Passing the CC exam

[cstone24]

Any suggestions on how to best prepare for the exam? How long did you study? I took the online self-paced course. Does the exam include all the terms from the flash cards?

Thanks!

[SocMnky]

Like many have already mentioned, the free course provided by ISC2 is a very general overview of cybersecurity and the exam requires a much deeper understanding of the topics. I would not rely on the ISC2 material alone. I want to say the course gives you enough knowledge to answer 30-40% of the questions correctly.

For me, I completed the Google Cybersecurity cert and I am currently studying for the Security+ exam. Seeing that the CC cert is “free”, I went through the online self-paced course (fairly quickly since it was a rehash of the Google cert) and did all the CC practice exams on LinkedIn. After going through those, I learned that I did not know enough and so I read up on topics I lacked knowledge in. There are YouTube videos that go over sample exam questions and just about every cybersecurity topic in depth. Professor Messer’s content is great and it helped me learn the topics in much more detail.

As for the exam, you have to go physically to a testing center. They give you 2 hours to go through 100 questions. You cannot go back to a question. Once you hit next, that’s it. Take your time and read the questions carefully. The wording can be tricky. Some questions are not simple regurgitations of the flashcard terms and definitions. Know the topics well enough that you can confidently say why X is a better choice than Y or why Z could pose a risk.

[kbucks]

Its harder than you think! This is my first time taking a ISC2 exam and the questions (and answers) are tricky on purpose. Halfway through I was convinced I'd have to retake it - but I provisionally passed. Not celebrating until I get official results in the mail.

My suggestions:

- Don't underestimate the exam

- Read the material more than once

- Use more than the "free" course ISC2 provides (Some questions on the exam weren't reviewed in the free ISC2 course)

[Olaleye]

I sat for the Certified in Cybersecurity exam and passed at first attempt

This is the way I prepared for the exam and I hope this will help other people who want to do the exam. I know everybody have their own way of preparing for exams but you can borrow some ideas from the way I prepared for the CC exam.

I registered for the course and exam on the same day.

I booked the exam date for three months away from the day I registered for the course. (I was able to complete the course within two weeks and used additional two weeks to revise. So, I changed my exam date and went to sit for the exam just about four weeks after the date I started to study the course work on ISC2 website.

I attempted the pre course exam and failed.

I then read the feedback and attempted the pre course assessment again and passed.

I went on to do the course work from domain one to domain five.

I attempted the post course assessment and passed it.

I used two major YouTube channels for my practice questions.

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0F3QP2Bt1KI&list=PL0hT6hgexlYw-k6GxQf_DIAPdc96T2MP-

AND

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiEptGbnEBc&list=PLG49S3nxzAnl4QDVqK-hOnoqcSKEIDDuv

I download the glossary of terms from ISC2 on to my laptop for offline reading and I read them regularly to familiarise myself with them and their meaning. I also found a comprehensive list of protocols and their port numbers on the internet so I download it and studied them as well.

I then went back to attempt the pre course assessment again and passed, then I studied the course work again from domain 1 to 5. I then attempted the post course assessment again and passed.

I then took plenty of time to go through the feedback on the post course assessment. The good thing is that the feedback explained why the correct answer is the correct answer and then explain the meaning of the wrong answers and where they can be used. Reading the feedback on the post  course assessment is very important because it gives proper explanation about the correct answers and the wrong answers. That leads to better understanding of the course.

I also made extensive use of the Flashcard:

 https://www.isc2.org/certifications/cc/cc-self-study-resources/cc-flash-cards-1

The pace at which everyone study may differ, also individual circumstance may differ in terms of juggling work with study and still carrying out your responsibility as part of a family.

In my opinion four weeks should be enough for most people to complete the pre course assessment, do the course, and then do the post course assessment, plus watch relevant videos on YouTube for practice questions. Another two weeks can be used for revision. After that, go and sit for the exam immediately. Don’t delay, don’t procrastinate, don’t allow fear to conquer you. As long as you have gone through the course material twice and do the pre course and post course assessments and go through some external practice questions, go and sit for the exam. Don’t allow the law of diminishing returns to set in. If you delay sitting for the exam for too long you are likely to forget what you have learned or even loose interest in the exam and ultimately loose interest in the Cybersecurity Profession.

[stanislav_88]

Hi @Ramzy
How did you get to know your performance was 50%? I took my cc exam today and only sheet I got at the end is saying “we are sorry to inform you but you did not get a score of higher than 700…”

Btw the exam is nothing like any ISC2 study guides, YouTube cc exam prep or quizlet… there are no study guides that are as close as to what is on exam questionsz

[Olaleye]

Please read my post about how to pass the ISC2 CC Exam.
It is very detailed and informative.