CISSP Exam Guide

CISSP Certified Information System Security Professional

Official Practice Tests With Exam Strategies

Walter A. Roberts
© Copyright 2021 Walter A. Roberts All Rights Reserved

Nо раrt оf thіѕ рublісаtіоn mау bе rерrоduсеd, ѕtоrеd іn а rеtrіеvаl ѕуѕtеm, оr trаnѕmіttеd іn аnу
fоrm оr bу аnу mеаnѕ, еlесtrоnіс, mесhаnісаl, рhоtосоруіng, rесоrdіng, ѕсаnnіng, оr оthеrwіѕе,
еxсерt аѕ реrmіttеd undеr Ѕесtіоn 107 оr 108 оf thе 1976 Unіtеd Ѕtаtеѕ Соруrіght Асt, wіthоut
thе рrіоr wrіttеn реrmіѕѕіоn оf thе Рublіѕhеr.
Limit of Lіаbіlіtу/Dіѕсlаіmеr оf Wаrrаntу: Тhе рublіѕhеr аnd thе аuthоr mаkе nо rерrеѕеntаtіоnѕ
оr wаrrаntіеѕ wіth rеѕресt tо thе ассurасу оr соmрlеtеnеѕѕ of the соntеntѕ оf thіѕ wоrk and
specially disclaim all wаrrаntіеѕ, іnсludіng wіthоut lіmіtаtіоn wаrrаntіеѕ оf fіtnеѕѕ fоr а
раrtісulаr рurроѕе. Nо wаrrаntу mау bе сrеаtеd оr еxtеndеd bу ѕаlеѕ оr рrоmоtіоnаl mаtеrіаlѕ.
Тhе аdvісе аnd ѕtrаtеgіеѕ соntаіnеd hеrеіn mау nоt bе ѕuіtаblе fоr еvеrу ѕіtuаtіоn. Тhіѕ wоrk іѕ
ѕоld wіth thе undеrѕtаndіng that the Publisher is not engaged in rеndеrіng mеdісаl, lеgаl, or other
professional аѕѕіѕtаnсе іѕ rеquіrеd, thе ѕеrvісе оf а соmреtеnt рrоfеѕѕіоnаl реrѕоn ѕhоuld bе
ѕоught. Nеіthеr the Publisher nor the Author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. The
fact that an individual, оrgаnіzаtіоn, оr wеb ѕіtе іѕ rеfеrrеd tо іn thіѕ wоrk аѕ а сіtаtіоn аnd/оr
роtеntіаl ѕоurсе оf furthеr іnfоrmаtіоn dоеѕ nоt mеаn thаt thе Аuthоr оr thе Рublіѕhеr еndоrѕеѕ
thе іnfоrmаtіоn thе іndіvіduаl, оrgаnіzаtіоn, оr wеbѕіtе mау рrоvіdе оr rесоmmеndаtіоnѕ thеу/іt
mау mаkе. Furthеr, readers should be aware that websites listed in this work may have changed
or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read.

Cover Designer: Mark Buster

Editor: Walter A. Roberts
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction
Chapter 1: Exam And Fee Structure
Chapter 2: Test Pattern And Rules
Chapter 3: Course Contents
Chapter 4: Understanding The Need Of Cybersecurity
Chapter 5: Effective Study Schedule And Study Groups
Chapter 6: Exam Strategies And How To Utilize Exam Resources
Chapter 7: Preparation Before Exam
Chapter 8: The Day Of Your Examination
Chapter 9: After The Examination Is Conducted
Chapter 10: Time Management Tips And Tricks
Chapter 11. Confidence Is The Key
Chapter 12: Perks Of A CISSP Certified Professional
Conclusion
 Introduction
CISSP is a cybersecurity certification. The CISSP certification is provided by the (ISC)2 and
helps you unlock a diverse field for you. This certification makes you become a professional
cybersecurity expert where you are able to design a security program, not just that but it also
helps with effectively implementing it and then managing it as well. This certification makes you
able to design effective and world-class security systems. Security is very important nowadays. It
is the need of time, every organization has loads of data to manage and look after. Cyber
attackers and intruders are waiting to find that perfect opportunity to breach the security systems
so they can use it for their gains. No system and network are secure at the hands of these
attackers and intruders. Thus it is very important to have the best cybersecurity programs to keep
these malicious attackers at bay and help protect the data of the organization. Not just the data
but the computer systems and the network as well. It is very essential to protect the network as
well. If your network is not properly secured it can pave way for the attackers to launch attacks
on the computer systems by corrupting and compromising the network.
The companies also understand the importance of having good and secure cybersecurity
programs in order to keep their data safe and protected. There are several active certified CISSP
professionals but the companies are searching for more people because of the industry
requirement. They have started to invest a great deal of money to make sure their data and the
systems are safe from malicious attackers. Connection of the devices to the internet is also a
great reason for the contamination of these systems and data by malicious software launched by
the attacker. Internet is a wide and diverse environment where you are exposed to all kinds of
malicious softwares and activities. You need to be very watchful when you are connected to the
internet and maintain a distance from all those practices that could lead to potential data and
security breaches.
Learning cybersecurity with the help of the CISSP certification is going to lead your way into
becoming a great and expert cybersecurity analyst and designer. You will be able to design
world-class security programs for the companies that want to protect their data and systems from
security breaches by these attackers and intruders. Just because of the huge increase in the data
and the number of organizations that there are nowadays, the need for cybersecurity experts has
greatly increased. You can start with the certification and later on, you can start developing and
designing programs for maintaining cybersecurity in different national and international
organizations. By becoming a part of this CISSP certification, you not only provide yourself with
the tools and resources that are required to become a successful cybersecurity expert but also
make you a member of the (ISC)2 member. Becoming an (ISC)2 member means you have
secured your future. It is going to help you achieve a number of networking opportunities.
Networking opportunities can help you with polishing your socializing skills. It is going to help
you develop contacts with high-profile and distinguished people. CISSP is a very good choice
for you if you are looking for programs that not only provide you with information and
knowledge but also help you with gaining full expertise in the cybersecurity domain. This
domain is one of those which has a lot of scopes nowadays and shall always have because the
protection of data has to ensure not just today but in the future as well. This course would
provide you with relevant knowledge, strategies to ensure safety and security as well as also help
to give you hands-on experience.

CISSP CRITERIA:
CISSP examination has some criteria that are needed to be met. They are essential and important.
After you meet the preset criteria you would be able to qualify for the CISSP examination. In
order to qualify for the examination, you should be able to pass the examination, as well as you
need to have relevant paid job experience. The job experience has to be in any of the eight
domains of the (ISC)2 CISSP common body knowledge. (CBK). If you are unable to have the
experience that is required, you can become an associate of the (ISC)2. You can only be eligible
to become an associate if you are able to pass the exam successfully. This would give the
associate of the (ISC)2 to have six years in which they can gain the experience that is needed for
the certification.
JOBS THAT REQUIRE CISSP:
CISSP is used in all those jobs that have the aspects of maintaining the cyber security. Following
is the list of jobs that use the CISSP or require the CISSP.

Chief Information Officer

IT Director
Director of Security
IT Manager
Security Architect
Security Analyst
Security Auditor
Network Analyst
Network Architect
Chief Information Security Officer
Security Consultant
Security Manager
Security Systems Engineer

YOUR PATH TO CERTFICICATION:

Your path to become a professional and certified cybersecurity expert has a few steps that you
need to take, following is the path to certification that you need to follow:

1. MAKE SURE YOU WANT THIS:

Before you start your journey to CISSP certification you need to make sure this is
what you want. That is because CISSP is not for every cybersecurity professional.
You should have thorough knowledge about everything before you start. You should
pay a close look at all the features and see for yourself if this is something that you
are passionate about and are interested in. You need to be fully committed to take
this exam only then go for it. If you are not committed, you will only waste your
time and money. If you feel like you are then you can continue your journey along
this path and move towards the next step.

2. REGISTRATION FOR THE CISSP EXAM:

The second step along the way to become a certified cybersecurity professional is
registration for the examination. You need to register for the exam after you have
evaluated yourself and see if you want this. Make sure there is enough time between
your registration and the date your test has been scheduled. Take care of this and
make sure you have enough time for preparation. It is very important because if there
isn’t enough time then your test will suffer and would not go as planned.
Registration process is comparatively easy; it can be done by following the steps
given below:

You can start with creating your account with the Pearson VUE. Pearson UVE is
an administrator for all the exams that are conducted by (ISC)2. The administer
is responsible for all the registered candidates globally.

After thorough research of what is the certification that is right for

you and you want to pursue, you will select the option of whatever
certification you want to pursue.
After you choose your certification you would schedule test timings
and then choose the location where you want your test to be
conducted with the Pearson UVE.

Special accommodations at reasonable prices are also provided. If you are

interested in that you can request for them your examination through the
(ISC)2.

3. PREPARATION FOR EXAM:

After your registration process for the examination, you need to start preparing for
the exam. You need to look up all the past papers and the relevant resource material
in order to prepare for the exam effectively. It is a tough exam that spans over 6
hours so you need to make preparations accordingly. You should have a great
understanding and enough knowledge about all the eight domains from which the
examination will be conducted.

4. CERTIFICATION:
This is the fourth step along your journey to becoming a certified CISSP
professional. This is the step where you wanted to reach. This is what you wanted all
along and now finally you have reached that point. This is the step where you get
certified. After you pass your CISSP examination, you need to start working for your
certification. Certification can be achieved after you gain a 5 year paid job
experience in at least two or more domains of the (ISC)2. This is essential for your
certification. After you complete this job experience you will become a certified
cybersecurity CISSP professional.

5. MEMBERSHIP OF (ISC)2:
Once you become a certified CISSP professional you would be welcomed to the
(ISC)2 community. The (ISC)2 community has several other high-profile and
certified professionals who are constantly working to ensure better cybersecurity
measures, programs, and policies. This would help you in growing your network a
lot. You would be in contact with influential and inspiring people who have vast
knowledge regarding the cybersecurity domain. Not just that it would give you
access to other resources and help you gain skills to become a more expert in what
you are doing. You would be informed of all the latest technologies and trends that
have been introduced and help you ensure that your expertise is still relevant
throughout your career. In short, by becoming a part of this community which is led
by globally recognized and appreciated people you would never stop learning and
growing. You would always be learning and becoming more and more expert in your
field.
 Chapter 1: Exam And Fee Structure

CISSP EXAMINATION:
CISSP examination is carried out for CISSP certification. It leads you to become a certified
professional in cybersecurity. The CISSP examination would make you judge your skills and
abilities and how much more is it that you can add further to it. The first step towards the
examination is to register for it. You can register yourself for the examination as follows:
You need to register for the exam after you have evaluated yourself and see if you want this. The
registration process is comparatively easy; it can be done by following the steps given below:

You can start with creating your account with the Pearson VUE. Pearson UVE is
an administrator for all the exams that are conducted by (ISC)2. The administer
is responsible for all the registered candidates globally.
After thorough research of what is the certification that is right for you and you
 want to pursue, you will select the option of whatever certification you want to
pursue.
After you choose your certification you would schedule test timings and choose
the location where you want your test to be conducted with the Pearson UVE.

Special accommodations at reasonable prices are also provided. If you are interested in that
you can request for them for your examination through the (ISC)2.
EXAM PATTERN:
CISSP examination is a 6-hour long exam which is one of the first prerequisites to complete in
order to become a certified cybersecurity professional.
TIME DURATION OF THE EXAMINATION:
The 6-hour long paper has around 250 questions that are conducted from the 8 domains of the
(ISC) 2-course curriculum. The questions are multiple-choice question types. 6 hours are given
to solve these 250 multiple-choice questions. The course contents are the 8 domains of
cybersecurity which are needed to be thoroughly revised and well prepared for the examination.

CRETERIA FOR PASSING THE TEST:

The examination is worth 1000 points. Out of these 1000 points you need to score at least 700 to
pass the examination. Passing score for the examination is 70 percent.
OTHER LAUNGAUGES IN WHICH THE TEST IS CONDUCTED:
The test is conducted in a few languages. You can choose any language for your test to be
conducted in as per your convenience. The other languages in which the test is conducted are
listed below:

French
German
Brazilian Portuguese
Spanish
Simplified Chinese
Korean
TEST CENTERS:
When you register yourself with the Pearson UVE you are allowed to choose the test center and
the time availability as per your own convenience. You can choose whatever test center and the
available time is suitable for you. You can also give your test in (ISC)2 authorized PPC.
REQUIREMENTS FOR EXAMINATION:
The examination has a few requirements that have to be met before you appear for it. You should
be aware of all the requirements that are necessary for you to follow. This is very essential. This
would make you able to know if you are eligible for the test or not?
The requirements that need to be met are listed below:
 You need to have a 4-year college degree
You also need to have a paid job experience for at least 5 years in any 2 of the 8
domains of cybersecurity
Educational credit satisfies one year of experience
If you are unable to qualify for the CISSP, you can instead become an associate
of (ISC)2 that would give you approximately 6 years to acquire the relevant job
experience.

RECERTIFICATION:
You can always recertify after you achieve your certification once. You are required to recertify
every three years. Recertification can be done by earning the continuing professional education
(CPE) credits. Along with the CPE credits you also need to pay the annual fee. After doing these
two things you will be able to certify after every 3 years.
TRAINING FOR THE EXAMINATION:
In order to have a better understanding of the examination and its course contents, it is advised to
enroll in training sessions. These sessions would provide you with in-depth knowledge regarding
the examination, its modules, prerequisites, and other relevant details regarding the examination.
Before you attempt the examination you need to have better and in-depth knowledge about
everything. It would also prove helpful in examination because you would already have all the
knowledge regarding everything.
These pieces of training would prove really helpful, you would be able to revise all the course
comprehensively and not just that you would also be able to pass your exam successfully. This
would also help you reduce the mental pressure you are feeling regarding the examination. You
would be trained and guided about everything by a certified instructor. The instructor would also
help you acquire the knowledge you need for the certification. You would be very well guided
regarding all the CISSP examination details in these training sessions. Thus, make sure you
attend them and don’t skip them.
PEARSON VUE ACCOUNTS:
You need to generate a Pearson VUE account. This would be a great help for you regarding your
knowledge of the CISSP examination and certification. After you generate your own Pearson
VUE account you would be able to evaluate yourself with all the knowledge that you have
gained regarding the CISSP examination and certification up till now. The Pearson VUE
accounts would also help you with all the details regarding the location, accommodation, testing,
policies, and other relevant details. These details are important for you to know this you need to
make sure you generate your own Pearson VUE accounts and better understand everything and
would also help you with your own evaluation.

MAKE SURE TO GET YOURSELF ENDORSED:

Once you pass your examination successfully, the next step is to endorse your application. The
application endorsement has to be done within 9 months. The 9 months’ times period starts after
you pass your examination. This is to verify your professional experience. You need to issue an
endorsement form which needs to be filled and signed by an (ISC)2 certified CISSP professional
for cloud security. The professional who is to sign the form also needs to be an active member of
the (ISC)2 community.
CODE AND ETHICS SUBSCRIPTION:
Another important thing which you need to do after successfully passing your exam is to
subscribe to the code and ethics of the (ISC)2 community. Doing so would help you avail your
certification for the CISSP.
THE FEE STRUCTURE FOR THE EXAMINATION:
The CISSP examination has a fee of 699 US dollars. This fee is included in the training fee.
Although for the international students due to the change in currency, the fee may vary a little.
These details are going to be provided by the Pearson VUE at the time of registration for the
exam. Taxes are to be added to the fee as well.
The training fee for the international students and those who are training online is 500 US dollars
and 1875 AED.
 Chapter 2: Test Pattern And Rules

TEST PATTERN:
The test has around 250 Multiple choice questions. These multiple choice questions are from all
8 domains of the CISSP examination. In order to pass the exam, you need to make sure that you
have all the relevant knowledge regarding all 8 domains of cybersecurity. The passing marks for
the exam are 700 out of 1000. The total worth of the exam is 1000 points. That makes 70 percent
of the total for passing the exam.
The test has a portion of all 8 domains. Below is the percentage of all the domains which make
up the examination questions.

