Fail first attempt last 2 days ago - Sep 18 2018

[ChinPang]

Hello Everyone, 

This is my first time to make a post here and I just would like to share my fail attempt for CISSP CAT on Sep 18 2018, and get advices from all the folks here to pass it!

I am from Hong Kong and for sure the English comprehend skill is needed much more, because I see those questions are asking very indirectly, and for sure is hard for me as It is not my native languages. I took this exam as English as primary languages...as some people said, it is absolutely a huge challenge. Of course 3 hours is not enough, and I was running out of time when I were in 90th questions and just 30 mins left, and I guess there will be 125 to 150 questions, so it meant I need to complete it each question in 30 seconds, when I reached 130 questions, and the test is ended!!! What a sudden and a relief!!!

I am very concerned why we can't go back to review and change the answers, in PMP and ITIL, I recalled it is allowed...

My Education & Working background

• Bachelor Degree in Business Management and Studies
• 18 years IT in-house Infra\Network support experiences (mostly in Multinational companies), few years from now with Vendors customer facing experiences
• Currently working in a scale Infra supporting 2500 users with 2 x Data Centers and around 400 sites 

My result:

• Security and Risk Management                 Below Proficiency Level
• Security Architecture and Engineering     Below Proficiency Level
• Identity and Access Management             Below Proficiency Level
• Security Assessment and Testing              Below Proficiency Level
• Software Development Security                Below Proficiency Level
• Asset Security                                                Near Proficiency Level
• Security Operations                                      Near Proficiency Level
• Communication and Network Security     Near Proficiency Level

I see a guy in US that he passed in the 8th attempt, My GOD! and make me feel better that night I failed...

Study method

  (Honestly, I follow around 85% from him and after I failed I think I am too or over-confident AND VERY REGRETS DID NOT GOOGLE any topics for "If I failed the first CISSP attempt", what should I do and prepare 

Follow this man but he passed in Mar 2018, so I wait until Jun to get a newest version of Sybex Offical 8th edition and 2nd edition Practice Tests

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sap2u77h0fY

1. Read Sybex book cover to cover. Take all practice tests at the end and score at least 8/10 before continuing.
2. Take all tests in CISSP official practice tests book and score at least 75% in every section. Review all trouble questions and sections.
3. Read the Sunflower PDF
4. Watch all ITDojo CISSP questions on YouTube 5. Watch some YouTube videos on OSI, CMMI, and BCPge,

 Again

I bought Kindle version for Sybex Eighth Edition (which released in Jun 2018) and Official Practice Tests Second version, so it meant I studied for 3 months only, and I did re-scheduled for 2 times

Addition

1. Use Cybrary.com and app to watch Kelly Handerhan videos
2. Read a bit an old CBK 3rd version, not very fully reading 

What should I do for 2nd attempt ?

1. Should I go to boot camp or training class, but I don't think it is since I attended 1 training in 2014, but I didn't pursue the exam afterwards...
2. Change materials?
3. Should I Use Shon Harris - I just see Amazon has a new eighth version, but it is not avail until Oct 29 2018...
4. Should I read thoroughly for "cissp cbk 5th edition"?

Your advices are most appreciated!!!

I know - DETERMINATION x 1000% is a key 

[ChinPang]

Hello Everyone, 

This is my first time to make a post here and I just would like to share my fail attempt for CISSP CAT on Sep 18 2018, and get advices from all the folks here to pass it!

I am from Hong Kong and for sure the English comprehend skill is needed much more, because I see those questions are asking very indirectly, and for sure is hard for me as It is not my native languages. I took this exam as English as primary languages...as some people said, it is absolutely a huge challenge. Of course 3 hours is not enough, and I was running out of time when I were in 90th questions and just 30 mins left, and I guess there will be 125 to 150 questions, so it meant I need to complete it each question in 30 seconds, when I reached 130 questions, and the test is ended!!! What a sudden and a relief!!!

I am very concerned why we can't go back to review and change the answers, in PMP and ITIL, I recalled it is allowed...

My Education & Working background

• Bachelor Degree in Business Management and Studies
• 18 years IT in-house Infra\Network support experiences (mostly in Multinational companies), few years from now with Vendors customer facing experiences
• Currently working in a scale Infra supporting 2500 users with 2 x Data Centers and around 400 sites 

My result:

• Security and Risk Management                 Below Proficiency Level
• Security Architecture and Engineering     Below Proficiency Level
• Identity and Access Management             Below Proficiency Level
• Security Assessment and Testing              Below Proficiency Level
• Software Development Security                Below Proficiency Level
• Asset Security                                                Near Proficiency Level
• Security Operations                                      Near Proficiency Level
• Communication and Network Security     Near Proficiency Level

I see a guy in US that he passed in the 8th attempt, My GOD! and make me feel better that night I failed...

Study method

  (Honestly, I follow around 85% from him and after I failed I think I am too or over-confident AND VERY REGRETS DID NOT GOOGLE any topics for "If I failed the first CISSP attempt", what should I do and prepare 

Follow this man but he passed in Mar 2018, so I wait until Jun to get a newest version of Sybex Offical 8th edition and 2nd edition Practice Tests

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sap2u77h0fY

1. Read Sybex book cover to cover. Take all practice tests at the end and score at least 8/10 before continuing.
2. Take all tests in CISSP official practice tests book and score at least 75% in every section. Review all trouble questions and sections.
3. Read the Sunflower PDF
4. Watch all ITDojo CISSP questions on YouTube 5. Watch some YouTube videos on OSI, CMMI, and BCPge,

 Again

I bought Kindle version for Sybex Eighth Edition (which released in Jun 2018) and Official Practice Tests Second version, so it meant I studied for 3 months only, and I did re-scheduled for 2 times

Addition

1. Use Cybrary.com and app to watch Kelly Handerhan videos
2. Read a bit an old CBK 3rd version, not very fully reading 

What should I do for 2nd attempt ?

