Re: Passed the CCSP exam - my experience - Page 3

raj-andy1 · ‎01-28-2018

I passed the CCSP exam today. Here is my experience to help others

Background - I have some experience working with various cloud providers and virtualization technologies. I do not have a CISSP or have not taken the CSA exam. I chose to do the CCSP since it was more relevant to my work (and I know I cannot sit for 6 hours to take CISSP).

I passed in my second attempt. I took the CCSP training class offered by ISC2 and it was an utter waste of time. The instructor was knowledgeable however he spent hours on irrelevant topics - such as calculating the cost of AWS EC2 instances in various regions..etc. I ended up sitting at home and studying rather than wasting time in the class. The class supplied me with CBK training guide, the flash cards and a question bank (which I found totally useless since the questions are framed without any thought and are incorrect). I got pressured into taking the exam the first time since most of my class mates took the exam on the Saturday after the class and passed. Most of them had a CISSP and/or passed the CSA certification. I took the exam a week after the class and I failed - I got 679.

I took the second attempt today after studying seriously for a month. Here is what I did - I studied the CBK book twice. I took the preparation exam (which are preparation questions by ISC2) a couple of times to check my own knowledge. I tried the CCCURE one day package. Most of the questions in the exam plays on subtle differences which one might skip or not pay attention to. Its easy to narrow down 2 incorrect answers out of the 4. However it is very hard to choose the correct answer out of the remaining 2. Pls note almost all questions are worded as - Choose BEST suited, BEST possible, LEAST likely, LEAST effective choice. So unless you know the subtleties in the topics that are in the CBK, you would not be able to pass.

Summarizing - though the CBK is extremely dry and has inaccuracies, it is the single source of knowledge for the exam. I studied the CBK twice and still felt I did not thoroughly study it. A lot of ppl in the forum suggest the CSA guide or ENISA document or the Jericho model but in both my attempts I did not see any questions that were out of the CBK and covered by the other documents. IMHO if you study the CBK thoroughly and use the preparation exam questions (which mirror actual questions on the test) you should be able to pass the exam. Hope that helps and Good Luck!!

Caute_cautim · ‎02-25-2018

Can I suggest given your background, do the CCSK first, and obtain a good grounding, before going for the CCSP - a depth of knowledge including both technical and knowing how things work and then expand into Governance, Risk and Compliance areas including audit. I myself originally came from a very technical background, and it has taken years, to obtain the depth, width and knowledge along with experience, to fully appreciate both ends from either side of the spectrum.

@djgio02 wrote:
Excellent sharing experience and congratulations. I will take this exam after summer. I'm taking cloud+and itil first. I also do not have CISSP but have taken some courses. I have aws and azure certificate, engineering degree in telecommunications and 3 years of experience in cloud. Does my background is good enough or I must take CCSK first? Thank you and congratulations.

Caute_cautim · ‎02-25-2018

A good positive attitude to stay confident throughout the process. Well done

@PBatenburg wrote:
I (provisionally) passed the exam on Feb 22 2018, I do agree with most of your conclusions, but I put it to words slightly different.
I don't think it is possible to pass the exam on studying the CBK + practice questions only.
Somehow ISC2 does manage to do some testing on the level of how well you get the concepts instead of one being able to answer questions for which answers could be directly found in the CBK. To really understand concepts, impact of choices being made and have some feeling on how things might work in practice having a good look at those 3rd party documents increases the general knowledge and simplifies answering the questions. Having some real life experience instead of just picking up the theory helps too. So you do not really need another book than the CBK, having some Practice Tests gets you up to speed, but getting the additional knowledge from reference documents and experience increases the ease and chance of passing.

Caute_cautim · ‎02-25-2018

Are studying as part of a study group? Rather following the old formulae, perhaps it would be a good idea, to give yourself a little gap inbetween and honestly assess the areas, which are weak and you feel uncomfortable with? Did you take an external exam preparation software solution, as this may provide indications where you need to concentrate and focus upon in order to be successful. I think it is a moment of reflection and knowing what your strengths and weaknesses are. You will get, but it needs honest introspection, and work at knowing where those troublesome areas really are and then find different means of overcoming them. Don't give up, it is definitely well worth the journey and self learning

Witheaaxw · ‎02-25-2018

Sounds like you are putting a lot of effort in. My only advice would be to think about the questions because sometimes they are designed to throw you. Good luck.

jmshark · ‎02-26-2018

Great to hear that you passed the exam.

I have been studying for a couple of months but feel that I need to read the CBK more. Can you tell me where to get the preparation exam questions to test myself on it. Many thanks

Beads · ‎02-26-2018

Best advice when dealing with any ISC(2) CBK is to read as much as one can digest of the bibliography, footnotes and general references found within. The CBK is simply a framework in which to focus your studies not an an all encompassing one stop guide to passing an exam. That's why there are so many after market books and resources designed to streamline your study time. The CISSP alone has more than a 1000 pieces of after market material on Amazon. The CCSP, et. al. will develop more after market materials as the demand grows. Kudos to the early test passers!

Caute_cautim · ‎02-26-2018

There are many outlets on the Internet, with offerings. My personal approach would be to look around, as to exactly what they are offering in terms of guarantees and their respective integrity. I should not say this, being an ex Pom myself, but I would tend to look for suppliers from the UK. Apologies, if I have offended anyone, this is just a personal preference. There are some free examination preparation guides, but there is an old adage, about "what you pay for, you received". So invest wisely.

@jmshark wrote:
Great to hear that you passed the exam.
I have been studying for a couple of months but feel that I need to read the CBK more. Can you tell me where to get the preparation exam questions to test myself on it. Many thanks

dswomley · ‎05-23-2018

In case you haven't received an answer yet, yes....you absolutely can. Just select your "home" address and it removes the star from the form. Company Name is only required if you use your business address.

I hope this helps.

Best of Luck!

David

Ewp · ‎09-27-2018

Passed CCSP. I also CISSP, CRISC, and CISM in the past 15 months. I spent 2 months preparing for CCSP journaling each study session totaling 47 hours. I read ISC2 Official Study Guide and the CBK (2x each) and listened to the Cybrary IT course. The CBK has the most meat. Also recommend the CSA site including CCM. I also took at least 700 practice questions. This exam was tough and requires a deep understanding of everything cloud Good luck !

Caute_cautim · ‎09-27-2018

Very Insightful, congratulations and well done

Regards

Caute_cautim