'd do it all over again!As a long time lurker, I'd like to give a big shoutout to everyone on in this community. Couldn't have passed without you guys!Edited for formatting and adding how long I spent studying.
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