1. Should I go to boot camp or training class, but I don't think it is since I attended 1 training in 2014, but I didn't pursue the exam afterwards...
2. Change materials?
3. Should I Use Shon Harris - I just see Amazon has a new eighth version, but it is not avail until Oct 29 2018...
4. Should I read thoroughly for "cissp cbk 5th edition"?

Your advices are most appreciated!!!

I know - DETERMINATION x 1000% is a key 

[rslade]

> ChinPang (Viewer) posted a new topic in Certifications on 09-20-2018 04:42 AM in

>   Hello Everyone,  This is my first time to make a post here

Congratulations! You were successful!

> and I just
> would like to share my fail attempt for CISSP CAT on Sep 18 2018, and get
> advices from all the folks here to pass it!

Do a search on the word "study" and read all those threads.

>   I am from Hong Kong and for sure
> the English comprehend skill is needed much more, because I see those questions
> are asking very indirectly, and for sure is hard for me as It is not my native
> languages.

Well, you're not doing too bad in the post ...

> No much
> definition questions

No. Most of the questions will be testing whether you actually understand, and can
apply, the concepts. This is why experience is important.

> During the exam, I was very nervous and bit frustrated, as
> everyone knows, the style and the way are totally DIFFERENT from the Practice
> test, books or you find in the internet

Yup. I keep telling people not to worry about practice tests: I have yet to find
any worth recommending.

>   I see a guy in US that he passed in the 8th attempt, My
> GOD! and make me feel better that night I failed...

Well, I suppose the guy could have been just hovering around the passing level,
but, I must say, I am surprised. When I had people in my seminars who had failed
twice, I usually knew why they had failed 🙂

>     What should I do for 2nd attempt ? Should
> I go to boot camp or training class, but I don't think it is since I attended 1
> training in 2014, but I didn't pursue the exam afterwards... Change materials?

Change materials is good: don't use only one study guide. Also check out
http://victoria.tc.ca/int-grps/books/techrev/mnbksccd.htm

> Should I Use Shon Harris - I just see Amazon has a new eighth version, but it is
> not avail until Oct 29 2018...

Shon was always a good base, but a) I don't know who is updating here books now
that she's dead, and b) in my seminars I always told candidates that I refused to
answer any question that started out "Shon Harris says ..."

Read "Security Engineering" by Ross Anderson
http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~rja14/book.html

====================== (quote inserted randomly by Pegasus Mailer)
rslade@vcn.bc.ca slade@victoria.tc.ca rslade@computercrime.org
[T]he beauty of our children is that they don't judge the quality
of our voices, they just like us to sing [to them.]
- Kathy Lynn, column 20050914
victoria.tc.ca/techrev/rms.htm http://www.infosecbc.org/links
http://blogs.securiteam.com/index.php/archives/author/p1/
http://twitter.com/rslade

[denbesten]

The most important thing you can add to your repertoire is experience.  Try get involved with projects at work that involve security.  For example, because I volunteered for some disaster rehearsals, our BCP team ensured I understood their procedures, acronyms and insights as part of the rehearsal preparation. Then, it was all reinforced when I executed the off-site recovery.  Lather, rinse, repeat for a few of the other CISSP domains and your gaps will start to disappear.

The second thing to add is "management perspective".  Think about how your boss's boss would answer the question and why that is the answer they would give.  SSCP is an exam for techies; CISSP is an exam for managers. 

Regarding not being able to go back to earlier questions, search this community and Google for "computer adaptive test" (CAT) to understand the mechanics behind how questions are selected and graded.

One reason you may have not seen particular questions is that the question pool is probably 10-times larger than the questions you saw.  Plus, the CAT algorithm stops asking questions on a given domain after it has assessed your knowledge for that domain.  If you are either really good or really bad, this can happen after just a few questions.  These are also the people that finish in 100 questions.  Only those that are on the bubble get to 150 questions.

Also, I noted that you edited your post to eliminate hints as to what was on the test. This was a wise move given how seriously (ISC)² takes test integrity.  ¡Thank You! for doing that.

[ChinPang]

Thank you very much! Robert! I will subscribe a tweeter account that because of you!!! As normally ppl in asia use FB...

And I'm very glad you read it thought and understand my case and provide detailed comments !!! 

and I have a question for this paragraph,   I can't open http://www.infosecbc.org/links    

====================== (quote inserted randomly by Pegasus Mailer)
rslade@vcn.bc.ca slade@victoria.tc.ca rslade@computercrime.org
[T]he beauty of our children is that they don't judge the quality
of our voices, they just like us to sing [to them.]
- Kathy Lynn, column 20050914
victoria.tc.ca/techrev/rms.htm http://www.infosecbc.org/links
http://blogs.securiteam.com/index.php/archives/author/p1/
http://twitter.com/rslade

[ChinPang]

Hello denbesten, 

It's valuable comments and insights from you! 🙂  Thank you so much! 

Just one sentence I can't really understand what you meant - "Also, I noted that you edited your post to eliminate hints as to what was on the test."  You meant I intended to eliminate some hints from the test? If, It was I am totally forget how the questions were 🙂

[rslade]

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@ChinPang wrote:
and I have a question for this paragraph,   I can't open http://www.infosecbc.org/links   

---

Huh.  You're right.  Seems to have disappeared ...