CISSP results

I got my results for the CISSP exam several weeks ago. Now I'm just waiting to put my endorsement paperwork in because I'm right on the borderline for the amount of experience... :(

I also took the CISA exam this December, so I was busy studying for that. There is a ton of overlap in material, but there's more of an emphasis on governance and audit.Hopefully I have good news at the end of January.It seems it takes then 6 weeks for results.

A lot of my colleagues have asked me how I had studied for the CISSP like what study materials did I use, what practice questions did I use, and were the practice questions similar to the the exam. Perhaps I should put together a couple of posts on that....:)

CISSP results and reward

I got my CISSP results yesterday.....drumroll please....And I passed! I promised myself that I'd reward myself with an iPad that I'd use as an e-book for me to study for the CISA this winter and for all the other stuff that people use the iPad for.

CISSP results....still waiting

I'm still waiting on my results for my CISSP exam. It's been just more than 4 weeks and I should be getting them any day now. Hopefully I will have something to celebrate.

I'm Free!

Took the CISSP exam on Saturday. It took me 4 hours with probably 45 minutes of review time.  But now I can actually do more interesting/enjoyable things with my time.

Exam certs are like marathons

With my CISSP exam coming up this weekend, I was thinking about the exam. I realized that preparing for the exam itself is very similar to training for a marathon. Granted I've only done one marathon but the experience has stayed with me (for better or for worse)

• A marathon training plan is typically 18 weeks ~4.5 months with a decent amount of conditioning.
  Exam prep takes 18+ weeks of consistent studying.
• With a marathon, never ever ignore your long run. It is what helps you get ready for the full race distance.
  With the exam, taking multiple full length exams will help you get a feel for the types of questions and the amount of questions and help you ration your time.
• Most marathon training plans have the last 2 weeks as taper weeks with low mileage. My last two weeks before the exam have been relatively light so as to not stress myself out too much.
• Commitment-Both obviously take lots of commitment to do well with.
• Relief-once you're done you feel so relieved.

If I go any further, I'll just be stretching the analogy.

39 Days left till CISSP

There are 38 days left till I take the CISSP. Its not that the material is hard that has me worried, but that there's so much of it. And between life, work, and studying it's hard to make sure I don't take a detour and get lost in between the various large chunks of important things.

If you're studying for the CISSP I'd recommend using the website cccure.org. Its a great resource for practice questions.

IT Risk position update

I've been in this role for roughly 3 months now and I'm enjoying it so far. It's kept me challenged and busy the entire time. In my prior roles, I haven't had that. I'm also studying for the CISSP, so that's eating up my free time, but I think it's a worthwhile investment. I've been involved with everything from reports development to working with vendors on security solutions. So this is a great position for a 20 something person that has an interest in IT Risk.

The confusion now is what direction do I want to go in. I mean do I want to focus on governance, resilience, or risk consulting?

That's the next question