ISSMP Domains - 5 or 6?

[DMEdwards]

I am a little confused by the official study materials for the ISSMP concentration. The official flash cards and the certification exam outline both list 6 domains, but the official CBK book only lists 5? I verified I have the second edition - bought just yesterday. Can anyone shed light on what I've done wrong?

[ToniHahn]

I wanted to follow up as I heard from our education department:

The CBK is under development

(ISC)2 has also developed a Self-Paced course, which features:

·         180 Days of access to Official (ISC)² ISSMP content in the learning management system

·         Flash cards

·         Post-course assessment

·         Journal reflection and journal entry learning activities

·         Short Video Lessons

·         Quizzes at the end of each Domain

The ISSMP concentration builds upon the CISSP credential and indicates mastery in the specialized area of management. Many people take the ISSMP certification exam years after they passed the CISSP exam. Due to this, (ISC)² is offering, at no additional cost, a refresher of the CISSP material that can help in preparing for the ISSMP. The CISSP Self-Paced Refresher materials are set up as a separate course, however you will have the same amount of time to access it as you do the ISSMP course. 

[DMEdwards]

This is so helpful, thank you @ToniHahn!

[Budoka]

OK. I hate to be "that guy", and the effort you made and the reply is really appreciated, but that is basically a sales pitch for the ISC(2) course right? So basically the "current" CBK isn't "current", and a CBK for the new test is not available yet. Or am I misunderstanding? What exactly does this mean for those of us that have been studying for the ISSMP using 2nd Edition? I am not belittling the ISC(2) self-paced material. I am sure it has a lot of value but there are different types of "students". I am one who goes to the books and then takes the exam. Did the same with the CISSP. Is there an estimate of when the new CBK will be published?

[ToniHahn]

I was just relaying the information I received from our education department. I also gave the list of references that we give candidates in a previous reply. The exam is done separately from any educational content. When exams publishes the new exam outline to the public (our website) that is when education takes it and works on what they need to work on. Exams and education do not work together.

[Budoka]

Thanks. I appreciate the info. I’m still relatively new to the community so was unaware of how Education was structured.

I have been using the 2nd Edition to study for the exam so was concerned when reading this thread.

hopefully it won’t be drastically different.

best

[ToniHahn]

@Budoka no worries at all.  Most members/candidates do not know that.  We get SMEs for our item writing workshops that ask why the exam outline is different than the CBK.  I explain how it works and everyone is always under the impression that the CBK is written and then the exam outline comes from that.  So I don't mind explaining the process. I didn't know when I started working for (ISC)2.  😉 
We have to keep it that way to keep our accreditation. 

[denbesten]

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@Budoka wrote:

hopefully it won’t be drastically different.

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Historically, that has not been an issue.  Changes tend to be incremental in nature, bringing the exam back inline with a slowly changing industry.  

@ToniHahn  wrote:

Exams and education do not work together. ...  We have to keep it that way to keep our accreditation. 

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This might be a good topic for a FAQ, especially noting that the CISSP (and other (ISC)² accreditations)  is a test of your industry knowledge and your experience applying it in a professional environment.  Unlike college, it is not a "learning comprehension" test and it is not based off the training materials.

[Steve-Wilme]

My comment to the invigilator on completing the ISSMP exam was that it did seem strange that most of the answers were not in the CBK textbook, but in the references to external materials at the end of each chapter.  You won't be able to learn that quantity of material by rote, but you can know it.  So whilst not an incredibly difficult exam it does require that you've already absorbed the information in the references, which if you've been in infosec a number of years you probably will have.

[Budoka]

THAT is very good information to have. Thank you.