Risk and safety management comprises about 15 percent of the CISSP

 examination. It is a diverse topic that lets you know about all the topics that are
relevant to risk and safety management and gives you insights into what you
need to know.
Asset security comprises about 10 percent of the examination. All the topics that
deal with the physical essentials of security are dealt with in this section.
Safety engineering comprises 13 percent of the examination and covers all the
data security theories.
Network security comprises 14 percent of the examination and covers different
approaches to handle network security.
Identify and access management or IAM comprises 13 percent of the CISSP
examination. It covers topics relevant to identification and authorization.
Protection and security operations consist of 13 percent of the examination. This
deals with the safety and security operations and gives you solutions on how to
deal with such situations.
Security of software development is also a part of the syllabus for the CISSP
exam and it helps you have knowledge on how to deal with the applications and
ensure their security.

RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR EXAM:

There are a number of rules and regulations that are needed to be followed in order to conduct
the exam peacefully. You need to pay close attention to them and know them so you don’t face
any issue before and during the examination. The rules that are needed to be followed are listed
below:

Do not take any electronic device with you to the examination room.
You do not need to take your watch along instead you will be provided with a
countdown timer which would be placed on the top of your software. It would
keep you updated about the time that elapsed and the time that is still left. This
would help you manage your time well during the exam.
You do not need to take your earplugs along with you, you will be provided with
the earplugs in your test center.
You cannot take any food or water with you to the room in which your test is
conducted. You can on the other hand take your food and beverages to be stored
in another room. If you feel like taking a sip of water or eat something, you can
take a break and have some.
You will have to keep your belongings and other stuff in a separate room.
You will not be allowed to carry any personal stuff into the test area.
You are also required to have your ID with you.
The clock would be ticking. You will not be given a specially designated time
for the breaks. So make sure you do not spend a lot of time while you are on
break.
You would not be permitted to access any electronic device like a watch or
cellphone etc. in the other room as well. You can use them once the test is over.
You cannot leave the test room alone. You will have to raise a hand and let
someone from the people working there escort you to the restroom in case you
 want to use it.
You should behave well with the people who are working in the test center.
Don’t misbehave with them and put yourself in a negative light.
You need to complete your paper within the required time. No extra time will be
given to you for completion.
As it is a computer-based test with a countdown timer all the time on your
screen. Do not expect any extra time to be given to you.

It is very important to go through all the rules and regulations before you appear for the exam.
This would be for your own benefit. You would know about all the rules and you would have a
smooth experience. If you have all the knowledge you would not waste your time and
concentrate on your own test.
 Chapter 3: Course Contents

COURSE CONTENTS FOR THE CISSP EXAMINATION:

The CISSP exam is conducted from 8 major domains of cybersecurity. These domains cover
most part of cybersecurity. Once you have a grip over all the relevant material that would be a
part of your examination you are good to go. It would not only benefit you for the examination
but even if you don’t pass the examination you would still have acquired knowledge regarding
the cybersecurity.
The CISSP examination is 6-hour long. In order to become a certified CISSP professional you
not only need to clear the examination with flying colors but also acquire relevant paid job
experience in at least two or more domains of the (ISC)2 curriculum. You will become a certified
professional after getting done with these two prerequisites.
In April 2018, the syllabus for the CISSP examination was updated as follows:
Risk and safety management comprises about 15 percent of the CISSP examination. It is a
diverse topic that lets you know about all the topics that are relevant to risk and safety
management and gives you insights into what you need to know.
Asset security comprises about 10 percent of the examination. All the topics that deal with the
physical essentials of security are dealt with in this section.
Safety engineering comprises 13 percent of the examination and covers all the data security
theories.
Network security comprises 14 percent of the examination and covers different approaches to
handle network security.
Identify and access management or IAM comprises 13 percent of the CISSP examination. It
covers topics relevant to identification and authorization.
Protection and security operations consist of 13 percent of the examination. This deals with the
safety and security operations and gives you solutions on how to deal with such situations.
Security of software development is also a part of the syllabus for the CISSP exam and it helps
you have knowledge on how to deal with the applications and ensure their security.
The people who are planning to give the exam will be judged and marked in these important
domains. The exam has 250 MCQ’s that need to be completed in a six-hour time period. The
passing score is 70 percent.
INTRODUCTION TO CYBERSECURITY:
Before we move on to the course contents, let’s discuss the basic introduction that you should
know about cybersecurity. If you would have ample knowledge regarding cybersecurity, only
then you would be able to understand the domains from which the exam will be conducted.
CYBER THREATS:
A cyber threat can be any malicious attack that is intended towards an individual or an
organization by some other individual or organization. The attacker breaches the privacy for
personal gains or benefits. It is also known as information theft.
CYBERSECURITY:
In order to stop and avoid such attacks, you need to have strong cybersecurity. This would make
you able to protect your valuable information from such attackers. Cybersecurity is the
protection of an individual or organization’s data from unauthorized access. Protection against
the malicious threats can be handled by making security efficient systems that ensure the security
of the data.
IMPORTANCE OF CYBERSECURITY:
Securing large and voluminous data is the need of today’s world. Data is increasing day by day
and the protection of this data from being misused is something that needs immediate attention.
There may be sensitive data that you need to protect from the attackers highlights the importance
of cybersecurity in a world where everyone is connected through the internet. With the use of the
internet and devices that are connected through the internet the security of personal information
is highly compromised. Thus it is very important to make the systems secure enough to stop any
potential attack.

BASIC ELEMENTS OF CYBERSECURITY:

Cybersecurity can be broken down into several elements. In order to maintain and ensure
cybersecurity in any organization, all the elements need to coordinate with each other. Some of
which are application security, data security, network security, end-user protection, etc. In order
to maintain security and safety of the data you need to pay special attention to any loopholes that
you may find in your system. Its these loopholes that the attackers exploit for their selfish
purposes. A lot of research has been done on cybersecurity and how can you make sure that you
are not leaving any loopholes behind but considering the facts it is a tricky business.

EVOLUTION OF CYBERSECURITY WITH TECHNOLOGY:

Technology is evolving with every passing day, in order to make sure that as the technology
evolves so does the cybersecurity. The storage devices such as laptops and cell phones have data
that needs to be protected. Such a huge amount of data makes it very easy for the attacker to find
an entry point and attack the data. Multiple entry points can make your system vulnerable and
the attackers would not hold back to launch malicious attacks. You need to make sure that your
cybersecurity is strong enough to handle the situation. Nowadays you find every person carrying
a cell phone in their hand. This cell phone or whatever device they are using is connected to an
internet access point. That internet access point is what the attackers and the hackers are
targeting. Most of the security breaches occur due to these internet access points. To avoid being
targeted by the attackers you should try not to connect your device to public access points.
Cybercrimes can very negatively impact your organizations and their reputation, thus it is the job
of the cybersecurity professional to design such programs so as to avoid such situations.

DOMAINS OF CYBERSECURITY FOR THE CISSP EXAMINATION:

The list of domains of cybersecurity from which the exam is conducted is as follows:

1. Cyber threats and System Security

2. Cloud Security
3. Network and Communicational Security
4. Assets and IoT Security
5. Architecture of Cyber Security
6. Protection and Safety Operations
7. Identity and Access Management
8. Software Development Security

1. CYBER THREATS AND SYSTEM SECURITY:

CYBER THREATS:
Cyber threats are very common nowadays. In today’s world, all the devices are
connected to the internet which has made it very easy for attackers to launch
an attack and pose threats to the user’s data.
There are a number of cybersecurity threats that have been briefly explained
below:

Malware is the most common type of cybersecurity threat.

Malware is actually malicious software. It is malicious software
that the attacker has created to damage the computer system of
the potential user.
A virus is software that has malicious code embedded inside of
it. This software is self-replicating and replicates itself when
the user clicks on it. With each click of the user, the file keeps
on replicating itself which ends up damaging and infecting the
legitimate files on the host computer.
Trojan horses are a type of malware that is similar to legitimate
software.
Spyware gains access to your computer system which is used to
steal information from your system. It damages the system a lot
without the user even noticing it.
Adware is malicious software that displays ads. It is used for
advertising. Along with advertising it also spread malware.
The attacker disguises the malicious software as a real and
legitimate one and once it enters the host computer the software
starts doing its work. Attacker hold the data and demands a
ransom for release.
The botnet is an abbreviation of robot networks. It is a network
of computers that are connected. Botnets are controlled by
attackers remotely with the main agenda of getting financial
gains or launching websites and applications that the attackers
tend to launch or work for.
Emotet is thought to be the most dangerous virus. It works on
the brute force method. Emotet is an advanced Trojan that is
spread through email attachments and once the user clicks on it,
it releases the payload and starts to infect the files and other
data that is stored on the computer.
Denial of service attack is a cyber-attack in which the service is
made unavailable to the intended users by sending spoof
 messages and packets through the communication network.
Phishing is a fraudulent attempt that the attackers use to lure the
users to provide them sensitive personal information.
Man in the middle attack is when two parties are
communicating and the attacker eavesdrops on their
conversations. Can also modify the information without the
notice of the users.
Social engineering is a term that is used commonly for the
malicious activities that happen by human interaction with each
other.
Password attacks are also used to gain access to personal data.
It is a very common and very easy way to break into someone’s
personal information and private space.
A structured query language (SQL) injection is a cyber-attack
that happens when a malicious code is released into a server
that uses SQL.
SYSTEM SECURITY:
System security is a risky business. It comes with a lot of risks that one takes while
ensuring system security. Keeping their business and sensitive information safe from
intruders is one of the main challenges that business owners have to face nowadays.
In order to know how to ensure safety they need to know about all the basics and
information regarding its safety and protection.
You need to have strong backup plans in case the security breaches happen, you
need them to make sure you control the situation before things go down the drain.

CYBERSECURITY RISK MANAGEMENT:

Cybersecurity risk management is a process in which you identify, assess, analyze,
evaluate and then come up with solutions to solve the problems that you may face
while managing cybersecurity. Your cyber risk management program needs to be
efficient enough so you can tackle any issue that comes your way. It should not
compromise on those things which are highly sensitive. You need to constantly make
changes to your system, the protocols change, the technologies change and evolve.

2. CLOUD SECURITY:
Technologies that are based on the cloud infrastructure is one of the most commonly
used technology nowadays. Cloud security is the collection of protocols, procedures,
and policies that are put together to protect and ensure the safety and security of the
systems that are based on cloud technology. Cloud security can be configured
according to the needs of individual users or businesses. Cloud computing
infrastructure has greatly helped businesses by reducing the overhead costs and
administration overheads.
CLOUD COMPUTING AND CYBER SECURITY:
Cloud computing and cybersecurity may seem the complete opposite but they do
have a connection between them. In cloud computing, you basically store your data
off site and cybersecurity means protecting the data at all costs. Cloud computing is
fundamentally outsourcing of your data, you trust these services by sharing your data
and to store it for you. In cybersecurity, you trust the procedures and protocols that
are made for the protection of your data that is stored on these remote servers.
IMPORTANCE OF CLOUD SECURITY:
Many businesses are now transitioning to the cloud; they are more inclined towards
storing their data on the cloud platform. The attackers have become more
sophisticated and clever and the attacks that they launch are very difficult to identify.
Thus, as much as the on-premises servers are at risk so is cloud computing service.
Importance of cloud security is given below:

Cloud services follow the rule of centralization. All the applications

and the devices that use the cloud services are centralized. So is the
security centralized, all the security procedures that they use to
ensure the security are centralized. It becomes very difficult for them
to manage security protocols when there are numerous devices and
endpoints like if a company has the bring your own device policy.
If you trust the cloud services with your data, you actually save
yourself a great deal of money. It saves you from investing in
dedicated hardware. It also helps in reducing administrative
overheads.
Manual configuration becomes the talk of the past when you trust a
cloud service provider that is reliable and trustworthy.
Your data is safe on the cloud and you can access it at any time on
whatever device you want and wherever it is stored on the cloud.
RISKS OF CLOUD COMPUTING:
Cloud computing comes with its own share of risks and challenges.

The first risk that the business owners could face is the challenge of multi
cloud environment. There is not only one cloud present but multiple of
them. The user needs to choose what cloud would they prefer to store their
data on.
As there is a shared responsibility of the security between the business
owners and the cloud service providers, it often ends up creating confusion.
One of the major challenges that could be faced in the cloud computing
environment is the lack of visibility.
If the visibility features are not so strong you would never know how much
of the data is affected and which of the client’s data is affected.
The data that is stored on the cloud needs an active internet connection.
That means any person who is connected to the internet is susceptible to
the risks of potential cyber threats.
 The loss of data at the hands of the attackers or intruders is always a fear
that is lurking around.
The data that is stored on the cloud is not completely safe.
HANDLING CLOUD SECURITY RISKS:
Below are some of the methods that would help you handle the cloud security risks:

Divide the responsibilities between the CSP and user.

Strong user access control can help define who could access the data and
who could not. Not just that but it would also show what data were they
given access to.
Both the user and the cloud service provider need to work in close relation
and develop the best plan in order to keep their data secure from any
breaches.
Proper training needs to be given to these employees so they do not affect
the organization in such negative ways. They need to be constantly
monitored and strict checks should be maintained.
All the users who are using the cloud services and have access to it should
require to have strong passwords.
You should use auditing tools to secure your data.
It comes with its fair shares of benefits and risks. Both the parties that are
involved in the data process, i.e. the organization and the cloud service
provider need to make sure that they fulfill their responsibilities at their
respective ends and make sure everything runs along smoothly.

3. NETWORK AND COMMUNICATIONAL SECURITY:

Network security is a collection of policies, protocols, and practices that are used to
prevent the network from malicious attackers. It is a very diverse and vast term that
covers different technologies and maintains the privacy of the network. Network
security basically deals with the authorization of access to the data on a network, it is
the job of the network administrator to control and look over the network. To gain
access to the network, the users are assigned an ID and password for their
identification. After they log in to their accounts, they can access the information
that is within their authority.

The user should enable three step authentication to maintain security

of their accounts.
In order to make the system more secure and to ensure that the
communication between two hosts is safe from any malicious
activities, it is important to encrypt the data.
Firewall makes sure to implement the policies of network security
and monitor what data can be accessed by the network user.
Decoy resources like honeypots are a good practice that is placed in a
network at such a point where the attacker thinks that they are not
monitored and sees them as a vulnerability. These honey nets are
 made vulnerable on purpose so the attackers find it easy to attack
them and waste their time and resources.
The users should install the anti-malicious or anti-virus software onto
their devices. This would provide them with an extra layer of
security.
Data access controls are used to monitor who is accessing what data.
In order to make the system secure, you need to provide access to
those users who are authorized.
If malware enters the computer system, it becomes very easy for it to
corrupt the data, and once the data gets corrupted it is of no good.
Loss of data also occurs.
Different software technologies have been introduced in order to
keep the data secure on the websites. If the employees access them
they would welcome those malicious threats to their own devices and
networking environment as well.
Network segmentation is a common practice that is used to make
sure that the network is safe from cybersecurity threats.
Email security software makes sure that they filter all the incoming
and outgoing emails so they can maintain the security of the system
and the network as well.
If your system starts acting abnormally your cybersecurity and IT
team need to figure out the root cause and provide solutions.
CIA TRIAD:
We can only label a network as secure when it has all the three elements of the CIA
triad in working. The CIA triad actually represents the initials of the three basic
principles of the network security, which are confidentiality, integrity, and
availability.

4. ASSETS AND IoT SECURITY:

ASSETS SECURITY:
Asset in information technology is any data, devices, and all such things that
are of importance to the user. Assets include the hardware, software, and other
information or data that is of importance to the user. These assets need to be
protected from unauthorized access, from being used and exploited. In order to
ensure asset security, it is important to classify the data and then ensure its
protection according to their priorities.

Public data is that data that can be viewed by the general

public. Such data does not need protection
Private data is that data that needs to be protected from viewing
by other people. This could be your personal information, credit
card numbers, bank statements, health records, etc. Leaking of
this data could result in serious problems.
That data that needs serious protection at every cost is called
 sensitive data.
Confidential data is that data that could only be viewed by the
relevant people.
The data that is not too important can be left unclassified. It is
not sensitive data.
Secret information revealed can put national security at stake.
The information that is extremely important to protect. If
revealed can result in massive destruction.

DATA MANAGEMENT:
Organizations have to manage large quantities of data, information, and computer
resources. In order to do so effectively a good and efficient data management plan is
required. An efficient plan should be made consisting of the policies, procedures,
and practices to make sure that the data is managed properly.

