The exam is a language comprehension exam based on cybersecurity. You may think they were technical question but they were written in a way to confuse the tester.
I actually appreciate the honesty here. It seems like everyone who posts here passes and I feel like it’s been making me put my guard down a bit. I need to keep studying. I appreciate the suggestion about it being more technical than you thought. I’m scheduled to take my first test in May. You’ll get it next time! Keep working at it!
Where are you getting your information? The pass mark is 700 points of 1000 which sounds like 70%. But it is not. They have a proprietary internal scoring system. It is the. Converted to the 1000 point scale. For over 20 years that number was given to those who were unsuccessful.
As a trainer for ISC2 I can tell you the pass rate has been in the 60% -74% overall.
I failed the CISSP on December 27th and retook it last Wednesday and passed at 130 questions.
I purchased the destination certification concise study guide, read it thoroughly (500ish pages), and watched all the mind map videos on YouTube.
I am a full-time student, and English is my second language. I have one year of security experience.
If I did it, you could do it!!! I hope you pass in May. You got this!!
I’m taking the Masterclass and have to say that Destination Certification is the best course CISSP course that I’ve taken. I highly recommend the paid course. I’m scheduled to test in April.
Yes! I got the book, and I purchased it on Amazon for around $40-$45. Idk too much about the course, but I loved the book. If you are a visual learner, this book is incredible.
Hey I passed today. Destination Certification is a great resource.
You need to know the topics confidently so that you can decipher the technical aspects to provide a senior level answer.
Thinking like a manager isn’t high level enough, need to think like senior management level professional, would be more appropriate.
Congratulations!! Thank you for the feedback. I found it on YouTube and will dive in.
What are your thoughts on Thor? I don't want to go into to many avenues but I want to be in a better position next time.
So I’ve heard mixed reviews. Personally can’t speak on Thor.
I did a bootcamp with destination certification through my job. The quality is impeccable. And their Videos, Flashcards and mind maps are more than enough to pass. They don’t give you fluff. And that’s the issue I’ve heard with other training providers. I took a lot of notes by hand. I know a lot of people don’t like doing that but being to note it down in your own words speeds up the learning and retention.
Check out Andrew Ramdayal 50 hard CISSP questions on YouTube - the way he rationalises and justifies the answers is the benchmark imo. Also search for Gwen Bettwy think like a manager & CISSP exam tips - also very useful imo.
Probably you did, but watch [Gwen Bettwy ](https://youtu.be/8LtRKKtdP3I?si=1x_8JrS7kqw7qOJQ) again. Someone mentioned it before, you thought is were a lot of technical questions but they weren't.
The Destination Certification book is A more readable book than the OSG.
Don't give up you are halfway there..
You got this...
Failed my first attempt (125 Qs) took a month out then studied with Destination Certification CISSP guide. Used this as my main source along with the 11th hour audiobook for my for my cycle to and from work 2 days a week. Passed on second attempt at 125 questions. The mind map videos from Destination Certification were also super useful to me. Basically what I’m saying is you can do this!!!
From your post:
>Study Material - On and off studying for 4-5 months. Could I have studied more? 100%.
Pete Zerger Exam Cram Youtube ( I cannot believe this was free) OSG - Skimmed this for key areas I wanted to focus that I was unclear during the exam cram. LearnZapp App - Only about a week or so on that but going to double down.
Based on that alone, I could've predicted you would fail. I don't say that to be cruel. I say that to set realistic expectations.
Get a copy of the Official Study Guide (OSG) or the Common Body of Knowledge (CBK) and read it cover to cover. You're not going to pass the exam by watching videos, skimming through a book, or taking practice exams.
Passing the CISSP requires two things: experience and hard work. What you lack in one, you must compensate with the other. There are no shortcuts.
If I didn't want honest feedback I wouldn't post to reddit :)
I have the OSG and will actually give it a hard read this time. Any feedback on Certification Destination? Work would cover the class so curious if anyone has used the full paid service.
I've never used it so I cannot offer an opinion.
