CISSP EXAM 2018 does not test your knowledge - It ridicules it

[Sylvia589]

Re: CISSP Exam 2018 is a con from my perspective

This exam is a con and it is a shame as I always respected those who are CISSP certified. All the official books are a con. Dont buy them and don't pay 600 pounds for this exam.

It does not test your knowledge it just cons you to take your money.

I took the exam and not 1 question from any of their official books came out and the questions were at least 80% trick questions so it is like the playing the lottery if you take this exam.

I dont know how the exam was a few years ago but this one is 100 questions and a complete con. I feel I just got absolutely cheated after spending more that 600 pounds for the exam and more than £100 on their official books as well as the official one with over 1200 sample test questions. 

I certainly will not be pursuing this certificate again and I want my money back.

Those who designed this exam have no clue how to set exams and test someones knowledge.

[Sylvia589]

This exam is a con and it is a shame as I always respected those who are CISSP certified. All the official books are a con. Dont buy them and don't pay 600 pounds for this exam.

It does not test your knowledge it just cons you to take your money.

I took the exam and not 1 question from any of their official books came out and the questions were at least 80% trick questions so it is like the playing the lottery if you take this exam.

I dont know how the exam was a few years ago but this one is 100 questions and a complete con. I feel I just got absolutely cheated after spending more that 600 pounds for the exam and more than £100 on their official books as well as the official one with over 1200 sample test questions. 

I certainly will not be pursuing this certificate again and I want my money back.

Those who designed this exam have no clue how to set exams and test someones knowledge.

[reck_614]

I took it this past Monday, and I can say for a fact that if you know the concepts of what are in the books then you'll pass. The fact you're on the community board posting about your experience makes me believe you had the opportunity to read past posts on people's experiences taking the test before you took it yourself. You must know you can't memorize questions.. You must know any book is not going to give you the question and answer, just so ISC^2 can post the same question on their exam. This isn't a 5th grade math exam where you get a question for question exam review right before you take the exam. It takes dedication and a lot of studying those domains you aren't quite familiar with. 

If I was responsible for certifying anyone to be a industry professional, I would not want the exam that I require to be easily passed by any review material I provide. Sorry you feel that you wasted your money, but in reality, you should see it as a valuable learning experience. I'd rather earn it, not be given it.

[Flyslinger2]

LOL ... almost spit out my coffee while I read this.  

You will never find a more helpful community then those that have passed the CISSP, either the older analog format or the newer digital format.  I would encourage you to take a huge and deep breath, compose your thoughts and humbly ask for guidance.  Trust me, with the wide and varied backgrounds represented here, someone's comments will click with you and you will find that study methodology that will work for you.

You started this process for a reason. It is a challenge and I don't think anyone here will tell you different.  I encourage you to see it through to the end and see what new opportunities having the CISSP will do for you.

[ro83]

I can agree with two previous answers. Based on my CSSLP and CISSP exams I can tell that result are quite adequate and detects gaps in the knowledge very well. There are some tricky questions but it is useful to understand and detect important details when you are working in development, security or management area(s). As I experienced (ISC)2 exams do not just validate you current knowledge but reading CBK and using other training sources and taking the exam also provide a lot of new knowledge that can be used in everyday situations. In my opinion it is better try and fail than not try at all. So good luck!

[rslade]

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@Sylvia589 wrote:

Re: CISSP Exam 2018 is a con from my perspective

This exam is a con and it is a shame as I always respected those who are CISSP certified. All the official books are a con.

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Have a look at https://community.isc2.org/t5/Career/CISSP-Failed-Exam-11-2018/m-p/16249/highlight/true#M1622

[rslade]

This exam is a con and it is a shame as I always respected those who are CISSP certified. All the official books are a con.

[DHerrmann]

You'd never see an exact copy of a question from the Book of Knowledge (for example).   The principle is to test your ability to react to a situation you'd face in the "real world".

Remember that the CISSP is a InfoSec/Risk Management management/leadership type certification, and our jobs are seldom black and white.  Instead, they are an endless spectrum of color and depth.   Nuanced, if you will.

Therefore, exam questions are nuanced.   I remember when I sat for the test years ago, every question had at least one correct answer (some had 4 correct answers!).   The task was to pick the best correct answer.

Please don't give up on InfoSec/Risk Management.   I happily encourage you to use your experience to grow in our profession.   Hang in there!

[SamanthaO_isc2]

I am sorry to hear that you did not pass your examinations and can understand your frustration and possible disappointment about this.  

The examination is established by a panel of subject matter experts (SMEs). To have a diverse group of SMEs on the panel representing various geographic regions, ethnicity, practice settings and years of experience is important to ensure that the panel of experts adequately represents the field. The members on the panel are selected from a list of SME volunteers that (ISC)² maintains. The list is updated yearly. 

During this process, the panel’s discussion focuses on the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities that qualified practitioners possess. The panel then systematically evaluates each question on the examination and rates their difficulty levels. 

The idea is personal experience is the greatest factor towards success.  The CBK Guides themselves have never been designed to be written to the exam or as a study guide for that matter.  Instead, they are meant to be an authoritative reference to the Common Body of Knowledge (CBK) and serve as a go-to reference guide for the certification in question.

If you have additional questions, please feel free to contact us.