In order to create an efficient and stringent data management plan,

one needs to work on data policies. The data policy document is an
official document that is made by senior management and which
contains all the long-term goals that the organization is striving for.
It is very important to assign ownership to the data that flows through
the organization. The owner of the information is going to be
responsible for that data. Data owner also has the job of data
classification. The data owner has to determine the cost that would be
required to change or replace some information, he needs to be able
to determine how will be the goals of an organization be influenced
with the information, not just that he is also responsible for
destroying the information when it has completed its lifecycle. The
data owners need to make sure that they create documents regarding
the rights to ownership of data.

The main responsibility of the data custodians is that they need to

monitor the data and make sure they are creating the recent backups
for the data.
The people who use the data to get their jobs done are the users.
The person who manages the data is called a data manager.
IoT SECURITY:
IoT security mainly covers both device security and network security as well.
Ensuring IoT security is of great importance because these devices and products
make our everyday lives much easier. They keep providing important insights
throughout our day to make sure we go through our day without all the hassle.
USE OF IoT DEVICES IN DAY TO DAY LIFE:
 CCTV cameras
Smart locks
Smart appliances
Voice control features
Automatic Sensors that control appliances when movement is sensed
TIPS TO KEEP YOUR IOT DEVICES SECURE:
Install an anti-virus software
Choose strong passwords when you are trying to log in
End-to-end encryption is highly important.
Don’t just settle for any cybersecurity provider, search for reliable
and reputable ones.
To ensure complete security you should keep these devices shut
down if not in use.
You should be well aware of the disasters these IOT devices can
bring upon you thus you should very careful with these.

5. ARCHITECTURE O CYBERSECURITY:
Cybersecurity architecture is a framework whose basic job is to make sure that it
specifies the basic structure of an organization, what policies and standards it is
using to keep its computer systems and the network secure, and keep the cyber
threats at bay. Cybersecurity architecture can also be defined as how various
elements of your computer system are organized and structured. Cybersecurity tools
like anti-virus software and the integrated firewalls are important elements that help
you with maintaining security. These elements play a huge role in avoiding potential
threats. They also provide you with preventive measures from threats and malware.
They also work in close correspondence with the already implemented policies and
security standards of the organization to ensure security. The cybersecurity of the
organization shall be such that it incorporates all these elements together to
maximize security. Every person has some rules to follow, if everyone is working
according to their responsibilities and the data flows through the organization free of
threats is when we say that the cybersecurity architecture of an organization is a
success.
NEED OF CYBERSECURITY ARCHITECTURE:
Cyber security architecture provides a level of security that provides defense against
the threats and to make sure that the al the components that are involved in an IT
infrastructure. Following elements are protected by a cyber security architecture.

Cloud
End Points
IoT
Mobile
Networks
The cybersecurity architecture proves to be a protective layer against all malicious
threats.
EXAMPLES OF CYBERSECURITY ARCHHITECTURES:

Open Group Architecture Framework

Sherwood Applied Business Security Architecture
Open Security Architecture
IMPORTANCE OF SECURITY ARCHITECTURES:

A strong security system means getting rid of all the loopholes and
vulnerabilities that could compromise your data. Every organization
has unique requirements for the security of their security. Translating
those security requirements into executable strategies is one of the
most important benefits of cybersecurity architecture.
Make sure the cybersecurity system you are working for is efficient
in handling the situation in case of a data breach. You should invest
in a strong security system so you don’t have to keep spending
money later on. You should be better safe than sorry.
A strong security system would significantly reduce the frequency of
data breaches.

TIME FRAME OF A SECURITY ARCHITECTURE:

The security architecture would take some time to be designed and then
implemented. It depends upon the budget and the level that organization is working
on. If it is a large organization, it would it longer for the experts to make a system
whereas developing the security architecture for a small scale organization would
require less time.
TIPS TO IMPROVE CYBERSECURITY ARCHITECTURE:
Create awareness
Analyze your business vulnerabilities
Risk management is imminent
Risk calculation
Have better plans regarding the handling of a situation after a data
breach

6. IDENTITY AND ACCESS MANAGEMENT:

Identity and access management is a framework of policies that the right
people in an organization need to have access to the right technologies in an
organization. Identity and access management is related to data management
and the IT policies in an organization.
 PURPOSE OF IDENTITY AND ACCESS MANAGEMENT:
Below are the purposes of an identity and access management in an
organization:

Helps increase the productivity of the employees

An important feature of identity and access management is that
it becomes easy for the employees to go back and see the
mistakes they have done while logging into the systems, they
can evaluate everything and not repeat the mistakes they have
done now.
IMPORTANCE OF IDENTITY AND ACCESS MANAGEMENT:
Data is very important to organizations and this protection and security of data make
organizations so trustworthy and reputable. Tracking of the user privileges to the
data and the system has been automated by identity and access management. It has
narrowed down the chances of risks and vulnerabilities. Biometric systems have
been introduced, AI techniques are also used to make sure that the right people are
accessing the right data.
FEATURES OF IAM:
Fast response to threats
Identity authentication
Ensures compatibility with the software and the latest trends of
technology
Flexibility in assigning roles
Provision of training to the employees
Access controls for the IoT devices
Access security
IDENTITY AND ACCESS MANAGEMENT RISKS:
Such techniques are adopted which makes it easy for you to detect the attacks at an
early stage, this decreases the chances of damage. Identity and access management
also come with its risks.

Identification of responsibilities, due to this reason a lot of companies

refrain from getting identity and access management solutions.
If there is a lack of involvement from the business side the projects of
the identity and access management are often jeopardized. Several
issues arise due to the lack of involvement of the business.
One of the major risks when it comes to identity and access
management is that it is difficult to implement. The whole process is
extremely complex and difficult.
Understanding regarding the topic becomes unclear and they have
different opinions about their defined roles. They often compare the
 identity and access management solutions to the previous
technologies. Everyone perceives it differently.

FUTURE OF IDENTITY AND ACCESS MANAGEMENT:

The identity and access management solutions and technologies are constantly
evolving as technology is evolving and new products and ideas are implemented.
These technologies are easy to adapt to the size of the organization and their budget
allocated. They help in keeping the data safe from the unauthorized and
unauthenticated accesses. The data is only accessible to authorized people who have
to deal with that data.

7. PROTECTION AND SAFETY OPERATIONS:

Malware is malicious software that is used to disrupt the working of your
computer systems. This software is made by hackers and intruders for their
gains. This intrusion by the viruses can be found to be very destructible.
PROTECTION AGAINST MALWARE:
Protection against these malicious viruses can be ensured by following these
steps:

Install anti-virus software

Create backups for your data in advance
In order to ensure strong protection against these viruses make
sure to have strong passwords
Keep your computer software and other tools up to date
Don’t fall prey to the suspicious softwares
Be careful and watchful when downloading from the internet
Do not click on ads that may seem suspicious
Remove all the outdated tools and programs that you may have
on your computer
Enforce strict policies
Make sure your system window is configured for maximum
security
Use standard accounts
Disable all the guest accounts that you may have on your
computer

OPERATIONAL SECURITY:
Operational security is also known as procedural security. Procedural security or
operational security is a risk management technique that is used by organizations to
have a look and view their operations from the eyes of opponents and nemesis.
Doing so gives them ideas of how they can protect their sensitive data more
 efficiently and effectively.
IMPORTANCE OF THE OPERATIONAL SECURITY:
Operational security risk management is of great importance to organizations so they
can protect their systems more adequately. If you are successful in implementing a
proper and secure operational security risk management plan that would greatly help
you to protect your data from the nemesis or the attackers who are in constant search
for you to make any mistakes and then they use those mistakes and exploit them for
their gains. This helps you to better protect your sensitive and classified information
that is in relevance to your organization’s activities and strategies.

PURPOSE OF THE OPERATIONAL SECUIRTY RISK MANAGEMENT:

Operational security is used to keep the little bits and pieces of data
secure.
The operation security makes you able to develop preventive
measures and safety procedures so you are able to handle different
types of risks and potential threats that can end up corrupting and
misusing your data.
The little bits and pieces that the operational security is making sure
that they remain protected because they get together and form bigger
pieces of data.
The employees should be very careful with the data of their
organization.
Operational security technical methods to protection and security of
data are to make sure that the systems are protected from all sorts of
malware.
STEPS TO ENSURE OPERATIONAL SECURITY:
The operational security plan is a risk management plan which is used by
organizations. This risk management plan is used to see which data needs to be
protected and what ways could that data be protected. The operational security risk
management steps have five steps which are stated as under:

Identification of information
Identification of vulnerabilities
Identification of the potential attacker
Identification of potential threat level
Mitigation of threats
TIPS TO ENSURE OPERATIONAL SECURITY:
Operational security is crucial for every organization which is serious about
protecting their data and sensitive information from any unwanted data breaches and
data leaks.

Implementation of change management process

Protection against threats
Refrain from discussing about your organization on social media
Use automation

8. SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT SECURITY:

It is often found to have security issues when it comes to the development of
software applications. You need to be vigilant when it comes to the security
issues in a software application. Most software development companies seem
to ignore this issue but it is of great importance and should not be disregarded
at any cost. Software development lifecycle is a step by step process of
developing software applications. When the developers overlook the security
issues in the very early steps of development, the risk of vulnerabilities in
every subsequent step increases. When the final product is developed using
this step by step approach of developing software applications it is flawed with
no aspect of security. It results in a number of security breaches. You may
have developed the software applications with efficient coding and writing
good algorithms but if you have ignored the concept of security you haven’t
done your job right. Your competitors are constantly looking for any
vulnerabilities to exploit and they won’t let any of these go. They would make
sure that they take advantage of all the blunders your organization has made
while developing the software applications with no security element.
BEST PRACTICES FOR ENSURING SOFTWARE SECURITY:
Below are some of the best practices that can be followed to make sure that the
software security is properly practiced:

Many attackers and hackers get to your computer systems just

because the software and other applications on your computer
systems are not up to date. These outdated softwares make your
system more vulnerable. Make sure the softwares are updated.
It is important for you to create vigorous and strong IT plans. The
purpose of these strong security IT plans is to make sure the system
is safe and secure. The system has no loopholes and vulnerabilities
for the attackers to exploit.
You can enhance the security of your software applications by
making sure they are in compliance to the security policies of the
organization.
You can ensure the security of your software applications by
incorporating the security element into our system development
lifecycle. Doing so would protect your software from unwanted
intrusions. Provide you not with just the software application security
but also make sure the entire system is secure and safe from
 malicious factors.
ADVANTAGES OF THE SDL:
The secure development lifecycle helps you continuously
monitor your application and data that means the security
component gets enhanced with the use of SDL.
If any security breach occurs after the product or application
has been launched, fixing those vulnerabilities and preventing
any cybersecurity breach during that time is going to cost you a
lot of money as compared to identifying any probable security
threats during its design and implementation phase. Security
costs during this phase are much less than that of post
launching.
The clients start to trust you more when you use the SDL
practices, that is because they can see the efforts you are
putting in order to ensure security. This makes you trustworthy.
When you work more on the security element of your software
application and focus on that more you also end up making
your system security better.
The employees need to be made aware of the security breaches
because they also have the right to know and it would make
them careful for the next time.
These are the basic 8 domains from which the test is conducted. You need to have a proper grip
over these topics so you are able to pass the test in first attempt. They have all the basics which
can help you a lot with your test preparation.
 Chapter 4: Understanding The Need Of Cybersecurity

WHAT IS CYBERSECURITY:
Before moving ahead and talking about the fact that why is cybersecurity in today’s world
important and why is there a need for cybersecurity, we will first talk about cybersecurity. So
basically, cybersecurity is a process or a state that helps you with the provision of methods and
techniques on how to make your computers safe and secure from any malicious attack. It also
provides you with preventive measures on how you can avoid any potential breach, not just that
it helps you in recovering the lost data due to the attacks of intruders. Hackers launch their
viruses onto your computer system and when they gain access to your data, they use it for their
personal gains.
Sometimes they hold the data back or encrypt it so you cannot access it, then they demand a
ransom and after you pay them you are given access back to your data. There are a number of
ways on how do these attackers attack your computers, invade your privacy and compromise
your data. To avoid these unwanted situations, you need to make sure that you have a strong
cybersecurity plan so you can stop these attacks and intruders to exploit your personal data. If
you are the owner of an organization, you need to take extra care in order to maintain the
protection of your data because you have a huge amount of data stored on your servers and
computer systems. You have data of your customers and clients stored as well. If any malicious
attacker gains access to that and makes that data public that is supposed to remain confidential
and private, you will find yourself in hot waters. Your reputation will be very negatively
impacted.
UNDERSTNDING THE NEED OF CYBERSECURITY:
The world nowadays relies on technology and the internet. As technology evolves, we see the
internet taking over everything. Smartphones and devices are used by almost every other person
and when you get connected to the internet you are exposed to a variety of malicious agents.
They are constantly there lurking around in search of an opportunity to compromise your devices
and gain access to your data by invading your privacy.
Cybersecurity is very important nowadays because of the increasing number of threats. There is
a lot of security risk that is needed to be addressed. You need to keep this fact in mind that the
attackers can launch their attack on any level. It’s not necessary that they are going to launch an
attack on a higher level of your organization. They can also target the lower levels, thus it is very
important to educate your employees working on a lower level, make them aware of all the risks
that they are facing regarding cybersecurity. They should be capable of handling any situation
where a breach of security occurs. They should know how to counterattack in such situations.
They need to know all these ways so they can play an important role in your organization and try
to limit the damage that the attackers have done. The first thing that you need to make sure of is
that your cybersecurity plan is strong enough to avoid any security breaches but then again
security is not always guaranteed. There may be cases when your privacy is invaded. Where the
attackers attack your systems and compromise your data. In such a situation you should have a
plan on how to minimize the damage. You need to have strong plans for damage control. It is
very essential if you want to remain reputable in the business community. If your organization
always has these security problems, your customers, clients, and the stakeholders would no
longer put their trust in you and you would lose your position among the business community.
Reliance on technology nowadays is more than ever. Personal information is now stored on the
cloud services and can be accessed at any time remotely. Cloud services can also have security
problems and their security layers can be breached by attackers too. That way your personal
information like your social security numbers, your bank details, credit card numbers, etc. can
become public. This can cause you huge problems. IoT devices are also very popular. The reason
for their popularity is their connection to the internet. These IoT devices were designed by
keeping the security aspect in mind. But they have become a huge cause of the increasing data
breaches. Attackers can very easily bypass the security protocols and gain access to the device.
They not only gain access to the device and the data stored in them but they also end up affecting
the network. They infect the network with which the IoT devices are connected. This could lead
to even more damage, all the other systems or devices that are connected to the same network
their security is also compromised. The damage that these IoT devices can cause is huge but then
again they have multiple benefits. The most important of them all is that it gives you all-time
connectivity to the internet. They also make you able to work remotely. You can work from
anywhere using your IoT devices. This doesn’t require you to come to the office and work from
there. These IoT devices may have made your life convenient and comfortable but they have put
the security of your information and data at stake. You need to know that cyberattacks can affect
all people. Be it any person who owns a device or computer system or a huge organization.
These attacks have made the lives of people difficult. The organizations are working day and
night on their security plans and policies and finding ways on how to make them more secure
and less prone to security breaches. Just because the cyberattacks are increasing day by day very
soon you will see an increased number of rules and regulations that would be made to ensure
protection against these threats. Very soon you will see a world where the legislations and
regulations will be more than ever. Very strict penalties can be applied even if a little mistake is
made by anyone. The citizens would also be required to make themselves aware of these laws
and regulations so they can see for themselves if their businesses comply with these laws and
regulations.
Identity theft has also become very common due to the increased number of cybersecurity
breaches. Situations where the attackers take hold of the personal identities of the individuals and
then demand a ransom to get them back. The attackers would demand a huge sum of money.
These cases are more common in high-profile people who have a lot of net worth. You need to
make sure that you keep yourself protected and safe from these identity thefts. Cybersecurity
threats are also seen often when the softwares and other tools installed on your computer are not
up to date. These attackers find it easy to bypass the tools and softwares that are not updated.
You may have anti-virus software installed but if it is not updated with the latest features as well,
it is good for nothing. It cannot provide you with any safety and protection. Thus make sure the
softwares and other tools installed on your computer are updated timely.
Every organization faces cybersecurity breaches every now and then. In order to tackle these
issues, a strong team of IT and cybersecurity officials is needed so they can help the
organizations make their systems and data more secure. these professionals are the saviors
against these malicious attacks and invasion of privacy.
GROWING NEED OF CYBERSECURITY PROFESSIONALS:
There are a number of cybersecurity professionals but still, there is a need for more because of
the growing number of cybersecurity risks and the continuous threats. The traditional
informational technology specialists find it hard to deal with the ever-increasing and evolving
cybersecurity threats because of the gap between the technology and their knowledge. The
information that they had is now of no to little use because the technology has evolved and the
methods of the cyber attackers have become more advanced and difficult for them to handle.
Thus the need for cybersecurity professionals with advanced knowledge has increased as well.
Every organization needs a security specialist to solve their problems related to security. They
need cybersecurity professionals to design and plan a program to ensure the cybersecurity of
their data and the information they are working on. This is important because the data is all an
organization has and the protection of that data is the foremost requirement and need of the
organization. Organizations also need cybersecurity professionals to provide them with solutions
for security breaches and potential threats to their organization from malicious attackers.
Cybersecurity professionals need to make sure that they are providing the awareness and
knowledge that is required by the employees working in those organizations. That is because
these employees have to deal with the potential security breaches, they are the first in line. They
need to know everything about these potential security breaches. They also need to educate the
common public as well because they are also exposed to these potential security threats and they
also need to ensure from such attacks. In order to recruit an efficient cybersecurity professional,
you need to invest a lot of money. You have to pay the cybersecurity professional a huge sum of
money because the work he is doing for you is demanding and tiresome. Also, you need to invest
enough money so you have a strong and efficient cybersecurity plan. Two plans would be
required to deal with unwanted situations. You need plan A and plan B.

