Been following this thread but something sounds really fishy or a administravie / user interface issue is at-hand. I cannot beleived that ISC2 would just spring changes like this without warning. If so, that would not be cool. There needs to be a reasonable explantion.
Regarding the changes (if these are indeed on the horizon)..
I just sat for the exam last month and it was 180 minutes / 100-150 questions. I passed at 100 questions in just over 2 hours. That said, time goes buy SUPER FAST. So if they expand this to 4 hours and add questions, this can be a very good thing to broaden the potential to prove yourself. While test taking is generally nerve racking no matter what the subject, add the CAT format with beta questions, in a proctored exam room, with a mask, during a pandemic... yeah, those factors were harder that the actual questions to me.
Regarding the exam and content... As you keep hearing, this is not an exam where memorizing is going to work. It just will not... I'm sure some may get lucky but truth be told, I did not study "content or materials" that hard. I did review what would be covered an certainly brushed up on the lingo/terms and concepts. Also knowing some of the nuances to what is expected where there are specific orders or processes specific to ISC2 also helped. However, and this may seem korny and like I'm bragging here but it was my experience that was my biggest reference. I have been a manager of tech for a long time and have taken several companies through ISO 27001 certifications, PCI certification, SOC 2, HITRUST, etc.
Still the exam was a challenge but I guess I'm trying to say that no matter how long it is, trust your confidence level and commit when you are ready. Don't stress too much about the number of questions or how long you have to take the exam. They are factors but are likely not to affect the outcome in a negative manner.
Good luck!
