My CISSP Experience — From Preparation to Exam Day
I didn’t plan to write six parts about my CISSP journey.
But along the way, I realised that the experience was much bigger than an exam result.
Hundreds of CISSP aspirants reached out to me and kept asking about the preparation, the mindset, the questions, the pressure and, most importantly, what the actual exam felt like.
That made me think differently about sharing my experience.
I could simply tell people what I studied.
Or I could take them through what I actually experienced.
So I chose the second.
This series isn’t a CISSP preparation guide or a list of things you must do to pass.
It is my personal journey — from building confidence through nearly 6,000 questions, finding time to practise wherever I could, learning the difference between knowing and choosing, and finally sitting in the exam room wondering whether I was actually prepared.
The first 30 questions of the real exam tested that confidence in a way no practice test had.
And when the exam finally stopped at question 100 and the invigilator handed me the result with a simple “Congratulations,” the entire journey suddenly made sense.
Here is that journey, one part at a time.
Part 1 — Where the Journey Really Started
This is where I began documenting what CISSP preparation actually meant to me — not just studying domains, but gradually changing the way I approached security questions and decisions.
Read Part 1
Part 2 — The Difference Between Knowing and Choosing
One of the biggest lessons for me was understanding that knowing the concepts isn’t enough.
You need to master the art of excluding the two answers that don’t serve the scenario — and then make the harder choice between the remaining options.
Read Part 2
Part 3 — The Shift in How I Started Thinking
As preparation progressed, I realised that CISSP wasn’t simply testing what I knew.
It was testing how I interpreted a situation, how I prioritised the problem and how I arrived at a decision.
That shift became an important part of my preparation.
Read Part 3
Part 4 — Preparing for the Unfamiliar
Eventually, I stopped looking for questions that felt familiar.
The focus became understanding the scenario, identifying what was really being asked and making the best decision with the information available.
That mindset became more important than simply getting practice questions right.
Read Part 4
Part 5 — When CISSP Became Part of Everyday Life
Five minutes while travelling.
Ten minutes standing in a queue.
A train journey.
Waiting for a movie.
Lunch.
After dinner.
Before sleep.
Even waking up at 2 AM or 3 AM and practising questions.
There wasn’t always a perfect study schedule.
I simply used whatever time I had.
At some point, CISSP wasn’t something I was studying anymore.
It had become part of my everyday life.
Read Part 5
Part 6 — The Day Everything Became Real
The exam centre was around 50 kilometres away.
I took the train nearly three hours before the exam, went through Mike Chapple’s final review, kept the food light, completed the check-in and spent a few minutes calming myself before starting.
Then came the first 30 questions.
They took nearly 50 minutes and shook the confidence I had built through those 6,000 questions.
But I kept going.
The next 70 questions took around 60 minutes.
Then came question 100.
The exam stopped.
And finally, the invigilator smiled, handed me the result and said:
“Congratulations.”
I smiled.
But inside, my heart and mind were screaming.
After everything that had gone into that journey, there was only one thought:
I had slayed the beast.
Read Part 6
Why I Chose to Share This Journey
The reason I decided to narrate this in sequence is simple.
Many aspirants reached out to me looking for a glimpse of what the journey actually feels like.
If sharing my experience can make someone preparing for CISSP feel a little more prepared, a little more confident, or simply reassure them that feeling uncertain is also part of the journey, then documenting it is worth it.
You don’t need to follow my exact path.
You don’t need to study exactly the way I did.
But perhaps somewhere in these six parts, you may find one experience that helps you with your own journey.
And if you are currently preparing for CISSP, I’d genuinely like to know:
Where are you in your journey right now?
Just starting?
Deep into preparation?
Working through practice questions?
Or already sitting with an exam date in mind?
Share it in the comments.
Someone else preparing may be going through exactly the same stage.