PLAN A:
Plan A should be developed for avoiding situations that could lead to security breaches. This
would have all the preventive measures that you can take so you protect your computer systems
from unwanted and malicious attackers. This plan needs to be stringent and help you avoid
malware and security breaches to the maximum.

PLAN B:
Plan B should be your backup plan. In case you find yourself in a worrisome situation where
your computer systems have been breached and compromised. You need a strong and stringent
backup plan to help reduce the damage as much as possible. This plan needs to be extremely
efficient because the breach has already happened and the damage is done so you have to make
sure that the damage is reduced and do not further put your security systems to be questioned.
 Chapter 5: Effective Study Schedule And Study Groups

The CISSP is a difficult exam. The course contents are much and in order to pass the exam on
the first attempt, you need to make sure you are studying extensively for the examination.
Extensive study is one of the most important things that is going to make you capable enough to
pass the examination. In order to cover the entire syllabus properly and with full concentration
you need to have an extensive and effective study schedule. You can also take your preparation
for exam to a next level you can buddy up with peers who are also appearing for the exam. You
can form study groups and work in those. It has a lot of benefits and greatly helps you with your
study. The details of the group study and having a proper and effective study schedule are all
given below. These tips and details would greatly help you in preparation for the exam so you
are able to pass the test on your first go. Even if you are unable to pass the exam you can still put
these details and tips to use for the next time you are planning to appear for the exam. Having an
effective study schedule is very important because there are a lot of theories of cybersecurity that
you need to cover in less time. There are 8 domains and a lot of subtopics. That is why if you
can’t master all the 8 domains, at least make sure you are well versed in 2 domains of
cybersecurity. There is going to a lot of information that you need to store in your mind. So if
you attend just a 5-day training session and think you will be able to pass the test by not studying
for it all, you are wrong you can’t pass your exam by just attending the training. There is a lot of
knowledge and you might at some point feel that your head is exploding with all the knowledge
and information. First of all, you should have knowledge about the course, what will be included
in the exam and whatnot. After that collect all the study resources and start learning and then
finally start practice tests and test yourself. Evaluate yourself based on those tests. That would
help you determine how much you know and how much you need to learn more.
EFFECTIVE STUDY SCHEDULE:

1. FORMING A STUDY SCHEDULE:

The first thing you have to do is to form a schedule for studying that you would
follow. Study schedules greatly help you manage your time and the course that will
be included in the test effectively. You don’t end up studying till the last day of your
exam but you divide all the courses and study on an everyday basis. You can start
with one hour of study every day whenever you get free time. If you are full-time
committed to the CISSP examination and have nothing much to do besides it, you
can spend a major chunk of your day while studying. Make 45 minutes’ study
periods in which you will study seriously. You would not allow any distraction to
distract you from your course during that study period. Your mind cannot
concentrate on something for more than 45 minutes so make sure you do take breaks
in between your study period. Breaks can make you feel refreshed. Your study plan
shall be such that it lets no other activity come in its way so you can study in peace.
CISSP has a lot of material that is needed to be covered. So a better approach can be
to divide the whole course into small chunks and then study every chunk one day.
This would make it easier for you to study and concentrate more on what you are
studying. You don’t have to go through all the material each day and end up mixing
the concepts you have learned.
Below is a sample 30-day plan for the CISSP exam preparation:
30-DAY PLAN:
DAY 0-2:

During the first two days of your 30-day study plan you need to plan out
what and how will you do everything. This is called the planning phase
and here you will plan your schedule. This is the most important step
which a lot of people miss and then later regret. In this step, you create a
plan which includes all the course contents of the CISSP examination.
Most of the people are confused regarding the fact that what would be
on the test, its simple everything is available but you need to compile it
and then make a study plan that would be beneficial for your preparation
for the exam. Compile all the study resources and store them in one
place so you can easily access them. There will be practice tests, books,
notebooks, study guides, etc. that are in relevance to the CISSP
examination. You need 9 weeks to get done with all the courses, one
week for each domain, and then one week for review. You can schedule
your exam any time after these 9 weeks. You can set aside 90 minutes
every day in which you will prepare for the CISSP examination, so by
the end of the 30th day, you will have studied for 45 hours and covered
all the course material for the exam.

DAY 2-10:

This is the review phase. During this phase, you would go through all
the course that is going to be the part of your CISSP exam. This phase is
to have an overview of what is going to be on the exam. You can start
gathering the important study resources and start reading them
afterward. You do not need to dive into too much detail at this point. All
you have to do is just read the front and back pages of the book, table of
contents to give you a better understanding of what is going to be on the
book. Pay special attention to any bold or italicized terms, tables,
diagrams, etc. You can highlight the words that are familiar to you. Just
read the chapter summaries and try to understand them. If there are no
summaries, try to summarize the chapters in your own words so you
know what is in a specific chapter. You can skim through the rest of the
book and don’t really dive into a lot of detail at this phase.

DAY 10-25:

This phase is your learning phase. Major learning for the exam takes
place in this phase. It would take you a little longer to get to the end of
this phase. CISSP examination is a knowledge-based test. A simpler and
better way to learn is to pretend like you are teaching it to someone else.
You should pick out a topic every day and then write as much
information as you can about it in the most simpler terms. If you find
that you are stuck at some point you can always go back to your books
and other resource material and learn it again. Come back to your topic
and continue writing again in the most simpler terms.

DAY 25-30:

This is your testing phase. During this phase, you will have to put all the
knowledge that you have gained in the past weeks to test. You should try
to take practice exams in an environment that will be similar to that of
the actual test environment. After you get done with your tests, you
should evaluate yourself based on your marks. If you feel like you are
not well informed about some specific topic, go back to it and study it
again. Learn from your mistakes. See what mistakes you have
committed in your practice exam and try not to repeat them, in the actual
test. These practice tests are a great way to prepare for the exam. The
practice tests would make you aware of any gaps that you feel your
 study has.

2. REVIEW YOUR COURSE MATERIAL:

You can use different tools that you resonate with. You can make colorful
flashcards, timelines or anything similar, etc. You can use anything that you feel is
similar to your studying style. If you are a visual learner, you can resort to making
diagrams and pictures to help you prepare well for the examination. You should
write down important points from every topic on a piece of paper, which would
really help you revise all the points and information relevant to the exam that is
important. This is a great way to review your course material. You can keep on
revising the concepts without having to carry the books and relevant course material
wherever you go.

3. PREPARE CONSIDERING THE TYPE OF EXAM:

Learning for the multiple-choice questions is different than that of the
comprehensive exams. In order to prepare well, you should take some practice tests
to better understand and have knowledge about the test. Try to recall all the
important terms and familiarize yourself with them. You have to very careful with
the timing of the exam. Make sure you do not waste your time on simple and easy
questions. You can get done with the easy questions first and then you can focus on
the lengthy and the complex ones. You would need an ample amount of time to
solve them so make sure you have enough time to solve those questions.

4. GATHER YOUR SUPPLIES:

A night before your test make sure you have all the supplies that you need to take to
the test center with you. Gather them in one place and keep them safe so you don’t
end up forgetting to take them along. This would help you avoid the test nervousness
and anxiety. If you have to take any snacks or drinks with you make sure you have
them all ready and packed. It is a long test so you would need these things. Don’t
forget to take a bottle of water with you. It won’t be allowed inside the room where
the test would be conducted but you can store your belongings in a storage room.
IMPORTANT TIPS FOR THE CISSP EXAMINATION:
In order to pass the CISSP examination exam on the first attempt, you need to make sure you
have practiced enough. The CISSP exam is 50% study and 50% practice. Your practice should
be a lot, the CISSP exam is different from all the other exams and if you want to get it passed on
the first attempt you need to make sure your practice game is strong. Time management is also a
problem that you might face during the exam. Thus during these practice exams, you should try
to solve as many questions as you can in less time.
Another important tip to pass the examination is to make sure you are fully committed to it. You
can never succeed if you are not passionate about it and not fully committed to it. Along with a
proper study plan you need full commitment to take the examination.
You should try to allocate time for study every day. Study for at least 2 to 3 hours daily. You can
skip the weekends; you can do whatever you like during those days but on the weekdays you
have to make sure that you study for the time that you have allocated for your preparation. If you
don’t feel like studying every day you can keep reminding yourself how is this examination
going to help you elevate your career and what difference would it make to it. Then you will find
yourself motivated enough to get back to study.
Another important thing is to not lose your motivation. The practice test exams are for your
practice. If you find yourself not scoring well in those tests you should not feel demotivated and
lose hope but instead, try to learn from your mistakes. You should see where you have issues and
then go back to your course books and relearn all those topics again. This would help you
identify your weak areas and how you can turn your weaknesses into your strengths.
STUDY GROUPS:
Study groups are one of the most important and supportive ways to learn. You should try to
consider studying in different study groups. You can look for the people who are about to take
the same exam as yours and then collaborate with them. If you study on your own that is your
own perspective of everything but in a study group, it’s a number of other people as well. Every
mind would come up with different questions and perspectives on one topic. You can also study
better if you are a part of a study group, if you study alone you would find yourself distracted
and not focused on your preparation. In study groups, you can study better.
BENEFITS OF A STUDY GROUP:
Here are a few benefits of the group study sessions for the preparation

1. ASKING QUESTIONS IN A STUDY GROUP:

The benefit that asking questions in a study group can have on your preparation for
the exam, nothing else can do that. You may study all the books that are relevant to
the exam but the most effective way to learn is by asking questions. You can start by
asking questions from your teachers or other fellow students. You might get to learn
something which you haven’t by asking questions related to the course. If you find
yourself in trouble with some topic, you can always reach out to your comrades who
are also going to appear for the test and let them guide you and help you understand
the topic better. Always make sure you ask questions, there is nothing wrong with
asking questions and getting answers to those questions from reliable sources.

2. SUPPORTING EACH OTHER:

If you are a part of a study group, it’s actually a group of people who are striving for
and moving towards a common goal. This would help you encourage each other if
any one of the members of the study group is feeling down or low. Sometimes you
can get a little demotivated and these members can really help you by encouraging
you. They bring back your motivation.

3. COMPARING YOUR NOTES:

A study group has multiple people who are trying to achieve one similar goal. You
can compare your notes with each other and that can help you learn some new
topics. If you have missed something important and somebody else has noted that
down, you can learn from there. It is a really good approach to learning new things
and concepts.

4. GROUP STUDIES ARE FUN:

Group studies can be fun as well. A number of people get together and prepare for an
upcoming exam. You do need breaks in between your study schedules and if you
have multiple people with you, your breaks can become entertaining. The whole
learning experience in a study group can become very enjoyable. Group studies are
fun and fulfilling as compared to studying alone on your own. That can drain you
out, so in order to not feel drained and exhausted while you study these group
members can really liven up the study group sessions.

5. DISCOVER NEW STUDY TIPS AND TRICKS:

You need to enhance and make your study routine better. If you are a part of a study
group, you would observe a variety of people following different study routines and
you would end up learning new study tips and tricks. You can then see how you can
incorporate those study tips and hacks into your own schedule and how it helps you
enhance your study timetable and methods. Organization skills and note-taking skills
are greatly improved in a study group environment.

6. YOU TEND TO LEARN FASTER IN A STUDY GROUP:

It is observed that people tend to learn faster when they are in a study group
environment rather than studying alone. If you are studying alone and you find
yourself stuck over a problem, it takes you longer to figure out a way to solve it but
if you are in a study group there would be a number of other people that would try to
help you with the problem. There is a lot of room for learning in a study group
environment, you can learn a lot from each other. You can exchange ideas. Agree
and disagree on stuff and with this group discussion and the group study becomes
very fulfilling and fruitful. If you find it hard to deal with something in a study
group, you would find solutions from your peers that you would never have thought
of. There are multiple heads in a study group and that way you can learn and cover
more study material as compared to when you are studying alone.

7. IMPROVES YOUR COMMUNCATION SKILLS:

The members of the study group are mostly from different backgrounds. When you
communicate with each other it really helps you in improving your communication
skills. It becomes easy for you to be able to talk to anyone. You become more
confident in talking to people you don’t know and it really helps you in building
your personality.

8. YOU LEARN TO RESPECT EACH OTHER’S OPINION:

Every person who is part of the group has different opinions and perspectives. You
may agree with something but one of your peers would not and disagree to that
point. This way you would learn how you can respect each other’s opinions because
no two people can think the same. Everyone has a different mindset and different
approach towards things. It is a great way to help you with understanding and
accepting each other’s perspectives even if you don’t agree with them. It is important
that you know how to respect another person’s opinion because if you don’t know
how to do that, it would result in chaos and disorganization.
TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE GROUP STUDY:
Here are a few tips that you can follow in order to make your group study effective
and fruitful:

1. FORM AN EFFECTIVE STUDY GROUP:

In order to have a better experience of studying in study groups, you need to
form a study group that is effective. Your study group should comprise at least
3 to 5 members who are striving for a similar goal. You also have to be careful
with choosing people for the study group. Make sure all the members of the
study group are committed and do their best to achieve better grades. Also, fix
a time period of at least 3 hours for your study group. If your study sessions
are an hour or less than an hour they are most likely to be rushed and you can
lose focus that way. This would not make your group study session productive
and fulfilling. You can take short breaks after every 45 minutes during your
study sessions.

2. GET YOUR HOMEWORK DONE:

You should not show up unprepared for the group study sessions. Make sure
that you have done all your homework and are fully prepared for your studies.
You should know what are you good at and what is that you find difficulty
with. Try to identify your weak areas and try to work on those with your group
members.

3. STAY FOCUSED ON YOUR GOAL DURING THE

SESSION:
You should always try to remain organized and focused in your group study
sessions. Do not sway away from the goal that has brought you and your group
members together. There may happen some disorganization in the group. You
can avoid that from happening by making a group leader. The group leader
will have to make sure that the group members remain organized and focused.
 You can choose the group leader among yourselves.

4. STUDY PLAN FOR THE GROUP SESSION:

You should have a study plan for the group study session. This is essential
because that way you would know what course material will you cover on a
specific day. Everything would remain organized because of the study plan
that you have come up with. You should plan ahead of time to make your
group study sessions effective and productive. You know that the CISSP
examination course has a lot of topics that you have to cover, you can ease that
by assigning a topic to each of the group members, and that way you can help
each other with the topic that you have prepared. You should always help and
seek help from others as well. Never shy away from either giving help to
others or seeking it from them. This would do you a lot of good and your
group study sessions will be more effective, fulfilling, and organized.