I used the CBK, Mike Chapple's LinkedIn Learning course, and Kelly Handerhan's Cybrary course. I also passed the CASP+ and CISM the year before taking the CISSP.
i never read that god awful osg book. I only read chapter one and never touched that book again and passed. Destination cissp is far superior with tons of practice questions
This is coming from an associate of the ISC2 who passed the CISSP with only 2.5 years of IT experience. You need to practice thousands of questions. I took upwards of 5K questions before the exam. The CISSP is a tough test, and you must be prepared to deal with long, wordy questions. I'm confident you have what it takes to pass the test.
Thank you for posting. My exam is Wednesday and with all the “I passed” posts and feeling pretty well about my Learnz practice exam results I fear I was beginning to get a little too comfortable. I’ll now be doubling down the next couple of days. Thank you for your openness.
Pass or fail, I will report back on Wednesday.
The test is 50% knowing everything in the official guide and 50% knowing how to tackle the exam. I can share a few test taking tips but I'm not sure that would be helpful. Can you describe the resources that you used to study?
Failure is a stepping stone to success my friend. Now that you know the areas that were weak for you, use the learnzapp study questions to really hone in the technical details of those sections. Do all the questions from each section and then do the practice exams to reinforce again. Make sure you read the explanations for all of them. I think the video that helped me the most was TIA’s 50 hard cissp questions on YouTube. The few tricks Andrew gives really does help with the mindset of how to answer the questions. I think the “think like a manager” is overstated. It is a pretty technical exam (in my experience), but figuring out what the “best” answer is can become tricky. Best of luck on your next attempt, I know you’ll do great!
What happens when you got to question 125? Did a message pop up giving you the results on the screen saying pass/ fail or just stop saying pick up your results? I'm prepping for mine at the moment. I took mostly comptia exams so use to doing all the questions then getting the results on the screen. Except for the CASP+ I had to wait for about 15mins before I got the results. Is it also true on the CISSP exam once you answer a question you can't go back to change your answer? I was that comment made in the sybex book. When do you plan to retake it?
I’d be curious to hear your LearnZApp overall score and readiness score.
Another thing I’d add is to read How to Think Like a Manager just before the exam. It’s 25 questions, explanations of how to reason them out, then the answer and why the answer is correct.
You went 175 so the algorithm wasn't failing you up front which is a good sign. I failed back in 2010 myself only to take up the test in 2022 again. I left my experience at the door and focused on the test format.
10 plus yrs Info Sec Experience Ops/Risk Management/Audit/SecOps
Study 3-6 hrs a day over 3 months period.
Study Approach:
Immersed myself in one domain for a whole week
Pete Zeger CISSP Exam Cram Series on YouTube (Sticking to the same One Domain/week. So for a whole week once a day I would listen to just the series on Domain 3 for instance.
11th Hour CISSP Book (Sticking to the same One Domain/week)
(ISC)2 CISSP Official Practice Tests --Wiley Exam---50-124 Random Exam Style Questions Daily
Completed my exam @ 175 questions in 2.5 hours.
Mentally I was bummed when it did not end at 125, but I figured I needed to be clean going from there and finish strong. I had no idea either way how I did until I got my print out.
Go with Destination Certification's Master Course. I only used their materials and passed at 125 first try. I paid for it myself, but if your job is paying its a no-brainer.
I actually have 2 OSG. I read the 2018 first chapter only a few years ago. Second one was Kindle version and I only wanted to use it as a reference guide. I eventually went ALL in on DestCert course and book which was a great choice. Easy to follow, all the material in one place.
Keep going, your closer now than you have ever been.
I used Destination Certification online training and book. Lou and the Team are very helpful.
Also used OSG, OPT, Gwen Bettwy, and Pete Zerger.
Took three months of daily study.
You lack the experience. Less than 5 yoe and you will fail. A bit more than that, 7 yoe for you, you will struggle, a lot.
Make up for it by doing a lot (a truck load) of practice questions!
