I Passed CISSP Today, easier that what I thought

[Brad_Moris]

It's not easy, but it's not that hard either, from what I've read online.. it seems toooo overwhelming.

Having taken the exam 2 hours ago, and passed.

I've been contemplating studying for it for over 2 years, but didn't go for it because i thought it would take over 2 months of studying,

How I Passed:

Computer Science Degree, 6 Years of relevant experience (Penetration Tester, Senior Analyst, Manager, CISO in small fintech)

I have taken security+ and GWAPT in the past.

I have read the first 2 chapters of CISSP all in one exam edition.

I think what helped me the most is trusting my gut and also taking the exam with the piece of mind option.

So I wasn't stressed much during the exam.

TLDR:

If you skim through CISSP book and you feel that you are already familiar with most of the concepts(not memorizing) go for it, don't dwell too much.

[Brewdawg]

Congrats.  Great job on the exam.  I agree with your statements that if you feel comfortable with the info when you are studying that the test shouldn't be as difficult.  This could also relate to having the necessary background and knowledge.

[denbesten]

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@Brad_Moris wrote:

6 Years of relevant experience (Penetration Tester, Senior Analyst, Manager, CISO in small fintech)

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This right here is the trick.  Relevant experience.  

I too felt it was easy (years ago), but I had been to disaster rehearsals (at a physical recovery center), had participated in desktop exercises, helped recover from true/big issues, managed firewalls/servers/identity been part of our policy development and generally worked with all the other IT specialists at my employer.  This both helped prepare and gave more than enough experience to satisfy the credentialing requirement before taking the exam.

That, and reading a few study guides to align my experience with the ISC2 terminology and mindset, without falling victim to any given author's biases.

[emb021]

"Your mileage may vary".

If you study and have the relevant YEARS of experience, its not that tough.

If you are one of those people WITHOUT the experience and/or didn't bother to study or even review, you might feel its tough.

There seems too many people who are basically entry level people who think they need it and want to just grab "dumps" of the questions and somehow pass it....