4th Time

I am happy to announce that I passed the exam today. It was a long journey for about a year, I failed my 1st attempt in Oct. Joining this group last December was the tool and environment that helped me cross the finish line. This exam takes dedication and persistence. You only fail if you give up and a successful test is just a few mouse clicks away. Reading is not easy for me but regularly attending the online group to practice and discuss the materials helped me immensely. Keep up the effort and don't give up. YOU GOT THIS! 👍

I couldn’t have done this alone. Thanks to everyone who supported me along the way—I’m excited to say I’m now CCIE and CISSP certified!

Finally, the "Congratulation" email arrived! I am thrilled to share that my CISSP application has been approved. This journey was intense, but reaching the finish line feels incredible. I wanted to share my timeline and some details about the endorsement process to help those currently waiting. Gratitude First, a huge thank you to this community. The resources, the "I passed" posts, and the technical deep dives shared here were instrumental in keeping me focused. Also, thanks to my study groups and mentors who helped me bridge the gap between "thinking like a manager" and the technical domains. The Endorsement Timeline For those checking their email every 5 minutes (we've all been there), here was my experience: - Provisionally Passed: JAN / 27 - Submission Date: JAN / 29 - Endorsement Method: CISSP Budy - Approval Received: Today! (3 weeks total). The Endorsement Process & Topics The application was straightforward but required precision. I focused my experience description on: - Mapping to Domains: I ensured my job descriptions clearly used the terminology from the 8 domains (e.g., Identity and Access Management, Security Risk Management). - The "Managerial" Lens: Even for technical roles, I highlighted my involvement in policy, risk assessment, and decision-making processes. - Evidence: I had my documentation ready, though the process was smooth as my endorser was also a CISSP in good standing.

I sat the exam yesterday and passed! It was difficult to say the least and I was convinced through the whole thing that I was failing, I kept at it and focussed on each question as it came. I started studying in December and my exam was in Feb. First 6 weeks I watched some ondemand training on O'Reilly platform by Sari Greene. Then the last 6 weeks was intense study (several hours a day) using the OSG, the Offical Practice tests, Destination Cert YouTube series and their app for questions, Peter Zerger's YT content, cissp.app app, any other YT I could find on answering hard questions and of course the study groups. I also used David Hawkins pdf (in this chat) on exam strategies. I can't tell you what I thought worked for me, all I can say is the exam really did expect you to understand concepts and the broader range of perspectives you can get the better. Hope that helps someone.