Tips for Taking The CISSP Exam - v1.2 - study, prepare, and take the exam

Sep 4, 2026

Practical guidance for preparing for and completing the CISSP exam, covering study planning, pacing, and preparation workflows. The tips outline how to select a manageable number of references, distribute work across domains each week, and use online tests and practice resources. It also explains logistics for registration, scheduling, test-center familiarization, and what to do the night before. During the exam, the guidance recommends time management, marking uncertain questions, taking planned breaks, and reviewing answers.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

Tips for Taking The CISSP Exam

Studying for the exam

Preparing for the exam

Taking the exam

Obtaining the CISSP certification

It is just an exam - Power of Positive Thinking

Stay with it

Tips for Taking The CISSP Exam Alfred Ouyang, CISSP-ISSEP, CISM Phone: 703.983.2548 E-mail: [aouyang@mitre.org](aouyang@mitre.org) CISSP Common Body of Knowledge Review by Alfred Ouyang is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 444 Castro Street, Suite](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 444 Castro Street, Suite)[ ](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 444 Castro Street, Suite)[900](900) , Mountain View, California, 94041, USA. Tips for Taking The CISSP Exam Topics • Studying for the exam • Preparing for the exam • Taking the exam • Obtaining the CISSP certification • It is just an exam… – Power of Positive Thinking – The exam does not define your knowledge or expertise. • Stay with it… – Don’t stop. Keep the momentum going. – Go ahead and register. Let the commitment be the driver. • Study, but no need to over-study… – One or two references are plenty. – Give yourself no more than a month after this course. – Two to three domain per week. It must be continuous. – Go to: [http://www.cccure.org](http://www.cccure.org) to take the online tests (15 min. per day.) • Register for the exam… – Go to: [https://www.isc2.org/cbt/default.aspx](https://www.isc2.org/cbt/default.aspx to search)[ to search](https://www.isc2.org/cbt/default.aspx to search) for exam schedule and test center – Go to: [http://www.pearsonvue.com/isc2/](http://www.pearsonvue.com/isc2/ to schedule a test)[ to schedule a test](http://www.pearsonvue.com/isc2/ to schedule a test) • Set up a schedule… – Four weeks before the exam… • Form a study group. • Meet one hour/day, every weekdays during lunch. • Use MITRE Lync. – A week before the exam… • Use the slide set as “flash cards”. Don’t save them, use them, mark them up. • Do a weekend drive to the test site. (Know where to park and where to stay.) – Night before the exam… • Don’t study. (You’re not going to learn anymore. ) • No distraction or stress. Be prepared. • Go to bed early. • Get familiar with CBT – Download the test tutorial & practice exam from Pearson Vue ([http://www.pearsonvue.com/athena/](http://www.pearsonvue.com/athena/)) – Take an online tour of a Pearson Professional Center ( [http://www.pearsonvue.com/ppc/](http://www.pearsonvue.com/ppc/)) • Arrive early… – One hour, if you can. (Exam starts at 0900 hour) • Bring your registration paperwork, government issued ID: Driver’s License. • Bring your snacks and drink (in covered container) . – Take your restroom break before you sign-in • Listen and follow instructions… – Your proctor will lead you through the registration process and lead you to your workstation – Get familiar with your workstation and start when you’re ready. • Take your time, but not too much time… – 1 min. per question, but no more than 2. – Mark the questions that you’re not sure on and move on. • Do take a break… – Take at least one break. Take a break after you’ve answered 75 to 100 questions. – Proctor will likely only allow one person to get up at a time. • Review your answers… 1. Review the questions that you don’t have an answer first. 2. Review rest of your answers. – Your first answer likely be the right answer. • Ignore your surroundings… – You’ll have a mix cohort (ISSEP, ISSMP, ISSAP, and SSCPare 3 hour exams.) • Notification… – You will get your test results right away – (ISC)2 will e-mail you the confirmation on next business day or two. – The hyperlink in e-mail will take you to the endorsement form. • Endorsement – Complete the application and form – Your resume/C.V. needs to illustrate 5 years of professional experience in at least two to three security

FAQs

How should time and answers be managed during the exam?

Plan roughly 1 minute per question but avoid exceeding about 2 minutes. Mark uncertain questions and move on, take at least one break after answering 75–100 questions, and review first the questions without an answer, then the rest.

Sep 4, 2026

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