CCSP Exam Fail

[Dmor_11]

Hi all, 

I sat for the CCSP exam this morning and failed miserably. I was below proficient in 4 domains and near in 2. This is really frustrating as I did not feel I was a reflection of my understanding of the material. Plus, there is not a lot of detail on the results. I have my CISSP and CISM certifications and am somewhat familiar with the ISC testing process. Knowing what I know about the ISC exams, and the cost, I did not take this exam lightly. I studied for over 2 months using the following materials:

Ben Maslow' s ISC Official Study Guide - Second edition. Read cover to cover.

InfoSec's Online CCSP course with over 12hrs or videos, study material, etc.

Browsed the contents of "Official CCSP CBK" by Gordon.

I did all the test questions in both books as well as the Wiley database that comes when you register the book. The InfoSec course had a lot of questions and exams. Udemy practice exams with over 300 questions, and Pocket Prep. I was doing fairly well with those scoring in the 80% area.

Sitting for the exam I felt pretty comfortable with the questions. A few zingers here and there, but all in all I didn't feel horrible. I felt when I finished I had passed. I received only one page from the proctor and thought that's good..if I had failed there might be multiple pages with domains to improve in. Nope!

Anyway, a little frustrated and trying to formulate a new plan since obviously my last one didn't work. I will scour through here but was looking for some guidance or where to start again. 

[tmekelburg1]

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@Dmor_11 wrote:

Yes, I do hold CISSP and CISM certifications. So I am familiar with these types of exams, questions, scenarios, etc.

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It might be a harder test than the CISSP, at least in a different way (depth vs. breadth). I'm only speculating since I haven't attempted the CISSP yet and I'm not sure I will, still deciding. I went through the questions with half the time remaining. I took a 5-10 minute bathroom break and came back and double checked every answer. I might change my tune when I pass the CISSP but it was the hardest test I've ever taken. I have a B.S. in Cybersecurity, AAS in Information Systems and an alphabet soup of other certs and none of my coursework / exams or other cert tests even came close to how hard that test was.

[Dmor_11]

Thanks. I'll take a look into UCertify. 

I agree, as with most exams, memorization will not help. Understanding the concepts and how to apply them are important. I think this exam applies that theory in a completely different way, and one that I have yet master with this.

[bpdelacruz]

Paying $500 once, twice, three times, etc. is a drop in the bucket compared to giving up completely and abandoning all attempts on the exam.

Don’t give up!

[Dmor_11]

Lol. I get that, but also agree with whomever said the definition of insanity "Is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting the same results".  I don't know how many more times I can read the recommended material or take practice exams, and try to answer the exam questions until I get them right 🙂 

[AlecTrevelyan]

How much experience do you have with cloud deployments? I relied heavily on my experience for my CCSP exam.

[Dmor_11]

I've been involved in numerous cloud deployments, contracts reviews, legal, etc. Even administration a little earlier in my career. I would say I am now more of a Cloud Operations Manager.

I don't believe that is my issue, nor is the content in the Official ISC CCSP material, and what is expected of a CCSP. I guess my gripe is more of the actual exam and interpretation of your comprehension. I believe there is something fundamentally wrong (and there's other posts here with the same gripe) that if your using ISC material, taking their practice tests, and others, and scoring well the 1st time around, that should be a good indication that your prepared for the exam. My CISSP, I studied for around 6 months and knew I was ready when the material seemed very repetitive to me. That was a tough exam, but I feel it really tested your understanding of the material. If you knew it, you did well. If not, it could punish you. This one..both times, just not the case for me.

I usually gauge my exam readiness by how well I do on practice tests the 1st time around. After that, I have a tendency to memorize which is not helpful. 

[BrianF]

Everyone gets a different exam. Hard to advise even if one has been successful at passing. 

If I might suggest... consider practicing with different questions. I think there are more for the CISSP so it is easier to say this. 

However, the hardest part about the questions may be in the evaluation of the criteria for the answers. Best, most likely, etc. We have all been prepped for the format so not going to stand on a soap box or make a youtube video to sell you anything. But given this, you are typically going to get 4 answers that are all possible and one of them may click for an out of the way reason ..and it is because of some reason that is the root of the questions logic. That is what you should study. Not the facts / you should know those by now. Rather the question's logic / rooting reasons of limited options. 

Or you can spend time with my kids and learn how they have manipulated the English language to solicit responses from their parents to arrive at their desired outcomes. The amount of critical thinking I have been put through with them has taught me a lot. 

If you give up now that is OK. You don't have to try again. However, you will be required to participate in and win the next American Ninja Warrior in 2021as your only way out. 😉 

If you do take the exam again, good luck to you. You will only be stronger and likely gotten way more out of this than most.

[Dmor_11]

Thanks for the wise feedback. I appreciate it. Will probably try again. Just need to keep the information fresh for 90 more days and figure out a new test taking strategy.

[bpdelacruz]

Reach out to (ISC)2 to see if you can get a Black Friday deal or a discount on a voucher. Retakes can get pretty expensive.

[dman333]

I too failed this exam. I am trying to do attempt #2 soon.

The whole process is very frustrating, and the CBK is NOT a helpful resource.

Questions are poorly worded, and the lack of grading (score) after your fail doesn't help at all.

I really think this exam was designed to fail people on purpose 😞