Uche Edith Olayinka-Oladoyin @Uche O has been a standout contributor to this CISSP study group community. Her study sessions are consistently well-structured, practical, engaging, and easy to follow—breaking down complex CISSP concepts and thought-provoking questions in a way that makes them relatable and memorable. What really stands out is her commitment to giving back even after earning her CISSP. She continues to volunteer her time, share strategic guidance, and support others through the challenges of preparation with patience and professionalism. Her contributions go beyond “teaching”—they help build confidence, consistency, and a strong learning culture within the group. Uche’s impact is clear: she is helping develop more capable and exam-ready cybersecurity professionals while strengthening the community through mentorship, leadership, and service. Once again, thank you for your continued dedication and contribution to the cybersecurity community, and for exemplifying the 4th canon: Advance and protect the profession. Your consistent support is making a measurable impact by helping others progress toward CISSP certification and professional growth in cybersecurity.

Compliments of the season and Happy New Year. I believe 2025 was an eventful year for many of us. Some achieved their CISSP, some attempted it, and others postponed for various reasons. Regardless of where we each landed, we worked hard, built our knowledge, and remained committed to our information security journeys. Serving as a study group leader over the past months has been genuinely rewarding. The dedication, consistency, and quality of our discussions made every session valuable, and it has been a privilege to support the group’s progress. I hope this encourages more members to join future sessions and consider taking on leadership roles. I have also documented the hours spent leading the study group and submitted them as part of my CPE credits for my CISSP renewal and other non-ISC2 certifications, which made the reporting process simple and efficient. It is a reminder that contributing to the community strengthens our collective expertise while supporting our professional growth. Wishing everyone preparing for their CISSP exams a successful and fulfilling outcome, and congratulations to those who have already achieved it. Happy 2026!!!

Took my exam yesterday and it cut me off after the 100 question mark. I filled up the endorsement form and the waiting game begins. Special thanks to @Vincent Primiani for building such a supportive, encouraging community. More details: Exam prep: Materials (most helpful to least helpful): Kelly Handerhan CISSP audio, Pete Zerger's exam cram, Destination cert videos on youtube, clarification of concepts and application on ChatGPT, Prabh Nair coffee shots, Destination cert book, Sybex CISSP prep book. I learn well on videos (visually) and brief explanations - don't judge me on the books being last on the prep. Questions (only free stuff): Destination cert app, Learnzapp app, Andrew Ramdayal 50 hard cissp questions, Daily questions from @Vincent Primiani , youtube videos from just about every channel that said "CISSP question #", ChatGPT and Gemini daily quizzes, random questions on quizlet. These help boost confidence in the material that you know but are definitely not representative of the exam questions. Also important, your prep should stop a week before your exam. You need let the information soak and become second nature when you encounter a practice question - Ex: something something HTTPS - relevant concepts: Diffie Hellman key exchange, symmetric+asymmetric, port 443, App layer security, TLS, etc. Find keywords in the question and stuff associated with it should just flow through your brain automagically. Honestly nothing can fully prepare you for the exam. The best kind of practice questions are questions that offer scenarios and give you options to pick the best/least/first/last choice. Generally all answers are correct, some are more correct than others. My exam experience was very familiar to the PMP last year at the same location and cleared it, so similar that I got assigned the same computer, lol! Although the test gives you 180 minutes, you lose about 4 minutes out the gate with the NDA and other administrative stuff. Also, bring two different IDs.

https://www.credly.com/badges/c69d3459-e219-4879-84cb-e400fd809ff7/public_url I’m delighted to share that I was officially awarded my CISSP certification this August! I sat for the exam on May 30, and, to my relief, it ended at just over 90 questions. By then, I was already feeling the fatigue and wondering if I still had the energy and focus to push through the remaining ones, so the timing couldn’t have been better. I want to express my sincere gratitude to the incredible American team I had the privilege of working with. In just one month of engaging with them, my level of preparedness skyrocketed, my approach to understanding and answering questions transformed, and my confidence grew immensely. While I struggle to recall everyone’s names (my apologies), I can’t help but mention the few I do remember Claudie, Chris, Timilehin, Taiye, Annette, Rebecca, and Victor. I know some of you have passed your exams - Congratulations. For those who are working towards the exam, I wish you success when you do, and I encourage you to keep the faith and continue with the work.

I’m proud to share that I’ve provisionally passed the CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) exam—and did so at the 100-question cutoff with more than 90 minutes to spare. This accomplishment was the result of months of dedicated studying, including: - Reading the Sybex Official CISSP Guide - Listening to CISSP-focused podcasts and video content - Completing countless practice exams and domain-by-domain reviews - Engaging in peer discussions and online study forums The CISSP is a rigorous exam that tests not only knowledge, but also your ability to think critically across eight diverse domains of cybersecurity. Finishing at 100 questions was both a challenging and rewarding experience. Next up: completing the endorsement process. Thank you to everyone who supported me throughout this process—your guidance and encouragement made a difference. #CISSP #CyberSecurity #InformationSecurity #ProfessionalDevelopment #CareerMilestone #SecurityLeadership