60 Days CISSP Study Guide

Background

In late February, I decided to take the (ISC)2 CISSP exam with limited knowledge about the certification and only an overview of the domains. My initial goal was to prepare for 6 months and take the test in the summer. However, after learning about the pending updates on April 15, I had to decide whether to expedite the learning and take the test before the changes, or start studying for the existing test hoping the materials cover enough for me to pass. I chose to expedite my study and take the test earlier to avoid being unprepared for the new test. The purpose of this post is to share my learning strategy, materials, and plan that helped me pass the CISSP on the first attempt. The learning was required, but not sufficient. I relied on my professional experience to answer some questions, not covered in the book or online course, but from experience. Since everyone’s experience is unique, your gaps in knowledge would differ, requiring more or less study time. I studied concepts to the point of being able to explain it to an 8-year-old or non-technical executive.

Learning Resources

I used various learning resources including:

• CISSP Learning Path by Mike Chapple from LinkedIn Learning
• CISSP All-in-One Exam Guide, Eighth Edition by Fernando Maymi and Shon Harris
• MeasureUp CISSP Practice Test
• YouTube CISSP playlist

I started Mike’s CISSP video training on LinkedIn, expecting to have all the knowledge for the test after completing the 24-hour course. It took me 7 days to finish, including the end-of-chapter questions. Feeling ready, I took the MeasureUp CISSP Test Prep and scored 61% — lower than the recommended 80%. Fortunately, a CISSP-certified colleague recommended the CISSP All-in-One Exam Guide book.

CISSP All-in-One book is massive, over 1400 pages with 25 chapters. I committed to reading a chapter each day to meet my schedule, completing the book in a month and leaving time for a review. I chose the digital version, allowing me to read anywhere, including while driving using Text-to-Speech. After the test, I still think this book was the most helpful resource.

After reading the book, my Measure Up Test prep score improved to 71%, but it was still not good enough for the real test. The test revealed the domains where my knowledge was lacking and details missing from the CISSP All-in-One Exam Guide book.

For the final 2 weeks before the exam, I reviewed every missed or guessed answer, read the explanation, visited referenced links, and found YouTube videos on the topic if still unsure. The playlist of CISSP YouTube videos you would need reference will be different from my list. Use my list as a sample, and not a recommendation. Three days before the test, I scored 92% on the MeasureUp exam. Some questions were repeats or I knew the material to identify the best answer immediately.

If I had to do this again, I would start with CISSP All-in-One Exam Guide book with Measure Up test as a secondary tool. The YouTube resources, including Mike’s free videos, filled in the gaps of understanding of specific topics.

Hope this helps with getting CISSP Certification! Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have questions or find this useful.