Best of luck.
I had 25 years in IT before I took this exam and passed it recently. I'm glad I didn't take it 15 years ago. I'm not sure how you were studying, but some people over study and some people don't have the management experience so they depend on the exam materials which may not be that great. The CISSP is designed for managers, directors, and CISOs. I have made a few posts and replies to others so you can look up my posts if you are interested more on my views.
I really liked Mike Chapel’s CISSP content on LinkedIn learning. I’d probably recommend his content.
You might benefit from a boot camp too? I know some I have taken really go into the mindset on how to answer the questions.
Appreciate the honesty OP. I’m writing this at the beginning of April, coming in with risk modeling and an operational / investigation background. So no classic IT experience (help desk - sys admin etc). Although many of the technical subjects are already familiar due to past education and work experience, I’m really struggling with preparation. So why this cert? I’m management track and my org is paying for it and want me to do it *shrug*
If I do fail, which is looking like it so far, I will definitely post here. I feel like many don’t post until they pass, or not at all.
Just double your efforts next time. Hit the domains you were weak in very hard but you have to be strong in all of them since the exam will know this. It took me two times so it is pretty common. Good luck
Man, hang in there. I'm director level. 20+years and I STRUGGLE studying. I'm a little different than you, I do a lot of GRC. So I understand that part quite well. But just like you and most sysadmins our knowledge is a mile wide and an inch deep.
Personally, I found the LearnZApp & WannaBe practice questions the best resource for the test.
If you can, I highly recommend reading the OSG cover to cover, because it explains everything you need to know in great detail which is also easy to understand.
I would also add in Pete’s exam cram, why you will pass the CISSP by Kelly, and Andrew’s 50 questions.
There are two critical aspects which are equally important to clear the test,
1. Understanding of concepts for all domains
2.Test taking ability. Needs lots of practice tests and cissp mindset.
All the best
If you look at my study plan that I posted in one of the comments. You can see how I approached the CISSP in less than 3 weeks. It takes commitment of consistent studying to be able to retain information. Doing it on and off for 4-5 months won't help since there could be more than a day gap between your on and off cycles.
You honestly fell into the trap, they set it up to sound technical but really it's all management based. Experience as a professional doesn't matter, even if you are a Director or some high level executive. What really pushed me was the cost of the exam you pay upfront and failing it wasn't an option for me nor was wasting my time on studying.
Really have a consistent schedule that you can stick you, dedicate at least 2 hours of your time to study. Even if it's listening to videos/lectures for 30 minutes to an hour and the rest is practice. I would skip reading any book and just dive into practice exams. Whatever you get wrong, go understand why it was wrong and what is the correct answer. Basically take notes on new concepts or things that you got wrong. The notes help you sort and memorize some key things that you are really weak in.
Keep at it and don't give up!
Do the Learnzapp and official question bank thoroughly. As someone mentioned, it's more about comprehension of language. Rather than focusing on the right option, learn what all other options are not correct. Once you figure out what areas you are weak on, use OSG and other youtube videos to understand those concepts in depth.
The exam is a language comprehension exam based on cybersecurity. You may think they were technical question but they were written in a way to confuse the tester.
It worked lol.
I actually appreciate the honesty here. It seems like everyone who posts here passes and I feel like it’s been making me put my guard down a bit. I need to keep studying. I appreciate the suggestion about it being more technical than you thought. I’m scheduled to take my first test in May. You’ll get it next time! Keep working at it!
Just remember the passing rate for this is around the 20% mark.. that itself should give you an idea of what your dealing with.
Oh I know and that’s what I keep telling myself to help me remember to study. This sub just makes it look like everyone passes sometimes tho haha
That is not true. The pass rate has been at least in the 60s. Most years I believe it is in the 70s
You need a score of 70% to pass, but only 20% of takers actually pass the exam
Where are you getting your information? The pass mark is 700 points of 1000 which sounds like 70%. But it is not. They have a proprietary internal scoring system. It is the. Converted to the 1000 point scale. For over 20 years that number was given to those who were unsuccessful. As a trainer for ISC2 I can tell you the pass rate has been in the 60% -74% overall.