5. MEETING PLACES SHALL BE APPROPRIATE:

Don’t meet your peers for group study sessions at cafes and restaurants. Meet
at quiet places so you can focus and concentrate on your course material and
your preparation. You can meet in study rooms or libraries, these places are
usually quiet and you can study well. Also, the meeting place shall lie
somewhere midway so that all the members of the group can come there
without any problem.
Another important thing that you can do to make your study sessions effective and productive is
to do an overview of the course material at the start of a study session and then a wrap-up
towards an end. That shouldn’t be detailed but just a summary of what was done in the session
before and the session today. To maintain peace and order of the group try to not distract your
team members by leaving the study session again and again. Try to not eat while you study. You
can eat during your breaks. Do not take very long breaks but try to make them as short as
possible so you don’t waste your time.
 Chapter 6: Exam Strategies And How To Utilize Exam
Resources

EXAM STRATEGY:
Before you appear for your examination, make sure you have a strategy prepared well for the
examination. It is very important to approach the exam with a proper strategy. It helps you with
the whole exam. It helps you manage your time properly so that you can solve every question
without wasting much of your time. The exam strategy for the CISSP is simple yet effective.
You can start over by solving the questions you are 100 percent sure about. First, solve those and
then move on to the others. This way you would not waste a lot of your time. You have already
prepared for the exam so obviously, you would know the questions you are solving. The
questions which you are sure about and are easy and simple would not take long to solve so
naturally you would be left with ample time so you could attempt the complex and lengthy ones.
As it is multiple choice questions you wouldn’t take long to complete them. If you feel like you
are familiar with some questions but don’t know the exact answer, you can start by eliminating
the obvious wrong options and then try to find out the right one. By eliminating the wrong ones
would make it easier for you to choose among the ones that are left. Try not to answer any
questions from the engineer’s point of view. This exam is mostly for the managers. So try to
answer the questions with the point of view that a manager would have about something. A
common mistake that people make is that they don’t pay attention to the questions and forget that
the exam has questions that are supposed to be answered from the point of view and perspective
of a manager. Try to collect as many questions as you can. This would also give you an insight
into how the test would be. Try searching for the questions on different online resources and then
after you are done with your preparation you can start with the practice tests. Practice tests are
key to passing the test on the first attempt.
EXAM STRATEGIES:
Here are a few other strategies that you could try to use to approach the examination:

1. REVISE YOUR COURSE:

If you are appearing for a test the most important thing you have to do is to prepare
for it. You cannot expect that your paper would go well if you haven’t prepared for
it. So the first and foremost thing is to prepare well for the exam you are about to
take. No matter how many strategies for taking exams you may come up with but if
you are not prepared with the course, nothing in the world could save your day. So
make sure you are completely prepared. You have revised your course before you
appear for your examination.

2. DON’T FOCUS ON THE PREVIOUS ANSWER:

After you attempt a question, forget that and move on to the next one. If you would
keep on concentrating on the previous one you would end up getting confused and
your mind would not be focused on the one you are attempting next. Thus it is
 advised to just let the previous one go after you have attempted it and focus your
mind on the next one.

3. TRY TO REMEMBER BY EASY NAMES:

If there are concepts that you might hard in remembering during the exam, you could
instead use simple words for it or use mnemonics. Mnemonics are a great alternative
to recall a list of sections in a topic. Like you can remember the OSI reference model
layers by, “Please Do Not Throw Sausage Pizza Away”.

4. SET A GOAL:
You should try to set a goal of answering as many questions as you can in the given
time with proper deliberation. This would really be helpful for you because if you
would be answering and solving questions according to the division of time for each
section you would feel confident and motivated.

5. PAY ATTENTION TO THE LAST MINUTE INSTRUCTIONS:

You need to pay special attention to the instructions given at the very last moments by
the test administrator. The administrator may be explaining the test a little, or maybe
explaining rules and regulations that you do not want to miss. So make sure you are
paying attention to those instructions. These instructions that are given at the last
minute before the examination if are not listened to by you carefully, might increase
your test anxiety.

6. MEMORY DUMP:
Just as you are about to start your test, write down all those things which you might
forget. Pen them down and then whenever you would need them you can get back to
it. Write down all the important dates, equations and formulas, etc. with you before
you start to attempt your exam.

7. ARRIVE EARLY:
Try to arrive at the test center early, it is a good practice. You won’t be rushing
everything in the morning. You would have enough time to do everything with
patience. You will be better focused on the test that you are about to take, thus make
sure to arrive early and have some time to relax your mind.

8. MANAGE YOUR TIME WELL:

Time management is essential during the exam. You need to manage your time well
so you don’t have to rush your paper during the final minutes of your exam. You will
do everything with proper attention if you manage your time properly. So try to be
efficient with your time management. Solve the easy and simple questions first and
then go for the complex ones. Don’t spend too much time attempting the easy ones.
You would be left with less time by the time you are about to attempt the complex
questions.

9. FIRST ANSWERS ARE USUALLY CORRECT:

Usually when the first answer that pops into your mind is the right one. Trust your gut
instinct and choose the answer which came into your mind. You can use this strategy
if you are confused about some questions. First, you should try to appear in the exam
well prepared but if in case you are stuck in some question. This way you would not
waste time on one question and can quickly move to the next one saving you some
time.

10. STAY RELEVANT:

Always answer the questions according to what you are asked. Don’t go for irrelevant
details. Stick closely to the topic and don’t go over the board with irrelevant details.

11. DON’T LEAVE THE TEST ROOM EARLY:

Even if you think you are done with the exam, still do not leave the room. Keep sitting
and revise your paper again and again. You may end up finding some mistakes that
you can fix. You can keep thinking and remember some answers. So do not leave your
room so early. Check your exam for any possible mistakes and errors.

12. TRY TO STAY HYDRATED:

You should take water breaks. Try to remain hydrated, this may seem unimportant but
it is actually not. It is important for you to try to keep your water bottle close to you. It
will stop you from being dizzy and sleepy, you will stay fresh and awake.

13. MAKE YOURSELF NOTES:

You should keep making notes. Write all the important points on a paper and you can
revise them whenever you want. It would help you remember all the important things
that are important and should not forget.

14. REMAIN CONFIDENT:

Try not to lose your confidence and become nervous before the test. Also, try not to
become over-confident. Keep your confidence in check. If you become over-confident
and you think you know a lot about the cybersecurity domains that are part of your
syllabus. There is still a lot you don’t know. Prepare well and go through each domain
in detail and master at least 2 to 3 completely if not all of them.
EXAM RESOURCES:
There are a lot of exam resources available online. You just need to know what they are and how
can they help you prepare well for the exam. The most common exam resources that are
available on the internet to help you prepare for your exam are:
The Sybex book “CISSP Certified Information Systems Security Professional Official Study
Guide” and the CISSP Official (ISC)2 Practice Tests book are the two books that can help you a
lot for preparing for your exam. These books have been recommended by those who have passed
the CISSP examination in the first attempt. This first book is the official guide which has over
1000 pages and 21 chapters. These 21 chapters cover all the important and relevant topics that
will be a part of the exam. It has details of all the 8 domains of cybersecurity.
The second book is a practice book. It has around 400 pages and 12 chapters. These chapters
have practice test questions. These practice test questions are included from all the eight domains
of cybersecurity. These books are really helpful and prepare you a great deal for the examination.
But if you see you will find out that the CISSP course content and study material gets updates
every once in a while. Thus before you buy the books for test preparation make sure they are
according to the updated course material. You will face issues if you do not buy the books that
are according to the updated course material. These books are easily available on amazon. You
can purchase these books for yourself from Amazon.
Practice books are as important as the main study book. The practice books help you prepare for
the test in a way that nothing else can. You solve the questions and you become well prepared
for the exam. You then know what type of questions can come in the exam. While solving the
practice papers you can also practice your time management skills for exams. You can try to
solve as many questions as you can and also try to follow your exam strategy. This way you will
be comfortable with all these things on the day of the exam.
HOW CAN YOU UTILIZE THESE RESOURCES?
You know now what books can help you. Now the important question is how can you utilize
these resources and take the maximum benefit out of them. You can start with properly studying
the books. Look for every detail that may deem important. Don’t leave out anything because
everything is important. Skipping can decrease your chances of solving more questions. You can
also look for online resources and watch some YouTube videos regarding whatever topic you
want. You can find very good quality videos on YouTube about cybersecurity. There are also
other guides that are really helpful in making you gain a better understanding of the course and
other things that you should know. From this, you will learn that if you find any option to a
question that speaks of human safety, you know that would be the correct one. 99 percent of the
time such answers are the correct option for you to choose because the CISSP exam is conducted
from the manager’s point of view. And the managers are concerned about safety more. You also
have to see if you are answering the questions from the point of view of a manager.
Try to have a better understanding of the course material and other things that are relevant to the
exam as well. Another thing that you can do is to get in touch with someone who has appeared
for this examination and knows their way through everything. You can also get in touch with
alumni who have scored great marks when they attempted the CISSP examination. Your study
groups would also make it easier for you to utilize the study resources efficiently and effectively.
Study groups are a great way to prepare for the exam. You get to meet people with different
perspectives and backgrounds. Everyone has a different approach towards things, this way you
will be able to discover new learning skills and methodologies. Incorporating those skills and
methodologies into your study regimen can really help you with preparing for the exam and
constructively utilizing the available course material. This would give you in-depth and detailed
knowledge. Thus, try utilizing the resources that are available to the best of your potential. If you
can go the extra mile, you should that would increase your chances to score better in the
examination.
 Chapter 7: Preparation Before Exam

CISSP examination is conducted for certification as a professional in cybersecurity.

Cybersecurity is the need of the day. The amount of data that the organizations have has
increased multiple folds. You need to make sure that the data remains protected and secure from
any malicious attack that can attempt to comprise it. The CISSP exam is a 6-hour long exam that
covers the 8 domains of cybersecurity.
Before you appear for your examination, you need to keep a few things in mind. You need to
have a proper understanding of what the test is going to be about. You need to have enough
knowledge about everything. You should be well informed about all the rules and regulations
and make sure you follow them. You should be well prepared as long as the course for the
examination is concerned.
CISSP COMPUTERIZED ADAPTIVE TEST:
You need to familiarize yourself with everything beforehand. You should be familiar with the
computerized adaptive test. The computerized adaptive tests are common for English language
candidates. These exams are conducted by the CISSP worldwide. The computerized adaptive test
is somewhat similar to the linear CISSP examinations. The course contents for both the
examinations are the same. The percentages of courses that are included in both the CISSP linear
examination and the computerized adaptive test are similar. The only difference between the two
is that the computerized adaptive test is a little precise and efficiently evaluates your competency
and knowledge. Before you appear for the examination you should know the difference between
the two and also know which one better suits you to attempt. Accordingly, make a decision if
you want to opt for the linear CISSP examination or the computerized adaptive test.
RESCHEDULING AND CANCELLING OF THE EXAMINATION:
You should be well aware of all the CISSP policies for rescheduling or canceling the exam as a
whole. Having better knowledge of all these things would make you able to decide what is best
for you. You would end up doing everything efficiently and won't waste your time.
Firstly, you should be very mindful of choosing when to schedule your test at the time of
registration for your examination. At the registration time, you are given the liberty to choose
when and where you would like to give your examination. But just in case you want to
reschedule you should know about the process or rescheduling. After you register for your
examination with the Pearson VUE you are given a time of 365 days in which you can
reschedule for your exam. If you wish to reschedule or cancel your examination you need to
make an appointment with the Pearson VUE. You need to contact the Pearson VUE at least 48
hours before your examination and let him know that you want to cancel or reschedule. 48 hours
are required in case you are rescheduling or canceling your examination online, if you are
rescheduling or canceling on the phone you need to contact the Pearson VUE at least 24 hours
before the examination. The reschedule fee is $50 and the cancellation fee is $100. If you
reschedule the Pearson VUE would deduct $50 from your examination fee and if you wish to
cancel, then the Pearson VUE would deduct a 100 bucks. In case a time frame of 365 days has
passed from your initial scheduling of the test and you did not appear, you would not be refunded
any admission fee. Thus, you should appear within the given time of 365 days for the
examination. You need to know all these things before the test. It is a part of your exam
preparation. Along with your course contents you also need to know about all these things. They
are as important as your course for the examination.
KEEP AN EYE ON THE UPDATES REGARDING EXAMINATION:
There would be multiple updates that you need to keep an eye on before your examination. You
should be aware of them, they are important. Keep checking the website for any latest updates
regarding the examination. Turn on your mobile updates so you get updated on time. Multiple
times updates regarding the examination are announced so make sure you remain updated.
REVISE YOUR COURSE:
Another important, in fact, the most important thing to do is to prepare well for your
examination. You should have knowledge about all the course contents. Keep searching for the
relevant material online, read books, and study thoroughly for the exam. You should revise all
the important concepts and topics before you appear for the examination. The test is divided into
different sections each based on the 8 domains of cybersecurity. You should prepare for all the
sections. If you miss out on any of the 8, you would end up losing marks. You cannot afford
losing marks thus you need to make sure you are well prepared for the examination.
Cybersecurity is a vast topic. It keeps on evolving as technology evolves. Not just the books but
you also need to carry out your own research regarding all the latest technologies and trends that
have been introduced with the everyday evolving technology. You should look up for them and
know all the trends and technologies that are in relevance to the cybersecurity domains. The
exam also has 25 pre-test items. Those pre-test items are from the course contents. Thus you
need to make sure that you have researched the pre-tests because they are for research purposes.
These pre-test items are not identified. Thus, you must answer all the items to the best of your
abilities. This is all to check your competency and your abilities, thus try to have knowledge of
them and then make sure you do your best. If you work hard and do your best, there would be
nothing that would stop you from passing the CISSP examination of cybersecurity in the first
attempt.
You should get ready for the assessment of your knowledge and abilities in your examination. If
you go through the course outline and understand it, it would be able to make you decide on
what cybersecurity skills and domains you need to work on and master them finally. Another
important thing you need to do is to make sure that you are familiarized with all the scoring and
testing of the examination. You should know details of how is the scoring and testing done in the
examination. You also need to see and review what language you want your test to be taken in.
For that purpose, review the candidate information bulletin by the (ISC)2. All the additional
information that you wish to know would be stated in that candidate information bulletin. (ISC)2
provides with all the information that is necessary for the candidates but you have to learn how
to access that information.
REQUEST FOR SPECIAL ACCOMODATIONS:
If you need you can apply for the (ISC)2 special accommodations. These special
accommodations provided by the (ISC)2 are reasonable and appropriate, these are provided
when the candidate requests for it. If you want to request the special accommodations for your
test you need to fill out an application form for accommodation and then return it back to the
(ISC)2. The form is needed to be returned prior to the examination. The information that is
required to be added in the form is mentioned below:

You need to mention your exam location as per your convenience.

You would be required to have the documents that are needed and support your
request for accommodation.
You would also need to fill out the details of the accommodation that you are
requesting for.
Also you have to mention about the exam that you are about to take.
The special accommodations for the test are individualized. They are dealt with case by case.
After the case for special accommodations is dealt with and reviewed by the team it is forwarded
to the Pearson VUE accommodations. The information from the (ISC)2 to the Pearson VUE
regarding the special accommodations for the candidates would take at least 2 to 3 business days.
You need to make a call to the Pearson VUE after a few days and schedule your exam
accordingly. Before you contact the Pearson VUE, it is advised you first call the (ISC)2. Refrain
from scheduling the test with the Pearson VUE website or through the main phone line that has
been registered. These special accommodations for the candidates are with the purpose of having
them get full access to the test. These special accommodations do not help you with scoring well
and improved scores or give you the guarantee of your test completion.
Carry out your research on this topic as well, you should be aware of all the things that are in
relevance to your examination. Having knowledge of all the details before you appear for your
examination is going to allow you to not waste any time on the test day. All these things are
supposed to be done before the test day. You need to come with a fresh and relaxed mind on
your test day so you can give your exam well. Thus make sure you are fully prepared course
content-wise and also have knowledge about other relevant details to the test before your
examination is conducted.
 Chapter 8: The Day Of Your Examination

The first thing that you should do on the day of the exam is to relax. You need not panic but be
calm and hope for the best. Do not panic and start getting anxious because that would make you
forget all that you have prepared. You should be well prepared for your exam. Make sure you
have gone through all the syllabus that is included in the examination. Along with your syllabus,
you need to have knowledge about all the relevant details about the examination.
There are a few things that you should do before the day of your examination.

