Considering forming a study group for March exam date

[George_G]

Hello future CISSP's, I'm considering forming a study group to prepare for a March test date.  The idea is to leave enough time to retake the exam (but we're not going to need that right?) before the new format goes live in mid-April 2024.

My goal is to form a group consisting of experienced IT professionals so that we can collectively contribute to the success of the group. I'd also like to meet virtually over MS Teams at least weekly but preferrable twice per week so that we can keep the momentum going. Right now I'm thinking of Sunday mornings around 8am CST but that is not set in stone.

I'll be using the Sybex CISSP Official Study Guide, 9th ed., If you get that book, it also comes with interactive flash cards and a test bank that we can incorporate into our studies. I also have practice questions from another source that we can use.

A little about me... I've been in IT for over 20 years starting out as a help desk tech and moved into server and network administration over the years.  I've supported MS Exchange, Windows servers, a virtualization environment, Cisco networks including wireless and VoIP, Palo Alto firewalls, email and web security, etc. I also obtained my CCNA and CCNA Voice certs and hope to add the CISSP to my resume.

If you are interested in joining, send me a direct message with your email address and if you feel so inclined, tell me a little about your experience and I will get back with you. I intend to keep the group small, maybe around 10 participants to factor in any that may have to drop out due to work and life yet still leave enough participants to keep the group going.

Thanks and happy studying!

[Early_Adopter]

“Direct message… with email address” 🙂

You’ve a better chance of passing after a study group with George than those asking for or posting email addresses to the thread.

[dcontesti]

Please do not use personal emails on this Community.  Publicly listing emails (even with throw away accounts) is poor practice.

May I suggest that should you wish to communicate with someone privately that you us the envelop icon at the top right corner of your screen.

This will allow you to communicate one on one and is PRIVATE.

mhoo

Good luck with the studying however I do have a question:

@George_G wrote:

I'm considering forming a study group to prepare for a May 1 test date.  The idea is to leave enough time to retake the exam (but we're not going to need that right?) before the new format goes live in mid-April 2024.

When does the first exam in the new format take place?  

d

[George_G]

Thor Pedersen did a video explaining the changes, in it he mentioned mid-April sometime. IIRC, it rolls out like on April 15.

ah ha, found the vid

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=nFd0TQ5oBT8

[dcontesti]

Okay, your note confused me as you are looking for a May 1st test date prior to the change in mid-April.

[George_G]

Corrected. Thanks for pointing that out.

[dcontesti]

Thank you....

[Early_Adopter]

I think trying to plan any retake to be on the same version as study makes good sense as a hedge, but I do also think that if you have the experience and prepare well you’ll be very likely to pass. I’m only calling on those I either studied with or mentored so it’s not a huge number - but of these groups the only people who didn’t pass were those who didn’t take. Deep dive a domain a week then do a general week and assuming you do the job and are all in I don’t think you’ll need the retake.

[denbesten]

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@George_G wrote:

...March test date.  The idea is to leave enough time to retake the exam (but we're not going to need that right?) before the new format goes live in mid-April 2024....

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The retake-rule is "If you don’t pass the exam on your first attempt, you may retest after 30 test-free days." [cite].  With your goal, the absolutely latest date for your first attempt would be March 15th -- and that presumes no scheduling contention.  

That said, don't over-think this.  Although avoiding change makes sense, it is not that big of a detail because the exam evolves slowly.  I personally used outdated study materials, taking the exam shortly after a refresh and I could not detect any signs of change.  Much more important is to schedule based on when you feel ready. 

And if you do end up needing to retake, your primary take-away will not be knowing some questions (there is a large pool), but rather a deeper understanding of how the questions are formed, why we say "think like a manager", and what we mean by selecting the "best" answer as opposed to the "right" answer.

[Early_Adopter]

“ That said, don't over-think this.”

Sage advice.

Turning up early so you know where the test centre is after a good night’s sleep and having a nice snack and beverage of your choice is going to help as much as gaming retake windows….