I have five years of experience in networking, mainly data network service provisioning and troubleshooting, as well as another five years in cybersecurity, mainly incident handling, SIEM, and SOC management.

I previously earned the CCNP, CCNA, CCDA, and RHCSA certifications, but CISSP was definitely the most challenging exam I have ever taken. It had been my nightmare since I entered the cybersecurity field. I had heard many discouraging stories about people failing, including colleagues who failed multiple times.

I spent 4 months preparing. I joined a 30-hour course, completed around 2,000 practice questions, and reviewed many meaningful questions several times. Every week, I spent more than ten hours studying with intense focus and concentration.

I kept praying before the exam because I was extremely nervous.

The exam was difficult. Some people said it would start with easier questions and gradually become harder, but my experience was the opposite. It started with difficult questions, and I felt frustrated from the very first one. I expected the exam to end at around 125 questions.

I completed:

30 questions in the first hour

50 questions in the second hour

70 questions in the final hour

English is not my native language, so reading the questions quickly was another challenge. I completed the entire exam with only seconds remaining. At that point, I had no hope of passing and felt that I had used up all my energy.

After I left the examination room, the staff handed me the result.

I checked it three times.

Thank God—I could not believe that I had passed!

I want to encourage everyone preparing for the exam: do not give up, and stay focused on your goal. Nothing is impossible. You can do it!

I’ve officially provisionally passed the CISSP exam at 150 questions!
It took me a few attempts, but I never gave up. I’ve been studying on and off for nearly two years, and looking back, the journey taught me as much as the certification itself.
I started with the Destination Certification self-paced course, and Rob, John, and Lou gave me an incredibly solid foundation. They explain complex concepts in a way that’s engaging and easy to retain, which made studying much more enjoyable.
I’d also be lying if I said Dark Helmet’s Quantum Exams didn’t play a huge role in my success. Those exams absolutely humbled me—but that’s the point. They’re some of the toughest practice questions I’ve seen, and they really teach you how to think analytically like the CISSP exam expects. Having the CAT version available for practice made the experience even better.
I also found Andrew Ramdayal’s “50 Hard CISSP Questions” on YouTube extremely helpful. Watching him break down each question and explain his thought process gave me a different perspective on how to approach the exam. Peter Zerger’s YouTube content and Kelly Handerhan’s videos on Infosec Institute were also excellent resources.
Right before the exam, my company paid for a five-day Infosec CISSP bootcamp. I was fortunate to have Nicholas Valenteen as my instructor. He helped reinforce several areas where I was still struggling and gave me a confidence boost going into exam day. I finished the bootcamp on Friday and took the exam on Saturday. When I told him my plan, he laughed and called me a “wild man.”
The bottom line is this: preparing for the CISSP is hard. There were times I honestly wanted to quit. After failing, I seriously considered walking away, but one of my coworkers reminded me how close I was to passing. That encouragement kept me going, and I’m glad it did.
If you’re preparing for the CISSP, don’t give up. Don’t be afraid of failure. You might pass on your first attempt, or it might take a few tries like it did for me. Either way, every attempt teaches you something if you’re willing to learn from it.
There are a lot of great study resources available. Try different ones, experiment, and figure out what works best for your learning style. Everyone’s path is different.
Good luck to everyone who’s still on the journey. Keep pushing—you can do it!