1. PREPARE YOUR SYLLABUS WELL:

It is very important that you are well prepared with all the courses from which the
exam will be conducted. You should properly prepare your course. Revise all the
topics which are a part of the exam. Go in detail through all the 8 domains of
cybersecurity which the examination comprises of. Your preparation for the exam is
 very important. You should do that very well.

2. DO NOT PANIC DURING THE EXAM:

Another important thing you should do is not panic. Panic can cause you great
damage. You would lose grip on your understanding and knowledge regarding the
exam thus make sure to stay calm and relaxed. The relaxed state of mind is going to
guide you to the road to success.

3. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF ALL

THE RELEVANT INFORMATION:
Before you sit to attempt your test you should make sure that you have an
understanding of all the relevant details regarding the examination. You have an
understanding of all the rules and regulations regarding your examination. It is very
important because otherwise, you would be in a constantly confused state. This
confused state would waste your time that you should instead be spending on your
test. Thus make all the preparations beforehand so you don’t have to keep running
after everything at the very last moment.

4. HAVE A GOOD NIGHT SLEEP A NIGHT BEFORE:

You need to be fresh on the day of your examination. You need to be as fresh as
possible. You should try to sleep early one night before the exam so you have 8
hours of sleep. If your sleep cycle is not right you would feel dizzy and clumsy while
doing the test. You would keep on yawning and not be able to concentrate on your
test. Thus you should make sure that your sleep cycle is fixed. You should try to get
at least 8 to 1 0hours of sleep a night before. A good night's sleep is something that
would drive you through your exam day. Your brain needs rest and due to your
constant study schedules, it would be craving the rest that is needed for it to function
well. So to have a better grip over your exam you should make sure you sleep for 8
to 10 hours a night before the examination. Avoid any study during that time.

EXAM DAY PREPARATIONS:

You should know about everything in advance. You should know the whole procedure of the
test. Try to limit the exam day surprises. Be prepared for everything that is going to happen.
Let’s start with when you wake up on the day of your exam.
TAKE A WALK:
It is the day of the test. You have been preparing for this for a long now. After weeks and months
of extensive and exhaustive study, it is finally the day when you would give the exam. You
should start the day on a happy note. Wake up early and go out for a nice walk. The effect this
walk would have on your mind would be amazing and fresh. A walk in the fresh air outside
would make you feel fresh like a daisy. It would make your mind feel at peace. So you should go
out and have a little walk.
EXERCISE:
If you cannot go out for a walk, try to do some light exercises to feel fresh. A few moves of
exercise aren’t hurting anybody. You should do some physical activity on the morning of your
examination.
MAKE YOURSELF THE BREAKFAST YOU ENJOY:
You should have breakfast on the day of your examination.
It is highly not advised for you to skip breakfast on the day when you need it the most. You can
have something that you enjoy eating. The examination hours would be long and extensive thus
you should make sure you eat from your home. This way you would not waste your time and
take breaks from the exam to eat food.
THE TEST CENTER:
You should leave for your test center on time. Wake up early and then leave for the center early
so you can reach on time. Keep all the relevant documents in check. Make sure you have all the
important documents that you might be needed for the examination. When you reach the test
center, do not forget to take pieces that confirm your ID. You can prove your ID by either
providing a signature or provide a palm vein scan. A palm vein scan can only be provided if it is
approved by the laws. After proving your ID, you need to have a photo taken. You should not
wear any hat or coat while you are taking a photo. Also, you are not allowed to carry any of your
personal belongings to the room where your test would be conducted. You need to take off your
coats, hats, scarves, etc. outside the test room because they are not allowed to be worn inside.
The Pearson VUE doesn’t guarantee the safety of your personal belongings. Although you will
be given access to secure storage spaces. These storage places are small and tiny so you should
make sure that you do not carry any huge items with you.
Afterward, you will be directed to the test room. The Test Administrator would first give you a
brief introduction and carry out an orientation process. After the orientation by the Test
Administrator, you will be taken to the computer terminal where you would give your test.
Before you start your examination, you will be given 5 minutes to review and accept the non-
disclosure agreement. If you do not accept the non-disclosure agreement (NDA) you would not
be allowed to take the test. If you want to take the test you should sign the non-disclosure
agreement before you start. By not signing the non-disclosure agreement you would not be
allowed to claim for the fee refund. The examination fee will not be refunded back to you.

DOCUMENTS YOU NEED TO BRING ALONG:

You need to bring some documents alongside you when you come for the test to the testing
facility. The first and the most important thing that you have to bring along is an ID. You need to
have a primary ID and a secondary ID. These IDs are necessary. You would also be asked for a
palm vein scan before you enter the testing facility. If you do not prove your identity you would
not be allowed to take your cybersecurity examination.
The ID’s that you will have to bring alongside need not to be expired. They should be valid and
legitimate IDs. The documents that you would bring with you need to original and authentic. As
far as the IDs are concerned you need to have a photo of you on your primary ID. The photo on
your primary ID should be fixed in the document. It should also have your signature. The
secondary ID on the other hand needs to have a signature whereas the primary ID needs to have
both the picture and signature.
The accepted primary IDs could be your identification card, birth certificate, driver’s license,
passport, military ID, employee ID, school ID, credit card, military ID for spouse and
dependents, etc.
The accepted secondary ID could be your credit card, ATM card, debit card, U.S social security
card, etc.
A credit card could be used as your primary ID and secondary ID both, primary ID is anything
that has your photo and signature and is valid. So if your credit card has both the picture and
credit card it could be used as your primary ID. In fact, any card or piece of document which has
both your picture and photo can be used as your primary ID. Both the primary and the secondary
IDs are supposed to valid and not expired, they would not be accepted if they are expired.
BREAKS DURING EXAM:
You should keep remaining in your seat. If the Team Administrator says that it’s okay to leave
your seat and get up, only then you should leave your seat else be seated. If you want to go to the
restroom you would be escorted by the team administrator. You will not be allowed to leave
alone. You will have someone to come with you. You will not be allowed to change your
terminal because that is also something that is not allowed. If there is some issue with the
computer terminal you are using to give your test you can change it then, only as per the
direction of the Test Administrator (TA).
ASSISTANCE DURING THE EXAMINATION:
You should behave well with the staff that is working in the test center where you are giving
your examination. You should not misbehave or create any unnecessary scenes in the test center.
You should follow the rules. Make sure you know all the rules that are supposed to be followed
at the examination center. If just in case you need something or want to leave your seat, raise
your hand. Leave your seat only when the Test Administrator allows you to do so. Remain
silently seated if he doesn’t allow. You can raise your hand and let your administrator know if
there is an issue with your computer terminal if you need something, need the Team
Administrator’s assistance, want to have a break.
BREAKS DURING EXAMINATION:
The number of breaks that you can take during your test is as per your choice. There is no hard
and fast rule regarding the number of breaks that you can take during your test. But you have to
keep one thing in mind and that is that no matter how many times you take breaks, all those
breaks would count against your time. The time required for you to complete the examination is
6 hours and you have to get done with it in 6 hours. So when you take a break your clock doesn’t
stop but keeps on ticking. You should try not to take too many breaks until absolutely necessary.
When you take a break you end up wasting your time and that is something you do not afford.
You have to leave the room in which the test is being conducted. You cannot stay there if you
want to go on a break. You would be required a palm vein scan before and after each break of
yours. You will be allowed to leave the test room only not the test center. You have to remain on
the premises on which the test is conducted. During your break, you would not be allowed to
touch or use your personal belongings. You can only access your personal belongings if you
want to take any medication etc. else you do not have to access them. You would also not be
given any permission to access your mobile phone and other electronic devices.
ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH YOU WOULD BE TAKING EXAM:
The test center would have many tests conducting at the same time. Not all people will be doing
the same test as yours. The Pearson VUE administrator would be conducting multiple tests at the
same center. The people in the same room as you may be giving some comprehensive exam.
Some may be responding to the questions. Such as essays would be responsive. Thus there
would be noise in the room. You cannot control the environment of the room in which you
would be giving the test. Noises would also be generated from the typing of people on the
keyboards. You should get used to it because those are the noises that are made in every test
center.
Though you can request the noise-canceling hands-free or earplugs. That way the noises would
not be heard by you and you can carry on with your test in peace.
POST EXAM:
After you finish your test you would not just abruptly stand and start shouting that you are done
because there would be other people who would be giving theirs in the same room and you
should avoid disturbing them. You should not go to the Team Administrator directly, instead,
you should raise your hand to notify the Team Administrator to come to you. After the Team
Administrator comes you should let him know that you are done with your exam. You should
leave the premises after you get done with your examination. But if you think there had been
some irregularity with your exam or you felt like the testing conditions and environment has
negatively affected your exam you should talk to the Team Administrator immediately. Do not
leave the premises before you talk to them. No queries would be entertained if you leave and
then come to discuss about the irregularities with your exam. You can leave after you sort
everything regarding your paper.
RARE TECHNICAL PROBLEMS:
Very rarely, but there could arise some technical problems in your test center. If any problem,
comes up at your testing facility you can always reschedule your examination. In normal
circumstances, if you want to reschedule your examination you have to notify the Pearson VUE
at least 48 hours prior to the test on the online website and 24 hours prior to a telephone call. But
if there comes a problem then you would be given the option of a reschedule. If the problem that
has come up takes longer than 30 minutes of your appointed time for the examination you can
reschedule. If during the exam any technical issue arises and it takes longer than 30 minutes to
resolve you would be given the option to wait and continue or reschedule it for some other time.
In these circumstances, no additional fee for rescheduling would be demanded from you. If you
choose to continue your exam with the delay, then your results for that exam will be counted and
there would be no recourse. But If you choose to cancel your test you would be allowed to
reschedule with no extra fee.
If any problem comes up before the appointed time of your examination which would acquire
some time to fix, the team would contact you beforehand and let you know. Because your time is
valuable and can’t just be wasted like this.

THINGS THAT ARE NOT ALLOWED INSIDE THE TESTING FACILITY:

The things that you are supposed to bring with you have been discussed earlier, now we shall
discuss those things which are prohibited inside the testing facility. You should not bring any
weapon with you to the testing facility. In case you do you have a weapon or something which
resembles a weapon you would be asked to store it in your car. If you did not drive to the testing
facility, then you would be asked to store it with your other belongings. Weapons are only
allowed for those people who are there to ensure security. That is because they are performing
their duties. You are still not allowed to bring a weapon if you are some security personnel
yourself who has an exam scheduled.

ANOTHER IMPORTANT UPDATE:

You need to make sure that you are writing your name correctly. You have to register that first
and last name with the Pearson VUE that is written on your ID card. If your names on the ID
card and the one that is registered with the Pearson VUE do not match you would not be allowed
to take the exam.
If your name has been changed legally, you need to present the official papers to prove it to the
Test Administrator. Not all sorts of documents shall be accepted by the Pearson VUE but only
divorce decrees, marriage licenses, and the court documents for the name change. If your names
on the ID card and that registered with the Pearson VUE are different you need to change them
before the test day. Such matters shall not be addressed on the test day and you will be asked to
leave.
LATE ARRIVAL AND ABSENTEE POLICIES:
Firstly, you should try your best to arrive on time. You should leave your house early to arrive on
time. If just in case, you arrive late or do not appear at all you have to face its consequences.
If you come 15 minutes later than your appointed time for the examination, you will be
considered late. It would then be up to the Pearson VUE to allow you to take the test or not, that
decision will be made in the wake if not affecting other people who are taking tests. The Pearson
VUE will try to accommodate you on your late arrival but if there are no seats available they will
have to send you away.
In case you get late or do not appear at all you would appear to be a no-show candidate in the
system and you would be in a position to demand your examination fee. Thus in order to avoid
such a situation, you need to arrive approximately 30 minutes before the start time of your test. It
would also help you relax so you can perform better on your test. You may feel nervous or
terrified if you get late and rush everything in the morning. Feeling like everything is being
rushed can increase your test anxiety as well.
CHEATING DURING EXAM:
If you are found cheating during your exam, strict actions shall be taken and if you caught
anybody else cheating strict action shall be taken for them as well. You should feel this as your
responsibility that if you find or catch someone cheating during the exam report immediately.
 Chapter 9: After The Examination Is Conducted

Just as there are important steps to keep in mind before the examination and during your
examination, there are a few things s which you need to take care of after your exam is
conducted. At the checkout time, your Pearson VUE would provide you with the unofficial
results of the examination, afterwards official results would be emailed to you. If you have
passed your examination you would be further guided on how you could complete your
certification process.
RESULT POLICY:
(ISC)2 has strict result policies. Before the pass or fail score is established, detailed and thorough
statistics are done on the score data. The statistical analysis would need a minimum number of
candidates. It’s considered to be a very exhaustive and critical process, if the number of people
who took the test is more, more time would be needed to compile the result. The result could
take at least 6 to 8 weeks. The result that would be provided to you during your checkout time is
going to be an unofficial result. The official result would not be provided right away instead it
would be emailed to you after the statistical analysis on the score data. The unofficial result at
the checkout time will be given to you by the Pearson VUE. The official results would take a
long to be compiled because of the number of people who appeared for the test. If during the
statistical evaluation your score is being affected, you will be notified by (ISC)2. Be very careful
and mindful when you are taking your examination. If any irregularity is found before, during, or
after your exam you would have to face serious consequences that could affect your overall
result. If any irregularity is suspected, the (ISC)2 will have to look over the situation and then
take action accordingly. This could possibly result in either not grading the compromised paper
or canceling the complete result. Whatever may deem appropriate to the higher authorities, such
would be the actions taken.
It can also affect all the previous certifications that you have done, (ISC)2 can revoke all your
previous certifications. Nor would they just revoke your previous certifications but also ban you
from appearing into other certifications in the future.

THE POLICY FOR RETAKE:

The retake policy for the examination would allow you some liberty. You would be given test-
free days between the test and the retake test. You can further strengthen your concepts and
make sure to prepare well for the examination during those days which you would get for the
retake. It is a golden chance to work on your shortcomings in the previously conducted test and
use them to your advantage.
You can have multiple attempts to pass the examination. After the first take on the exam, you
could retake the exam after thirty days. Those thirty days would be test free-days. If you fail the
exam the second time and do not qualify for the certification you can retest after 60 days from
the previous attempt. If you don’t pass the exam for the third time you would be given 90 days
from the previous attempt to reappear for the exam again. After the third attempt, you can always
reappear for the exams 90 days after the most recent attempt.

CERTIFICATION PROCESS:
After you are emailed your official results and you pass the exam, you could move on to the next
step and that is your certification. You can begin with the endorsement process. This
endorsement would show if you are eligible for the certification or not. It would have
information about your test results and the relevant job experience to show if you qualify for the
certification process. The application for the endorsement has to be signed digitally by an (ISC)2
certified professional. If you have no (ISC)2 certified professionals as your acquaintance, the
(ISC)2 itself would be your endorser. You would become a member of the (ISC)2 club after your
endorsement application is submitted and confirmed. You would be notified through an email
and then you can start your membership cycle by paying your annual maintenance fee or AMF.
This annual maintenance fee is important for you to pay so you can be a member of the
community.

YOU CAN APPLY FOR RECERTIFICATION:

If your certification or designation is suspended, you can reinstate it back by paying all the
outstanding dues that are important for you to pay. You need to pay all your annual maintenance
fees and CPE credits as well. The maintenance fee has to be paid annually. If you haven’t been
paying it for the past years your certification and designation shall be suspended and the only
way to get it back or reinstate is to pay all the outstanding fee for all those years when you did
not pay. After your certification or designation gets suspended, a 90-day period would start in
which you have to pay your CPE credits and the Annual maintenance fee or AMF. The 90-day
time period is called the grace period. The time for which you can remain suspended can go up
to 2 years. If the members are suspended for two consecutive years they have to recertify
themselves. Yes, they are not asked to get retested as a recognition of their expert skills but they
are asked to pay the reinstatement fee of U.S $600. They just have to pay the money for
recertification rather than investing their time and energies for getting tested again.
If the outstanding dues are not cleared even after two years of suspension, all the membership
rights will be revoked and they will be terminated. If any of the terminated members want to be
reinstated, he has to appear for the test again and has to pass as well, has to take the test and also
pay a reinstatement of U.S $600.
 Chapter 10: Time Management Tips And Tricks

TIME:
Time is very precious and it shall not be wasted, there is nothing as precious as time. You need
to value time, if you will learn how to value the time you will succeed in whatever that is you are
striving for. Whatever you are striving for is the basic force that drives your passion.
TIME MANAGEMENT:
In order to become a person who does not waste their time and who can effectively get done with
all their chores on time, you need to start practicing and then slowly and gradually master the art
of time management. It all comes down to you and how well you are at managing your time.
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR TIME MANAGEMENT:
Valuing time is the sign of success, if a person values time he is considered to be a successful
person. Time waits for no one, it keeps on passing. Here are some tips and tricks that would help
you with the time management in before and during the examination.

