This is being reposted with the authors (Clarke Cummings) permission. A
very good read! (Congrats Clarke!)

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Hello everyone,

I recently took the CISSP exam in Vienna, VA and thought I would share
some of my experiences with everyone.

Since I am from Columbus, Ohio I decided to drive out to Virginia on
Thursday. That gave me Friday to drive up and find the test site and
study. I was staying about 15 miles away but had little problem
finding the site (traffic was a nightmare though).

Friday afternoon I found a store to buy some power bars, water, and
soda for the test on Saturday. I also bought some reserve alarm clocks
and pencils; nothing like being overly prepared. I spent the rest of
the day finishing off CISSP Prep Guide by Kurtz and Vines, for the
second time.

Getting to sleep was pretty tough. I was worried about the test,
sleeping through the alarms, losing my drivers license (I wish I had
brought my passport as a backup-just in case I lost my wallet), and any
other goofy thing that you can think about.

Finally Saturday morning arrived. I got up and finished packing my
stuff and drove up to Vienna. I stopped at the McDonalds near the test
site to get my coffee and some food-it was going to be a long day. I
arrived at the test site at about 7:20 and I immediately knew I was in
the right spot--there were 4 cars in a row with a person in the drivers
seat studying. A handful of people were gathered around the entrance.

I parked and began drinking my coffee and trying to review some of my
weaker points-application and systems development security. But my
brain was apparently full and I flipped through a few pages while I ate
my sausage mcmuffin (ummm..)

They opened the test site at about 8:15 and everyone filed in. They
had a table where you gave them your name, showed your ID, and signed
in. They give you an assigned seat. At about 8:35 the proctor began
the directions, you were not allowed to keep drinks at your seat, and
you had to get permission from the proctors to get up.

At 8:59 we started the test. I finished the 250 questions in 4 hours
and 20 minutes. Spent the next hour and 20 minutes reviewing the first
125 questions, then the last 20 minutes reviewing questions I had
circled as being a little unsure. I was the last person to put down
their pencil. The person next to me said that he wanted to be out in 4
hours, he finished about 2 minutes ahead of me.

It was a very hard exam, that shouldn't be surprising (or a violation
of the confidentiality clause) given the 35 pages in the CISSP study
guide. No matter how much you study there will undoubtably be items on
the exam you have no clue about. Your best bet is to say to yourself
it is one of the 25 beta questions.

I used the _HISM Vol I & II_ extensively. I also found _Secrets &
Lies_ to be of some use. The book _Hacking Exposed_ has good info on
different types of attacks. Also, the www.cccure.org study guides are
a great place to augment some of your info. Finally, I study (twice
actually) the CISSP Prep Guide.

The admission document said it would take 4-6 weeks for my results. I
have heard of that on other boards, but I had my results in 9 days. I
had also read on other boards that (ISC)2 sends you a plaque, so I was
a little stressed when a normal sized envelope showed up in the mail.

What I learned:
-If you aren't from the area scope the site before the test.
-If you traveled a ways bring two picture IDs.
-Study a lot!
-Bring some food, extra pencils, water.
-Remember your admission document.
-No matter how hard you study there will be things you don't know, don't
 sweat it.
-Review your questions
-Don't worry if people are leaving, work at your own pace.
-Get information from different sources, since the test is written by
 different sources it will help you understand the questions.

I really hope that helps people. Obviously I cannot disclose more
information on the questions. Sorry. Basically you really do need to
know the material laid out in the study guide.

Thanks,
Clarke Cummings, CISSP

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Scott C. Sanchez, CISSP
scott@gungadin.com
PGP Key: http://www.gungadin.com/pgp-scott-c-sanchez.asc
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