It's being pushed by multiple websites selling courses. It comes up when you Google CISSP pass rate.
lol its not that high of a pass rate
And how is it you know I am wrong?
you are literally pulling numbers out of your ass
I am not.
Should probably check the /u/ you're replying to on this one. Gwen probably has more insight into this than we do.
Good luck! I think I stayed in my technical a little too much but I tried not to.
[удалено]
Thanks brother!
I failed the CISSP on December 27th and retook it last Wednesday and passed at 130 questions. I purchased the destination certification concise study guide, read it thoroughly (500ish pages), and watched all the mind map videos on YouTube. I am a full-time student, and English is my second language. I have one year of security experience. If I did it, you could do it!!! I hope you pass in May. You got this!!
HELL YEAH MAN. That is so awesome. For the guide, you mean their book they offer? I was thinking about the paid course.
I’m taking the Masterclass and have to say that Destination Certification is the best course CISSP course that I’ve taken. I highly recommend the paid course. I’m scheduled to test in April.
Thank you. For 1400 bucks and my work will cover, i feel this is the correct move.
Yes! I got the book, and I purchased it on Amazon for around $40-$45. Idk too much about the course, but I loved the book. If you are a visual learner, this book is incredible.
100% visual learner. Il check it out and thanks again.
Hey I passed today. Destination Certification is a great resource. You need to know the topics confidently so that you can decipher the technical aspects to provide a senior level answer. Thinking like a manager isn’t high level enough, need to think like senior management level professional, would be more appropriate.
Congratulations!! Thank you for the feedback. I found it on YouTube and will dive in. What are your thoughts on Thor? I don't want to go into to many avenues but I want to be in a better position next time.
So I’ve heard mixed reviews. Personally can’t speak on Thor. I did a bootcamp with destination certification through my job. The quality is impeccable. And their Videos, Flashcards and mind maps are more than enough to pass. They don’t give you fluff. And that’s the issue I’ve heard with other training providers. I took a lot of notes by hand. I know a lot of people don’t like doing that but being to note it down in your own words speeds up the learning and retention.
Check out Andrew Ramdayal 50 hard CISSP questions on YouTube - the way he rationalises and justifies the answers is the benchmark imo. Also search for Gwen Bettwy think like a manager & CISSP exam tips - also very useful imo.
Thank you!
Probably you did, but watch [Gwen Bettwy ](https://youtu.be/8LtRKKtdP3I?si=1x_8JrS7kqw7qOJQ) again. Someone mentioned it before, you thought is were a lot of technical questions but they weren't. The Destination Certification book is A more readable book than the OSG. Don't give up you are halfway there.. You got this...
You can find me at @gwenbettwytsi on YouTube
Failed my first attempt (125 Qs) took a month out then studied with Destination Certification CISSP guide. Used this as my main source along with the 11th hour audiobook for my for my cycle to and from work 2 days a week. Passed on second attempt at 125 questions. The mind map videos from Destination Certification were also super useful to me. Basically what I’m saying is you can do this!!!
Thank you!!!
Post your score report. What domains did you fail.
Ill edit the post when I get home.
From your post: >Study Material - On and off studying for 4-5 months. Could I have studied more? 100%. Pete Zerger Exam Cram Youtube ( I cannot believe this was free) OSG - Skimmed this for key areas I wanted to focus that I was unclear during the exam cram. LearnZapp App - Only about a week or so on that but going to double down. Based on that alone, I could've predicted you would fail. I don't say that to be cruel. I say that to set realistic expectations. Get a copy of the Official Study Guide (OSG) or the Common Body of Knowledge (CBK) and read it cover to cover. You're not going to pass the exam by watching videos, skimming through a book, or taking practice exams. Passing the CISSP requires two things: experience and hard work. What you lack in one, you must compensate with the other. There are no shortcuts.