1. SET GOALS:
You need to set your goals first. If your goal is to become a certified CISSP
professional, you need to work hard to achieve it. If you would not have goals, you
would not be able to value time. You can only learn the importance and value of
time when you have to achieve a lot when you have to strive for something you are
passionate about. The goals that you would set for yourself to achieve shall be smart.
You should try to set those goals for yourself that are attainable and measurable. You
should set goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely. You
can compare your goals with these attributes. Your goals in the case of CISSP
examination of cybersecurity are smart. Your goal to become a CISSP certified
professional should be specific, you should know what you are trying to do. It is
measurable because you can measure your success if you pass, you succeed and if
you fail you don’t, it is clear. Your goal is also attainable; it means that you can
achieve it. Your goal of being a certified cybersecurity expert is relevant nowadays
and in the future. You should set the time limit in which you wish to achieve your
goal. Once you do that it would become easy for you to attain it.

2. PRIORTIZE YOUR TASKS:

You should prioritize your tasks based on urgency and importance. Divide your tasks
and then try to attempt those tasks that are of importance and relevance. Do not
attempt to do the tasks that are of less or no importance because you would be
wasting your time. And that is not how you manage your time. You can manage your
time by prioritizing your tasks. Divide your daily tasks and then determine which
ones are to be prioritized and which ones could be done later.
You should divide the tasks into the following four categories:

IMPORTANT AND URENT:

The tasks which you think are urgent and the most important ones
should be done on first priority basis. You should not delay these tasks
and get them done as soon as possible.

IMPORTANT BUT NOT URGENT:

These are those tasks which are important but not so urgent. You can
decide as per your own convenience to get them done.

URGENT BUT NOT IMPORTANT:

If there is any task that is urgent but not important so you can ask
someone else to do them for you. You can do something else while you
hand over that task to someone else.
 NOT URGENT AND NOT IMPORTANT:

There may be tasks that are both not important nor are they expected to
be done any time soon. You can set these tasks aside and do them later
on. You do not have to leave your other important tasks to get these ones
done. You can do them later some time.

3. COMPLETE TASKS WITH IN A SPECIIC TIME:

You can try to do your tasks within a specific time limit. You should not be spending
the whole day doing one task only. Try to specify or set some time limit in which
you would do that task. This would greatly help you in managing time and getting
most of your tasks on your to-do list as soon as possible. Look at the tasks that you
need to get done with and then allocate time to each task for the day. Every task
would have allocated time in which it would get done. You wouldn’t be sitting and
laying around the hold day doing just one task and leaving all the rest behind. You
also need to allocate some time for the potential problems that could arise. You have
to deal with those potential problems thus you have to set some time aside for it so
you can deal with them and get those problems solved.

4. POMODORO TECHNIQUE FOR TIME MANAGEMENT:

Pomodoro technique is a great technique that would help you in time management. It
is one of the most effective time management techniques. The Pomodoro technique
helps you with procrastination. In the Pomodoro technique, you have to pick up a
task that you have to do. Then you can set a timer and start doing that work. Set the
timer for 25 minutes. In those 25 minutes do as much work as you can. When the
timer ends, it’s time for you to take a break of 5 minutes. Don’t take long breaks.
After the break ends you can start over the whole process again, continue to work on
the same task that is still left to be done, or pick another one if that one has finished.
Then again set a timer for 25 minutes and start working on the task. When the timer
ends, take a short break of 5 minutes. Keep on repeating the process and get done
with your tasks as much as possible. After 4 continuous pomodoros, you can take a
long break of 25 to 30 minutes. When you have set the timer for the task make sure
you do not keep on pausing it, if once it starts it has to be completed. During those
25 minutes, you will not be allowed to respond to texts, pick up your phone, attend a
call or check your emails. Concentrate on the task that you are working on. Don’t let
these distractions lose your focus. You can do all these things in your break time. If
you have a larger task to get done with and can’t be completed in 25 minutes. You
should divide them into small tasks and then do each small task in a Pomodoro. This
way you would be able to complete your tasks without any distractions in less time.
This is a great tip that you can follow to manage your time. You can also use the
Pomodoro technique to help you prepare for your CISSP examination. The course
contents are extensive and it would take you long to complete it. You can divide
each domain into small chunks and then get each chunk completed in the 25 minutes
of the Pomodoro. If you notice that any task of your that you decided on to do in
those 25 minutes’ finish early that doesn’t mean you can waste the remaining time,
 what you can do in the remaining time is to overlearn. You should keep on learning
more if your task gets finished before the timer goes off.

5. TAKE BREAKS:
In order to enhance your productivity, you should try to take breaks after you do a
task. If you keep on doing work and take no breaks you would get bored and then
won’t feel like doing anything. So take breaks in between and help you refresh your
mind. You can read a book in between or try going out for a walk.

6. TRY TO BE ORGANIZED:
You should make a to-do list every day so you are more organized and know when is
any important task coming up. It would make it easy for you to know about all the
tasks and then you can prioritize them in a proper way as well. The organization
would also help you not waste your time and you would know where your stuff is.
You won’t go searching for it everywhere. Write down all the deadlines, all the work
that is required of you so you do not waste your time. Organizing your daily tasks
and your stuff really helps you manage your time well. The benefit of writing down
the tasks and making to-do lists would make it easier for you to manage your tasks,
you would know what time you have to do what, and according to that you will get
the things done.

7. LEAVE THE UNIMPORTANT TASKS FOR LATER:

Make your to-do lists and then evaluate and see what are the important tasks and
what are the ones that are not important. When you evaluate that you can leave the
tasks that are not important for later. You need to focus on the ones that are
important and get done with them. If you see any extra and unimportant ones you
can ask someone to get them done on your behalf or do them yourself in your free
time. If you will get rid of the unimportant tasks and activities, you would get time
for the ones that are genuine and important.

8. PLAN AHEAD:
Planning ahead would greatly help you with time management. You would be able
to manage your time well. Every morning you should make lists that would let you
know if you have anything important for the day, sometimes you can get so busy and
forget to do the important work. Planning a day ahead would help you with this as
well.

RESULTS OF POOR TIME MANAGEMENT:

If you are unable to manage your time effectively you will have to face a lot of issues. Better
time management would really make your life easy. If your time management is poor, you would
face serious consequences. The consequences that you would end up facing because of your poor
time management are discussed below:
1. POOR EFFICIENCY:
Your work efficiency would become very poor if you are struggling with managing
your time. A lot of important things would be left behind incomplete and affect your
work in a negative way. If you are unable to manage your time properly while you
are preparing for your examination. It would affect your preparation very negatively.
You would not be able to cover the topics that are important from the examination
point of view. You should be mindful of the fact that all the domains have a
percentage of the course included in the examination and just because of your lack of
better time management you would see the negative impact it would have on your
results. All the domains of the cybersecurity examination course contents are equally
important and you cannot just leave some of the course behind. You have to take out
ample amount of time to learn and prepare for all the domains. All the course
contents are needed to be prepared for well.

2. YOUR PRECIOUS TIME GETS WASTED:

Time is precious and you should not waste it and realize its importance. But if you
are not good at time management you would end up finding yourself wasting your
time. You would indulge in the distractions. While working if you cannot fight
distractions that would make you waste your time a lot and you would not have
enough time to get the other things done.

3. POOR TIME MANAGEMENT CAN CAUSE ANXIETY:

If you are unable to manage your time properly you can face anxiety. If you plan
ahead and make your to-do lists for the day you can avoid this because you would
know what to do next but if you are unable to manage your time properly there
would be constant confusion on what you would be doing next. You would not be
prepared for whatever is to come next. Poor time management can make you feel
anxious and confused at all times.

4. QUALITY OF WORK WOULD SUFFER:

Poor time management can make you compromise on the quality of your work. You
would not be prepared for whatever comes next, a constant feeling of anxiety and
confusion would take over you and that would reflect on your work. It would bring
the quality of your work down. Suppose you have scheduled your CISSP
examination but get so busy with other stuff that you end up forgetting about it. You
are not prepared well for it. On the 11th hour, you realize that you have an
examination to take and you would end up rushing all the tasks that you are required
to do before your examination, which would reflect on your results and decrease
your exam score. On the other hand, if you have planned out everything, you would
be prepared for it. That way you would know when is your exam scheduled. You
would go to the test center at the appointed time and take your exam with full
preparation. So to avoid such situations you should always try to plan and know
when you have to do what. This way you wouldn’t have to face these confusing
 situations and the quality of your work would not be compromised and affected
wither. Everything would go smoothly.

5. POOR TIME MANAGEMENT REFLECTS NEGATIVELY:

Your reputation can be greatly affected if you are unable to manage your time
properly. It would reflect very negatively on your work. A client would trust you
with their work and just because you cannot manage your time well, you would get
late on delivering their work back late. Your work will be greatly affected because of
this. Your reputation in a community would be greatly affected. It would bring you
nothing but loss. When you are unable to deliver the work that the client has trusted
you with, they would definitely take their business elsewhere because everyone
wants their work to be delivered on time and you are causing delays just because you
are unable to manage your time effectively. If you are able to manage your time well
and don’t let any distractions distract you would notice a great difference in your
schedule. You would end up completing your work on the assigned time. Not just
that but you would also find some free time for yourself and you can do all the
pending work in that time. You would be successful in managing your professional
and personal work properly.
TIME MANAGEMENT BEFORE THE CISSP EXAMINATION:
Here are a few tips that can help you with time management before your CISSP examination.
You need to start with making a timetable for your preparation. It would greatly help you
manage time between the different domains from which the test will be conducted. At least a
week before your examination you should have covered the entire course that is to be included in
the test. Not just that but make sure you have solved at least 1500 Multiple Choice Questions as
a practice for the test. If you have done both these things, then you have managed your time well
and are prepared for the examination. If you haven’t done any of these or both of these, you
would have a problem and consider postponing your test until the time you are completely
prepared for the test. Before your examination when you are done preparing your course you
should get back to the practice questions, instead of solving new ones try to correct those which
you did wrong previously. This would help you prepare well for the day of the test.
TIME MANAGEMENT ON THE DAY OF EXAM:
You need to wake up early on the day of your examination. You need to manage your time
effectively so you don’t get late for your exam. (ISC)2 has very strict policies regarding late
arrival for the examination. Late arrival can also result in the cancellation of your exam with no
fee refund.
During your exam, you need to have a strategy so you can solve those questions well. Do those
which you are sure about, which may have short statements and which may seem easy to you.
Do them with proper consideration. This is important because if you waste a lot of time on these
easy ones or the ones with short statements you would be left with very little time for the MCQs
with long statements or which may seem complex. If you spend too much time on every question
you would not be able to complete your exam within the given time limit. You know you only
have six hours to complete your exam and if you take breaks in between that can decrease your
test time even more. Thus you need to divide your time among the questions and try your best to
not exceed that time. Assign the simple questions in less time and the complex ones a little more.
You should have a fast approach towards the first 50 to 60 questions, try to do them quickly so
you have time for the other ones. The first 50 to 60 questions are not that difficult they are
comparatively easy so try not to spend a lot of time on them. You should manage your time in a
way so you have enough time left for the difficult ones, you need to do some thinking for those
difficult ones so make sure you manage your time in a way to do that.
 Chapter 11. Confidence Is The Key

CONFIDENCE:
Before and during your exam all you need is confidence. You should not get terrified because of
your exam but instead, you should be confident enough about whatever you have learned for
your exam. You need to trust yourself and your preparation. Getting nervous or terrified is going
to do you no good, instead, it is going to affect your preparation and it may seem as if you have
forgotten everything you learned. If you come across a question and you do not know the answer
or have difficulty in solving it, if you are nervous you will freeze up and that will also affect the
rest of your paper. You may know the rest of the entire paper but just because you let the
nervousness and horror of the test day take its toll on you, you have very negatively impact your
test results. Nervousness shall be avoided before you sit for your exam. You should not lose
your confidence and also not let anyone else pull your morale down. Be confident about yourself
and you will ace the exam. You should try that no negative thoughts come into your mind and
interfere with your exam and its preparation.

TIPS ON REDUCING THE EXAM ANXIETY:

Here are a few tips that can help you overcome the test anxiety. Test day horror can really
adversely impact on your preparation and then the results.

1. THINK POSITIVELY:
Positivity is the key to success. You should try to do some mental exercises that
boost up your mind to have positive thoughts. Your thoughts matter. If you have
continuous bad and negative thoughts you will see how bad is that going to affect
you, on the other hand, if you think positively you would see the difference which
positivity would make. Thus make sure you are not letting any negative thoughts
bring you down. Our expectations can greatly affect our performance. If we expect a
positive outcome so the outcome will be positive but if we expect a negative
outcome, then no matter what the outcome will be negative. So have better
expectations regarding your paper. You can boost your mind into thinking positive
thoughts is by affirmations. Keep on reminding yourself that you can do and you are
enough and everything will turn out to be good. You can watch some funny movie or
show that would take all the negative thoughts out of your mind and you will start to
think positively. You should challenge yourself, if you find it hard to think positively
and you feel like the negative thoughts are taking all over you, make sure you
challenge those negative thoughts. Find ways and let them out of your mind and start
giving space to the positive ones. Positivity is the key and without positivity, you
cannot achieve anything good. Your first and foremost thing to do in order to
develop your confidence for the exam is to let positivity inside your mind.

2. YOUR PERCEPTION MATTERS:

Your perception greatly matters. You should keep reminding yourself that no matter
what you can always retake the exam. Any grade on the test would not define you
but your hard work and perseverance would do. Your increased anxiety levels can
greatly alter your results. If you are feeling confident about yourself and your
preparation you would be able to attempt the test with no negative or bad thoughts
crossing your mind. If you would think this way you would help yourself in reducing
your anxiety levels and boost your confidence.
Also when you are given the test for the first time by the test administrator you
should go through the entire test for the first time. If your preparation is complete
you would be able to recognize the easy questions. Start with the easy questions first,
which would also help you feel confident. That would make you realize that you
know the material and then slowly and gradually you can move to solve the difficult
ones.

3. CALM YOURSELF DOWN:

When you feel scared or nervous, adrenaline is released in your body which may
have some physical reactions as well, like you may feel dizzy, sweaty, shaky, etc. If
you are in such a physical condition that would not allow your brain to think
properly and you may end up feeling low and not confident about yourself. You will
feel like you have forgotten everything you prepared and now you know nothing. If
you find yourself in such a situation you need to make yourself calm down, you can
do so by taking deep breaths. When you start taking deep breaths you would bring
your heartbeat down to normal. Your breathing would get equalized and the time
you are taking for inhaling will become equal to the exhaling. Another thing that you
can do to make yourself feel calm is to walk a little. This would help you clear your
mind, pay attention to your surroundings and think positively. Don’t just worry
about your exam for some time. Stretching and relaxing your muscles can also help
your body and mind feel calmed down. Your body is in constant tension, in order to
see you should try on doing a full-body scan by focusing and concentrating on your
body parts for a few seconds. You can start from your toes and move up along
progressively. You can also stretch your hands up and behind your back so you end
up releasing some tension out of your body. You will feel much relaxed after these
practices.

4. HAVE SOMETHING TO EAT BEFORE YOUR EXAM:

You should try not to skip your breakfast on the day of the exam. Try to have
something healthy, don’t eat junk or have energy drinks because they mind end up
increasing your anxiety levels even more. Try to have a snack that is rich in protein.
Even if you don’t feel like eating something, still try to eat before you appear for the
examination.

