in this chapter and on the (ISC)2 website at https://isc2.org/Certifications/CISSP/CISSP-CAT.
Are you ready for the exam?
Are you ready for the big day? We can’t answer this question for you. You must decide, based on your learning factors, study habits, and professional experience, when you’re ready for the exam. Unfortunately, there is no magic formula for determining your chances of success or failure on the CISSP examination.
In general, we recommend a minimum of two months of focused study. Read this book, and continue taking the practice exam on the Dummies.com website until you consistently score 80 percent or better in all areas. CISSP For Dummies covers all the information you need to know to pass the CISSP examination. Read this book (and reread it) until you’re comfortable with the information presented and can successfully recall and apply it in each of the eight domains. Continue by reviewing other study materials (particularly in your weak areas), actively participating in an online or local study group, and taking as many practice exams from as many sources as possible.
Then, when you feel like you’re ready for the big day, find a romantic spot, take a knee, and — wait, wrong big day! Find a secure Wi-Fi hotspot (or other Internet connection), take a seat, and register for the exam!
Registering for the Exam
The CISSP exam is administered via computer-adaptive testing at local Pearson VUE testing centers worldwide. To register for the exam, go to the (ISC)2 website (https://www.isc2.org/Register-For-Exam) and click the Register link, or go directly to the Pearson VUE website (www.pearsonvue.com/isc2).
On the Pearson VUE website, you first need to create an account for yourself; then you can register for the CISSP exam, schedule your test, and pay your testing fee. You can also locate a nearby test center, take a Pearson VUE testing tutorial, practice taking the exam (which you should definitely do if you’ve never taken a computer-based test, and then download and read the (ISC)2 nondisclosure agreement (NDA).
When you register, you’re required to quantify your relevant work experience, answer a few questions regarding any criminal history and other potentially disqualifying background information, and agree to abide by the (ISC)2 Code of Ethics.
The current exam fee in the United States is $749. You can cancel or reschedule your exam by contacting Pearson VUE by telephone at least 24 hours in advance of your scheduled exam or online at least 48 hours in advance. The fee to reschedule is $50. The fee to cancel your exam appointment is $100.
About the CISSP Examination
The CISSP examination itself is a grueling 3-hour, 100- to 150-question marathon. To put that into perspective, in three hours, you could run an actual (mini) marathon, watch Gone with the Wind, Titanic, or one of the Lord of the Rings movies, or cook a 14 pound turkey. Each of these feats, respectively, closely approximates the physical, mental (not intellectual), and emotional toll of the CISSP examination.
The CISSP exam is an adaptive exam, which means that the test changes based on how you’re doing. The exam starts out relatively easy and gets progressively harder as you answer questions correctly. That’s right; The better you do on the exam, the harder it gets. But that’s not a bad thing! Think of it as being like skipping a grade in school because you’re smarter than the average bear. The CISSP exam assumes that if you can answer harder questions about a given topic, logically, you can answer easier questions about that same topic, so why waste your time?
You’ll have to answer a minimum of 100 questions. After you’ve answered the minimum number of questions, the testing engine will either conclude the exam (if it determines with 95 percent confidence that you’re statistically likely to pass or fail the exam) or continue asking up to a maximum of 150 questions until it reaches 95 percent confidence in either result. If you answer all 150 questions, the testing engine will determine whether you passed or failed based on your answers. If you run out of time (exceed the 3-hour time limit) but have answered the minimum number of questions (100), the testing engine will determine whether you passed or failed based on your answers to the questions you completed.
The CISSP exam contains 25 pre-test items. They are included for research purposes only. (Taking the test is kind of like being a test dummy — for dummies.) The exam doesn’t identify which questions are real and which are trial questions, however, so you’ll have to answer all questions truthfully and honestly and to the best of your ability!
There are three types of questions on the CISSP exam:
Multiple choice: Select the best answer from four choices, as in this example:Which of the following is the FTP control channel?A: TCP port 21B: UDP port 21C: TCP port 25D: IP port 21The FTP control channel is port 21, but is it TCP, UDP, or IP?
Drag and drop: Drag and drop the correct answer (or answers) from a list of possible answers on the left side of the screen to a box on the right side of the screen. Here’s an example:Which of the following are message authentication algorithms? Drag and drop the correct answers from left to right.© John Wiley & Sons, Inc.MD5, SHA-2, and HMAC are all correct. You must drag and drop all three answers to the box on the right for the answer to be correct.
Hotspot: Select the object in a diagram that best answers the question, as in this example:Which of the following diagrams depicts a relational database model?© John Wiley & Sons, Inc.Click one of the four panels to select your answer choice.
As described by (ISC)2, you need a scaled score of 700 (out of 1000) or better to pass the examination. All three question types are weighted equally, but not all questions are weighted equally. Harder questions are weighted more heavily than easier questions, so there’s no way to know how