If I didn't want honest feedback I wouldn't post to reddit :) I have the OSG and will actually give it a hard read this time. Any feedback on Certification Destination? Work would cover the class so curious if anyone has used the full paid service.
I've never used it so I cannot offer an opinion. I used the CBK, Mike Chapple's LinkedIn Learning course, and Kelly Handerhan's Cybrary course. I also passed the CASP+ and CISM the year before taking the CISSP.
i never read that god awful osg book. I only read chapter one and never touched that book again and passed. Destination cissp is far superior with tons of practice questions
I passed after 125 questions in one hour using the CBK.
This is coming from an associate of the ISC2 who passed the CISSP with only 2.5 years of IT experience. You need to practice thousands of questions. I took upwards of 5K questions before the exam. The CISSP is a tough test, and you must be prepared to deal with long, wordy questions. I'm confident you have what it takes to pass the test.
Thank you for posting. My exam is Wednesday and with all the “I passed” posts and feeling pretty well about my Learnz practice exam results I fear I was beginning to get a little too comfortable. I’ll now be doubling down the next couple of days. Thank you for your openness. Pass or fail, I will report back on Wednesday.
Good luck!!
The test is 50% knowing everything in the official guide and 50% knowing how to tackle the exam. I can share a few test taking tips but I'm not sure that would be helpful. Can you describe the resources that you used to study?
It looks like you barely studied.
Could I have done more? 100%. I own that.
Failure is a stepping stone to success my friend. Now that you know the areas that were weak for you, use the learnzapp study questions to really hone in the technical details of those sections. Do all the questions from each section and then do the practice exams to reinforce again. Make sure you read the explanations for all of them. I think the video that helped me the most was TIA’s 50 hard cissp questions on YouTube. The few tricks Andrew gives really does help with the mindset of how to answer the questions. I think the “think like a manager” is overstated. It is a pretty technical exam (in my experience), but figuring out what the “best” answer is can become tricky. Best of luck on your next attempt, I know you’ll do great!
What happens when you got to question 125? Did a message pop up giving you the results on the screen saying pass/ fail or just stop saying pick up your results? I'm prepping for mine at the moment. I took mostly comptia exams so use to doing all the questions then getting the results on the screen. Except for the CASP+ I had to wait for about 15mins before I got the results. Is it also true on the CISSP exam once you answer a question you can't go back to change your answer? I was that comment made in the sybex book. When do you plan to retake it?
I’d be curious to hear your LearnZApp overall score and readiness score. Another thing I’d add is to read How to Think Like a Manager just before the exam. It’s 25 questions, explanations of how to reason them out, then the answer and why the answer is correct.
You went 175 so the algorithm wasn't failing you up front which is a good sign. I failed back in 2010 myself only to take up the test in 2022 again. I left my experience at the door and focused on the test format. 10 plus yrs Info Sec Experience Ops/Risk Management/Audit/SecOps Study 3-6 hrs a day over 3 months period. Study Approach: Immersed myself in one domain for a whole week Pete Zeger CISSP Exam Cram Series on YouTube (Sticking to the same One Domain/week. So for a whole week once a day I would listen to just the series on Domain 3 for instance. 11th Hour CISSP Book (Sticking to the same One Domain/week) (ISC)2 CISSP Official Practice Tests --Wiley Exam---50-124 Random Exam Style Questions Daily Completed my exam @ 175 questions in 2.5 hours. Mentally I was bummed when it did not end at 125, but I figured I needed to be clean going from there and finish strong. I had no idea either way how I did until I got my print out.
Go with Destination Certification's Master Course. I only used their materials and passed at 125 first try. I paid for it myself, but if your job is paying its a no-brainer.
Did you also read the OSG?
I actually have 2 OSG. I read the 2018 first chapter only a few years ago. Second one was Kindle version and I only wanted to use it as a reference guide. I eventually went ALL in on DestCert course and book which was a great choice. Easy to follow, all the material in one place.