5. HAVE A GOOD NIGHT SLEEP A NIGHT BEFORE:

You should try to have a good night's sleep before the test. Make sure you are well-
rested and not sleepy. A good night's sleep can do wonders for you, it will make your
mind fresh and relaxed. If you are running on low sleep that could cloud your mind
and you may end up doing damage to yourself. Thus, you should have at least 8 to
10 hours of sleep a night before your examination.

6. TRUST YOUR PREPARATION:

Avoid talking about the test or the preparation that you have done for it to anyone
before you take your exam. Sometimes what you can do to relieve stress off your
mind is to just not think about it or talk about it. Instead what you can do is to not
think about it for some time and let your mind relax. You should trust your
preparation and should keep on reminding yourself that you have done what was
supposed to get done. Your preparation for the exam is complete. You should avoid
going through the course and pages a few minutes before the start time of the exam.
You should shut your books and other relevant study material at least an hour before
your exam starts, give some time to your mind and body to relax because that is a
well-deserved time out of the stressful environment you have been in for the past
few days.

7. INCLUDE BREAKS:
You should try to include breaks in your study schedule because you need some time
where you can relax. That is important for your mind. Give yourself the time that
you need to relax. Do something light-hearted and fun activities in your break time.
That would really help you take the stress out of your mind and you will feel
refreshed.

8. DO YOGA AND MEDITATION:

Yoga and meditation can have amazing effects on your mind and body. The yoga
exercises are designed in a way to help you relax and feel fresh by the end. You
should regularly do yoga and meditate as well. It can help in reducing the mental
stress and strain that you may be feeling. This can also increase your focus and
concentration because the yoga exercises are designed for these purposes. Make sure
that you do not leave yoga and meditation out of your study schedule.

9. COUNSELLING:
Counseling sessions with a therapist can also help you in boosting your confidence
levels and decreasing your anxiety levels. There is no shame in getting professional
help. If you feel like nothing else can help you cope up with the anxiety and
nervousness issue, you can always go to a therapist and seek help professionally.
Therapists really go out of their way to help the patients so they are help which no
one should say no to. These counseling sessions can bring about a major change in
you.

10. SURROUND YOURSELF WIT HPOSITIVE

 PEOPLE:
You should try to hang out with those people who do not bring you down, instead
they boost your morale up so you can face anything that life throws at you. Surround
yourself with people who are confident and have higher self-esteem. They know how
to help others and don’t shy away from providing them with any help. Try spending
more time with the people who care about you, who appreciate you more. There
might be a few friends of yours that try to bring you down or do not support you in
anything that you are passionate about. They would leave no such situation out
where they would boast and talk highly of themselves and degrade you. Their
constant degradation can decrease your motivation levels and increase your anxiety
levels. After hanging out with such people you would notice a negative change
within you. But if you hang out with people who are appreciative and positive you
will notice a positive and a good change in you. You should try to stay away from
the negative and toxic people and strengthen your relationship with the strong,
positive, and good people. These people can bring about a change in your mindset
and your thought process. You would become more confident about yourself, your
self-esteem would increase. If your self-esteem rises you would love yourself for
who you are and stop criticizing yourself something which is not in your control.

11. WATCH THE CLOCK:

Sometimes if you look at the watch during the final moments of your exam and you
realize that you have little time left behind and a lot of questions to solve. Realizing
this you would become nervous about the fact that you still have questions left. You
would be left to do nothing good in those final moments because you would start to
feel anxious. In order to avoid such a situation, you should allocate time to each
question before the paper even starts. Count the questions and then divide the
allocated time for each question. What can really help you is if you allocate more
time to the complex and long questions and less time to the simpler and short ones.

12. DO YOUR OWN EXAM:

You should focus and concentrate on your own paper. Don’t look at what other
people are doing. You have done your own preparation and only you know how you
can put all that information to use. Every person has a different approach towards a
test or exam so don’t stress yourself out on what some other person is doing. Try not
to lose focus on your own paper by looking at what others are doing. Pay attention to
your questions and the pace at which you are solving them, it is better that you forget
you have other students in the class as well. Don’t let yourself get confused by
concentrating more on their exam and less on yours.

13. REACH THE TEST CENTER EARLY:

Another great tip that can help you reduce anxiety and boost up your confidence
levels is to try to come to the test center earlier than the appointed time. If you come
early than the appointed time you would get some time to get familiarized with the
environment, this would help you reduce your anxiety levels up to some extent. Try
to reach the test center at least 30 minutes before your exam. If you get late and
don’t reach the test center on time you would start to rush with everything and that
would be a reason for your anxiety and nervousness.

14. LISTENING TO SOME CALMING MUSIC:

Listening to some calming and relaxing music can help bring down your increased
anxiety levels. You can listen to the music that you enjoy the most before you start
doing your exam. Music can really be a great help in calming your mind down. Your
mind would automatically feel refreshed and calm after the music you listen to. You
can also listen to some podcasts to help you boost your confidence and reduce stress
and anxiety. Motivating podcasts are great to listen to before exams. They promote a
healthy and positive mindset and lifestyle.

15. NEVER UNDERESTIMATE YOUR POWER:

You are capable and you are powerful. You should not underestimate your power.
By doing so you would help yourself to boost up your confidence and don’t start to
feel terrified and scared before your exam.

16. DO NOT GET OVER CONFIDENT:

Confidence is good but overconfidence is bad. Overconfidence can really be an
alarming situation. If you feel too confident you would not prepare well for your
exam. Your preparation would be greatly affected by your overconfidence. Try to
keep it in check and don’t let it do any damage to you. You should try to remain
confident about yourself and your abilities, you know what you have prepared for
and how so confidence is something you require but overconfidence is unnecessary.
Overconfidence can make you sound boastful and bragging about your own self and
abilities. Try not to become overconfident because it would not do you any good in
fact you would let others bring you down and that is not a good thing to do. You
should try to remain humble and down to earth. These qualities are your key to your
success.

17. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF:

You should believe in yourself and your abilities, you know what capable of. Don’t
let others dictate you but follow all that you think is right. Have confidence in
yourself and your abilities. You are you and there is absolutely no one like you. You
are enough and you are worth it. Keep repeating the positive affirmations in your
head to help you deal with the situation. So instead of doubting your abilities learn
how to use them to your best potential. Go to the test center in a confident way and
do your best. Don’t freak out or get anxious. This would do you no good instead
affect your paper and then the results.
 Chapter 12: Perks Of A CISSP Certified Professional

CISSP CERTIFIED PROFESSIONALS:

CISSP examination by the (ISC)2 is an exam that you can take and become a certified security
professional. It is one of the most esteemed and well-recognized exams that can really help your
career a boost. CISSP examination for the security professional was introduced in 1994. This
certification is approved by the DoD. This exam can be given by anyone that may be living in
different countries of the world. This examination is available at 882 locations in 114 countries.
This exam is conducted in 8 languages; you can choose the language you want to take the test in
at your convenience. CISSP certification is considered to be one of the most important
certifications on LinkedIn. CISSP professionals after getting their certifications put their skills to
use, they are currently working in almost 170 countries all over the world. Approximately 142,
000 professionals are certified and are helping different organizations with their expertise. They
are putting all that information that they have learned while preparing for the examination to use.
It is also one of the prerequisites for the certification that you have worked a paid job for almost
5 years in any of the 8 domains of CISSP cybersecurity. This gives them the professional
experience and grooms them even more so they are able to do full-time jobs later on. Along with
the full-time job they can also give their advice regarding security issues faced by different
organizations. Cybersecurity is a huge problem that is faced by organizations nowadays and
these cybersecurity professionals help deal with those problems. They create state-of-the-art
plans and programs for the organizations to fight these cybersecurity breaches initiated by the
attackers and hackers. CISSP Computerized adaptive test has also been introduced which is short
and precise as compared to the linear cybersecurity exam. It has almost 150 multiple choice
questions. These questions are required to be solved in 3 hours. The linear exam has 250 multiple
choice questions and is 6-hour long. Course contents and syllabus for both the tests are similar,
but the percentage, of course, that is included from each domain is a little different. The
computerized adaptive test for CISSP by the (ISC)2 was introduced on December 18th, 2017.

PERKS AND BENEFITS OF A CISSP CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL:

After the candidates score enough marks to pass the test and also get the relevant job experience
they qualify for certification. After they are officially certified, they become a part of the (ISC)2
community. This community has other cybersecurity professionals as well who are certified for
the CISSP examination. They are very learned people and have years of experience in the field of
cybersecurity. When the fresh candidates become a part of this community they are exposed to a
lot of knowledge. These experts give them very great advice because they are more experienced
whereas they are freshly certified who may have information but do not have experience. Apart
from this, the certified cybersecurity professionals have a lot of other perks and benefits as well.
PERKS AND BENEFITS OF CYBERSECURITY PROFESSIONALS:
Some of the perks and benefits that these certified cybersecurity professional get after getting
associated with the (ISC)2 as members of their community are mentioned below:

1. BETTER JOB OPPORTUNITIES:

These cybersecurity professionals after getting certified and spending some time in
the company of such learned and knowledgeable people in the (ISC)2 have a raise in
their credibility and visibility. This improves their job security and they are offered
great jobs. This becomes associated with well reputed and famous organizations and
this proves to be a major step in there which helps with their career advancement.
Opportunities like these really help them get that career boost they had been craving
for and were so passionate about.

2. THEY ARE HIGHLY RESPECTED:

After becoming associated with well-known and reputable companies, people start to
respect them a lot. They have worked really hard to achieve all this that they are
getting now. They are also well respected in the business communities.

3. WORLDWIDE RECONGINTION:
After passing their exams and getting certified they become a part of a global
community of (ISC)2. The people in that community are very highly respected and
recognized for the work they do to ensure cybersecurity. After these newly certified
members join the club slowly and gradually people start to get them to know as well.
And just like that in a matter of time, they get their well-deserved recognition.
People from all over the world start to recognize them. The industries also have
strong recognition for the CISSP professionals and constantly in search of CISSP
professionals so they can hire them. Big companies like IBM, Google, etc. look for
CISSP professionals. They about their commitment, resilience, and skills so they
make sure they recognize them and give them what they deserve because these
professionals after becoming a part of their organizations do very important work for
them.

4. FREE WEBINARS AND TRAININGS:

The CISSP professionals are lucky enough to be provided free webinars and
seminars. They are given free training to keep up with the latest security trends. As
we know that the technology is evolving every day and so do the attacks of hackers
evolve. So in order to tackle them, these professionals have enough information
regarding the latest security trends that they could use to keep these hackers at bay
and ensure protection and security. Thus they are given these pieces of training by
the (ISC)2 for free. If any common individual wants to take these webinars and
training would have to pay loads of money but for the CISSP professionals, all these
are covered by the (ISC)2. It is one of the many perks that the (ISC)2 is providing its
CISSP professionals with.

5. MOST STABLE PROFESSION:

In a recent survey, it has been found out that information security is one of the most
stable IT professions. No cybersecurity professional wants to change their job or
they are not satisfied with it. They want no change in the status of their employment.
This makes information security one of the most stable IT professions.

6. HIGHER SKILLSET:
The CISSP professionals tend to have a very strong skillset. They know when and
how to put their skills to use. Their skills develop when they apply all the theoretical
information that they have learned while they prepared for the CISSP examination in
practice. These practical practices polish their skills and help them come out of their
comfort zones. When they come out of their comfort zone they start to challenge
themselves and this way they expand their skill set as a result.

7. HIGHER SALARIES:
These CISSP professionals are recruited by high-profile and giant tech industries.
Based on their knowledge and expanded skill set they are offered very good salary
packages. Their salaries are much higher than the other staff members because of the
kind of work they do. Their working hours are long and extensive. They also have a
frequent rise in their salary. The (ISC)2 members are reported to have salaries 35%
higher than that of the non-members.

8. INCREASED KNOWLEDGE:
The CISSP certified professionals possess a lot of knowledge. They are extremely
knowledgeable because of the extensive study they did while they were preparing for
their examination. They go through books and books related to cybersecurity. They
also study from other online resources and relevant material to cybersecurity. All this
study helps them have expanded knowledge. They know what they are doing
because they have learned a lot. Not just that but once they become members of the
(ISC)2 community for the certified CISSP professionals they start to spend time in
the company of very knowledgeable people, who also have a lot of experience in
their field. It also helps them with attaining knowledge regarding cybersecurity.
They get to attend the webinars and training to keep them updated about the latest
security trends and solutions. All these prove to be different sources of acquiring
knowledge.

9. DIGITAL BADGES:
The CISSP certified cybersecurity professionals are given a badge that shows their
credentials online. It is one of the most secure ways of displaying their credentials
online. This badge can be added to websites, LinkedIn, resume or social network,
 etc. to show your credentials. This badge with one click can also allow your
colleagues and employers to verify your credentials.

OTHER BENEFITS OF (ISC)2 MEMBERSHIP:

(ISC)2 membership gives you other great benefits apart from the ones stated above as well. You
are a part of an environment where you are constantly learning and growing and it doesn’t stop
because you are surrounded by people who have treasures of knowledge and you always grow
professionally in such a company.

Due to this membership you can gain free access and subscription to
the InfoSecurity Professional Magazine.
You can attain up to 50 percent discount on all the (ISC)2 books.
You will become a part of a secure online program.
You will be given many opportunities to volunteer
You will also be allowed to join a local (ISC)2 chapter and if font
want to join one but have a vision to start another one, you can do
that.
The conferences that are held in the IT industries would be at
discounted prices for the members.
Professional recognition can be attained by award programs and
ceremonies
You can also attend the free online courses for professional
development.
Apart from these the members would also get their other membership
perks from the (ISC)2.
 Conclusion

The CISSP certified professional exam is not like any other exam. It is difficult as compared to
any other exam that you might have taken up till now. You are required to have an extensive
study schedule in order to pass the test on the first attempt. Only a handful of people around the
world have passed the CISSP examination and also are done with fulfilling other requirements to
have become certified professionals at (ISC)2. Security specialists are very much required
nowadays because this is the world of the internet. More reliance on the internet has made the
devices and the data stored on them more vulnerable and prone to malicious attacks by hackers.
Cybersecurity professionals are required to design and plan the cybersecurity programs for the
organizations and individuals so they can help secure and protect their data and if any data is
compromised they are able to recover it and have backup plans to minimize the damage as much
as possible.
The CISSP cybersecurity professional exam is a 6-hour long exam with around 250 multiple
choice questions. In order to help yourself prepare well, you need to follow a proper schedule.
All the important things that you need to know and which will be of help to you in order to
qualify for the exam are all explained in great detail in this book. This book will guide you
through the entire process of test registration, exam preparation, exam conduction, and then a
guide through your certification process. The CISSP exam is conducted by keeping the point of
view of a manager. So you have to make sure you are answering the questions accordingly.
Make sure that you arrive on time for your examination. You should try to reach as soon as
possible so you can get familiarized with the environment and you can relax your mind. This
would also help you to reduce your test anxiety. A lot of people just because get nervous and
terrified before the test and end up affecting their results. You can follow the tips and tricks that
are mentioned here so you don’t end up affecting your examination results and help reduce your
anxiety. You should also try to have a good night's sleep before your test. You should sleep at
least 8 to 10 hours a night before so you wake up fresh and not feel dizzy during your exam.
These are little things that can help you a lot with the preparation and conducting of your exam.
We often forget to do them and then it shows on the test results.
Practice past papers are really helpful for your exam preparation. In order to prepare well, you
need to go through as many practice papers as you can. Try to gather as many multiple choice
questions as you can so you have an idea of how the test would look like. This is going to give
you two benefits. It will help you in the preparation as well as it would make you lower your
anxiety levels on the test day. That’s because you would know what type of questions can be
expected and how will the test format be. It will also be really helpful in the time management
aspect. By solving these past papers, you will be able to manage your time well during
examinations. Managing time during your paper is very crucial. You should try to practice all the
strategies that you plan to use during your exam.
In short, we can say that this cybersecurity examination is going to light up your future and give
your career the boost that you are striving for. It’s difficult with a lot of course material to cover
but it is not impossible. All you need is the full commitment towards it. If you are not fully
committed to it, you would not be able to concentrate on it and unable to qualify for it. Only
appear for the exam when you know you are fully committed to it.

GOOD LUCK AND DO YOUR BEST!