10 Things You Need To Know Right Now Before Taking The ISC2 CC Certified In Cybersecurity Exam 2023 Updated

(ISC)² Certified in Cybersecurity is a foundational cybersecurity certification designed to help recipients build a pathway to a rewarding career in cybersecurity. This entry-level certification will prove to employers you have the foundational knowledge, skills and abilities necessary for an entry- or junior-level cybersecurity role. It proves your willingness and ability to learn and grow on the job.

Hello security enthusiasts, I recently passed my ISC2 CC Exam. Before the exam I was very much worried about the difficulty of the exam even though it was the most easiest exam. Before the exam I researched on various blogs, people experiences and linkedin posts where people shared their experience on the difficult parts of the exam and how few people cant clear the exam due to lack of knowledge. But after attempting the exam and passing it with flying colours in the first go here are some things I recommend for every exam taker to keep in mind and work on it before appearing for the ISC2 CC Exam. After following these tips I can assure you, you will no longer be nervous about the exam and be confident enough to crack the exam in the first go.

Link: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/isc-2-certified-in-cybersecurity-cc-cert-prep/cybersecurity-15121230

1.Start with Mike Chapple’s (ISC)2 Certified in Cybersecurity (CC) Cert Prep Before Accessing The SelfPaced Training

No matter how much technically smart you are or how many years of experience you hold in cybersecurity the Mike Chapples course is must for this exam. After enrolling in the ISC2 CC you will get access to the training bundle which is ideally where you should be starting with but instead I recommend you to start with the mikes course. The reason to tell you this is because mikes course cover every essential concept needed to crack the exam where as the training bundle doesnt cover every topic in depth.Also starting first with mikes course will help you understand basics with great explanation which will inturn help you grasp the training bundle more comfortably. Hence I recommend this process for everyone no matter if youre a IT professional or from Non-IT background this course will prepare you the best.

2. Make Your Notes For Every Modules In The Form Of Flow Charts Or Pointer.

This is something I will highly recommend you to do while learning from mike’s course. Make sure youre making the notes in the form of flow of flow charts and pointers which will help you to recollect the concepts covered in every module. Its not necessary to pen down everything deeply but just list all the terms you learn in every module so you can get a clear idea of evrything you learned in the modules.This will not onnly help you revise quickly but also can be very helpful tool to go through before taking the exam.

3.Dont Take Huge Gaps Between Your Learning

As a learner it always happens that we arent able to maintain the dlow of learning on daily basis and it happens with me as well. But the ISC2 CC course is the shortest of all the total combined learning hours are 16 hrs for both self-paced and mikes course along with few minutes daily on refering to flash cards or any other revision even if you combine all the time you spent on learning its not more tha 24hrs of total learning and hence I recommend you to complete the course within 1 week or max 2 weeks without gaps. When you give gap in learning you tend to forget even the easiest concepts and CC exam is all about those small small concepts which when skipped or forgotten can cause you trouble in exam and make you feel some questions being out of syllabus.

This will be your self-paced training bundle for ISC2 CC

4.Take Access Of Your Training Bundle

These are how your badges and certificate will look like after completing the self-paced training

Now that you have learned from the mikes course It important that you are completing the modules from your training bundle as well.Because only after completion this training you will recieve your self paced training completion certificate and badges for every module you learn which will inturn reflect your progress and provide you code for appearing for the final CC exam.

5.Pre-Course Assessment Is A Knowledge Check After Mikes Course !

The pre-course assessment is found in the first module of introduction

same for post-assesment in the last module

Now that you have completed mike’s course and understood the entire course it now time for a knowledge check !After accessing your training bundle in the first introductory module you will have a pre-course assessment test. The details are mentioned before the test. But whats important is how much score in the test matters a lott to evaluate your understanding of the course. If you score more than 75% in the test you can consider yourself to be in a good position with all the understanding you possess. If you score less than 70% but more than 60% youre still good to go as its just a pre-course assessment and doesnt proves much. It just proves your understanding from mikes course as a knowledge check. You have a final assessment at the end course which you should be serious about !

6. Chapter Summary’s Are Really Very IMPORTANT !

After end of every module, there is a chapter summary which have some small tests along with terms and definitions followed by flash cards and other study resources.

Terms and terminologies

The terms and definitions are very helpful as some terms are proven to appear in the final exams and hence they are very important and I dont recommend you to skip any of them. You can practice your knowledge check on terms with the help of flash cards

Flash cards for practice

Dont forget to download the end of course resources for later reading.

Dowload these resources after ecery chapter for future learning

7. Post-Course Assessment Is Your Proving Ground !!

After completing all the modules from the training its now time to start with the post course assessment test which is the final test which will test your knowledge in all the domains and you have to be serious about this assessment test cause it will not just check your knowledge its an outcome of all the dedication and efforts you have given for this course. Spend good amount of time in understanding the question and then choose the correct answer you have enough time for the assessment to complete.

8.Attempt The Pre/Post Assessment Quiz Twice Or Thrice Untill You Master Yourself

Dont Appear For The Final Exam Untill Youve Scored More Than 80%

This might disappoint some people on why scoring more than 80% is important when you can easily complete with 70% and its true to some extent but considering people who are new to cybersecuity it imporatant they know the importance of this exam and waiting period for the second attempt if they fail unfortunately and it has happened in the past that people directly appering without practicing have failed and hence i highly recommend to take the pre/post assessment test more than twice or thrice untill you score 80 or above coz the questions you answer inthoe assessment are very similar to the questions you might encounter in the final exam

9. Dont Spend Money On DUMPS or Other Malpractices To Pass The Exam ! It Wont Help You

Following the ISC2 code of ethics , I highly request you not to spend money on purchasing any dumps or any materials that gurantee you to pass the exam through any trusted/unrusted sources. Following any such malpractices are against the ISC2 code of ethics and can affect your profile.Be true to all the efforts that you have given in studying the course and trust me the exam is very easy if your concepts are clear. The main reason I feel people failing the exams are because their concepts arent clear, they didnt took the pre/post assessment seriously and they may have relied on dumps or malpractices to pass the exam or something else which was very unfortunate but now that you have know how to prepare for your exam you are good to go.

10.Dont Be Overconfident At All !!

Now that you are well preapared for the exam and finally appearing for the final exam at the exam center.Here are something to keep in mind during your exam:

1. Dont be overconfident for any question even if it seems easy with the easiest option at the start, read the question carefully and match the answer with the question if its the best fit answer amoung the other options and then only choose to go for next question
2. You cant review your answers for later, so choose the options carefully before going for next question take time think deeply and use 100% of your brain to find the best fit solution for situational questions.
3. Dont spend more than 1 minute for a questions that are easy and terminology based, also dont spend more than 100 seconds on questions that are tougher.Try to break the question into key words that match the best fit option and situation.
4. Keep yourself calm throughout the exam and its fine if you know you have answered some questions wrong or unable to find choose the right option its okay to mistake few questions and it happens even if you have studied hard
5. Dont believe on any myths that say “Questions in the exam are out of syllabus” none of the questions are out of the course some questions do require critical thinking and it is based on how good understanding you have on that topic. Also some questions may have words or concepts that might confuse you and they are purposely added to confuse you so make sure you are familiar with all the terms you have learned throughout the course.

Overall the exam is very easy to pass and can be a good start for every cybersecurity ethusiast. It can be given by any one intrested in learning cybersecurity it doesnt affect if the candidate is from It or Non-It Background all that matters is the effort and dedication of the learner.

I hope by following all these steps you can be confident enough to pass to your CC exam in the first attempt.Feel free to respond on this blog for any help or query.

Happy Learning !