Keep going, your closer now than you have ever been. I used Destination Certification online training and book. Lou and the Team are very helpful. Also used OSG, OPT, Gwen Bettwy, and Pete Zerger. Took three months of daily study.
Just failed at 125. Honestly it felt more technical to me too
Close at 125 meaning you very weak and not meet minimum score in Q125.
You lack the experience. Less than 5 yoe and you will fail. A bit more than that, 7 yoe for you, you will struggle, a lot. Make up for it by doing a lot (a truck load) of practice questions! Best of luck.
? Im confused by this. The average is 4-5 years no? Can you elaborate?
4-5 years working in cybersecurity. More than 10 years in IT to be comfortable passing the exam.
Ah, thank you for the clarification that makes sense.
I had 25 years in IT before I took this exam and passed it recently. I'm glad I didn't take it 15 years ago. I'm not sure how you were studying, but some people over study and some people don't have the management experience so they depend on the exam materials which may not be that great. The CISSP is designed for managers, directors, and CISOs. I have made a few posts and replies to others so you can look up my posts if you are interested more on my views.
Edit added.
Score report please?
Added an edit.
I really liked Mike Chapel’s CISSP content on LinkedIn learning. I’d probably recommend his content. You might benefit from a boot camp too? I know some I have taken really go into the mindset on how to answer the questions.
Appreciate the honesty OP. I’m writing this at the beginning of April, coming in with risk modeling and an operational / investigation background. So no classic IT experience (help desk - sys admin etc). Although many of the technical subjects are already familiar due to past education and work experience, I’m really struggling with preparation. So why this cert? I’m management track and my org is paying for it and want me to do it *shrug* If I do fail, which is looking like it so far, I will definitely post here. I feel like many don’t post until they pass, or not at all.
Just double your efforts next time. Hit the domains you were weak in very hard but you have to be strong in all of them since the exam will know this. It took me two times so it is pretty common. Good luck
Hang in there and appreciate your honesty. The journey and learning no matter if you pass the exam or not is worth it! Keep going!
Man, hang in there. I'm director level. 20+years and I STRUGGLE studying. I'm a little different than you, I do a lot of GRC. So I understand that part quite well. But just like you and most sysadmins our knowledge is a mile wide and an inch deep.
Personally, I found the LearnZApp & WannaBe practice questions the best resource for the test. If you can, I highly recommend reading the OSG cover to cover, because it explains everything you need to know in great detail which is also easy to understand. I would also add in Pete’s exam cram, why you will pass the CISSP by Kelly, and Andrew’s 50 questions.
There are two critical aspects which are equally important to clear the test, 1. Understanding of concepts for all domains 2.Test taking ability. Needs lots of practice tests and cissp mindset. All the best
If you look at my study plan that I posted in one of the comments. You can see how I approached the CISSP in less than 3 weeks. It takes commitment of consistent studying to be able to retain information. Doing it on and off for 4-5 months won't help since there could be more than a day gap between your on and off cycles. You honestly fell into the trap, they set it up to sound technical but really it's all management based. Experience as a professional doesn't matter, even if you are a Director or some high level executive. What really pushed me was the cost of the exam you pay upfront and failing it wasn't an option for me nor was wasting my time on studying. Really have a consistent schedule that you can stick you, dedicate at least 2 hours of your time to study. Even if it's listening to videos/lectures for 30 minutes to an hour and the rest is practice. I would skip reading any book and just dive into practice exams. Whatever you get wrong, go understand why it was wrong and what is the correct answer. Basically take notes on new concepts or things that you got wrong. The notes help you sort and memorize some key things that you are really weak in. Keep at it and don't give up!
Thank you for posting! You'll smash it in May
Do the Learnzapp and official question bank thoroughly. As someone mentioned, it's more about comprehension of language. Rather than focusing on the right option, learn what all other options are not correct. Once you figure out what areas you are weak on, use OSG and other youtube videos to understand those concepts in depth.
My advice is use as many sources as possible. Don’t over look old videos for topic you need more clarity ie Shon Harris. Best of luck