r/cissp

Long time lurker here and recently passed the exam at 100 questions. Below are the tools I used to pass over 6 months of studying. I have just of 10 years of various IT experience.

Resources:
OSG
Andrew Ramdayal’s Udemy Course; included “50 Ultra Hard Questions” seen on YouTube
Learnzapp App (flash cards and practice questions)
Dest Cert App (flash cards and practice questions)
Infosec 6 day bootcamp and pre-bootcamp course
Dest Cert self-paced Master class (included new beta CAT Simulator at the end of course)
Boson ExSim - great explanations but more technical
Quantum Exams Non-CAT version
Skimmed Pete Zerger’s Exam Cram YouTube video night before exam
Cyber Security Cartoons YouTube channel (great for visual learners)
Claude for study strategy and timeline

The amount of tools I used was probably overkill and maybe not necessary for you but I will say Quantum Exams and DestCert simulator were the closest thing to the real thing; more so QE. The test was difficult and felt like I was failing the entire time so when it ended at 100, I assumed I failed badly. Luckily that was not the case.

I’m gearing up to take the CISSP. I’m on a strict budget and have specifically saved up just enough to cover the exam fee itself, so I need to be incredibly strategic with my study materials. I’m looking for the best high-ROI, low-cost (or free) resources available.

A bit of context: I’m in my mid-20s with 5+ years of experience as a Presales Engineer, primarily focused on SASE, EDR, and XDR architecture. Because my day-to-day involves designing technical solutions and fixing immediate problems, I know my biggest hurdle will be shifting away from the "engineer/fix-it" mindset.

I’ve seen Andrew Ramdayal heavily recommended here. Is his course the best starting point for someone on a budget?

Also, for those who transitioned from a heavy technical/presales background, how did you successfully train your brain to "think like a manager" for the scenario questions?

Appreciate any guidance!

I just retired as an ICS/OT Cyber Security professional with an active CISSP. When I retired, I didn't want to just "quit" my CISSP certification so I checked with ISC2. ISC2 has an Emeritus status where you keep your Cert # but you can't continue working as a CISSP. I worked hard to get and keep my CISSP with all the continuing education hours and training since 2014, so the Emeritus status made sense to me. Just letting everyone know and completing the CISSP is worth all the effort.

I'm currently studying for the AAISM. I've finished reading/highlighting the ORM, and I've moved on to Destination AAISM. My plan is to take 5 CPEs for each book read. But I'm obviously going to spend more time studying. Can I take CPEs for study time that includes reviewing material, flashcards, practice exams, etc? What about Mindmaps and other videos? What's a reasonable credit? I'm guessing I'll spend at least 20 hours studying but that seems like a lot of credits to claim.