It IS Possible To Pass The CCSP With Only 10 Days of Preparation
One of my recent students shared their study/exam experience with me. I think it demonstrates some excellent insight:
”After sleeping on it, I wanted to give you some feedback after preparing for the test almost exclusively with materials written by you an/or delivered by you. First, thank you for putting these materials together, I wouldn't have been able to pass without them. I don't know how you could create material that would adequately prepare someone for that test. I got a 81 on the last "fresh" practice test I took, the second one in your example test book. The real exam was MUCH harder than any of the practice tests in any of your books. I felt I was pretty hosed after getting 5 questions into the real test, but stuck through it and was re-checking and changing answers right up until the very end. I feel like the preparation got me the right answer to about 1/2 of the questions, good test taking skills eliminated around 1/2 of the remaining wrong answers, and serious logical deduction got me over the edge.
Some examples would include:
The questions would not have been satisfied by just knowing what HIPAA is, but by knowing what a HIPAA BAA was and used for.
It wasn't just about what PCI-DSS was, but about how their rules effected security practitioners as detailed here https://blog.pcisecuritystandards.org/are-you-ready-for-30-june-2018-sayin-goodbye-to-ssl-early-tls
Not only what a TPM is, but how it is utilized and appropriate use cases.
Despite all of this, technically it is possible to pass the exam while only getting 45/125 questions correct. There were at least 3 questions where the correct answer was given elsewhere in the exam, or could be deduced from different questions. Test taking skills such as, if two options are the same you can eliminate both of them as options were indispensable. What it boils down to is that if you go into the exam only know 1/2 of the answers (around 1/2 of my answers were flagged after the first go round), find 2 or 3 answers elsewhere in the exam, and eliminate about 1/2 of the answer options in the remaining questions, you'll wind up with more than a passing score.
Thanks again for all your help.”
That student also followed up with:
”Here is some more material you are free to use.
How I passed the CCSP in 10 days and study plan.
Friday: Was offered a chance to fill in for someone who had to bail on the CCSP crash course.
Sunday: Received CCSP ISC2 Study Guide.
Sunday-Thursday: study/read/took 1 chapter practice test in morning and 1 in evening… about 2 hours a day.
Friday: Re-read/re-took the practice tests for the sections I struggled with. I found that I had gotten 85-95 on every chapter except chapters 7 and 11. Generally skimmed over materials again. Honestly I did this while waiting in line at an amusement park. Rides make great study breaks and ride lines make a good place to study.
Saturday-Sunday: ISC2 CCSP crash course.
Sunday: picked up official CCSP guide to the CCSP CBK at ISC2 book store. Re-read the sections I was struggling with (legal compliance). Took 1 of the official ISC2 practice tests while at airport/flying home… got an 81. Watched a couple 5 minute or shorter youtube videos on concepts I was weak on (REST vs SOAP)
Monday: Went to work, left early, studied outside test center for 2 hours… practiced my brain dump. They give you a grease pen and paper at the test center so you want to write down your [mnemonic] memory aids if you have any. Took the entire time. I flagged around ½ my questions on my first pass so I was not super confident, but after some serious thinking got it down to where I thought I passed. I think it is important to brush up on good test taking skills before taking something like this, and I think that tips like, “if 2 answers are essentially the same, they are both wrong” got me through. I have no idea how I really did, but I did pass. All in all it was an honest 30-40 hours of study and real application to pass.”
WOW— I am stunned and impressed by this accomplishment. I do NOT recommend that anyone try to cram for the test with such a limited timeframe…but it is evidently possible to pull off.