(ISC)2 CISSP Official Practice Tests

by Mike Chapple

The CISSP objectives this book covered were issued in 2018. For coverage of the most recent CISSP objectives effective in April 2021, please look for the latest edition of this (ISC) 2 CISSP Certified Information Systems Security Professional Official Practice Tests, 3rd Edition ( 9781119787631). The (ISC) 2 CISSP Official Practice Tests is a major resource for CISSP candidates, providing 1300 unique practice questions. The first part of the book provides 100 questions per domain. You also have access to four unique 125-question practice exams to help you master the material. As the only official practice tests endorsed by (ISC) 2 , this book gives you the advantage of full and complete preparation. These practice tests align with the 2018 version of the exam to ensure up-to-date preparation, and are designed to cover what you'll see on exam day. Coverage Security and Risk Management, Asset Security, Security Architecture and Engineering, Communication and Network Security, Identity and Access Management (IAM), Security Assessment and Testing, Security Operations, and Software Development Security. The CISSP credential signifies a body of knowledge and a set of guaranteed skills that put you in demand in the marketplace. This book is your ticket to achieving this prestigious certification, by helping you test what you know against what you need to know. The CISSP exam is refreshed every few years to ensure that candidates are up-to-date on the latest security topics and trends. Currently-aligned preparation resources are critical, and periodic practice tests are one of the best ways to truly measure your level of understanding.

512 pages, Paperback

Published June 13, 2018

About the author

Mike Chapple, Ph.D. is teaching professor of information technology, analytics, and operations at the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business. Mike's past experience includes serving as Executive Vice President and CIO of the Brand Institute and as a cybersecurity researcher at the U.S. National Security Agency and U.S. Air Force.

Mike is a cybersecurity certification expert. His books and video courses have helped millions of students successfully pass their certification exams. He is the author of over 30 books, including the Official CISSP Study Guide and other books covering the Security+, CySA+, PenTest+, and CISM certifications.

Mike runs the CertMike.com website as a portal to his certification preparation resources, including books and video courses on LinkedIn Learning.

Reviews

[Keith Seidon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I took the CISSP exam today. It was the hardest test I ever took in my life. I've been studying for the past 7+ months, and not only memorized everything in Mike's book, but answered every test question in the book, and his supplemental book of test questions as well. To play it safe, I also purchased Mike's latest version of the book and supplemental test questions that came out earlier this year, and studied those as well. (For the record, I also read the Shawn Harris book 2X, but concentrated on Mikes's book because they're presumably ISC2 approved".)

Here's the problem. At least 50% of what Mike covered in both versions of his book did not pertain to the questions on the exam. Conversely, there were a large # of exam questions that were related to content not covered in his book. (It's likely that at least some of those questions were for testing purposes and not graded.) I did ALL of that memorization for nothing!! What's worse, the exam questions were orders of magnitude harder than any of the practice questions. In fact, I felt I was doing so poorly answering the exam questions, I was going to quit and leave the exam center to end my torture. However, I figured I may as well stay and give it a shot, but truly felt it was losing battle. I had to guess on at least 80% of the questions, and only felt confidant that I answered a few correctly. At question 100 the test ended for me, and I was certain I failed.

However, there was a little good news for me. I somehow managed to pass. (I'm still in shock). Call it a combination of being a good guesser and god was on my shoulder today. However, don't kid yourself into thinking that reading Mike's book and taking the practice tests will get you over the finish line. It's a great starting point for sure, but in my humble opinion, it may not be sufficient to pass, unless god is looking over your shoulder on exam day as well!

Good Luck!

[Dolf van der Haven · Rating 3 out of 5]

As exciting as they go, the plot of this book of practice tests is quite repetitive (all chapters consists of lists of questions with answers marked a)-d)). However, there is a fair amount of suspense in it, given that, when used properly, you will only know at the end of each chapter (by going to the answers section) how well the protagonist (you!) did.
Seriously, how well this prepared me for the exam, I will only know ten days from now - more suspense!

Edit: passed my exam, even though the actual questions are nothing like the majority of the questions in this book. The book is useful as a general preparation of the concepts, but exam questions are at a different level.

[Jack Tinker · Rating 4 out of 5]

It helped me pass the test!

[Mohammed · Rating 3 out of 5]

This outdated version of this book, however the book will give you a good practice for the exam but it is not enough.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of all the resources I used, this was the most useful.