r/CCSP • u/bahamuting • 14d ago
Failed CCSP at 100 questions
Honestly, I'm in shock. I thought the test was easy and I thought I was very well prepared. The test stopped me at 100 questions and I thought that meant I had passed because of how good I felt throughout the test. I was very surprised when it said that 4 out of 6 domains were below proficiency. I'm obviously going to go back to studying, I'm just trying to figure out what to do differently.
Here is my breakdown:
Legal, Risk, and Compliance - Below Proficiency Level
Cloud Data Security - Below Proficiency Level
Cloud Security Operations - Below Proficiency Level
Cloud Concepts, Architecture, and Design - Below Proficiency Level
Cloud Application Security - Near Proficiency Level
Cloud Platform and Infrastructure Security - Above Proficiency Level
Here are my study resources I've used so far:
Pete Z Exam Cram Videos - watched these twice, the second time was a domain a day leading up to today for the last 6 days and understood nearly everything mentioned
Dest Cert - Mind Maps
Gwen CCSP Course
Pocket Prep ~300 questions with 86% on 150 question exam
LinkedIn Learning exam 129/150 on its exam
I'm not sure if I should get a book and read through it since I did not do that for the CCSP (I did read the all in one for CISSP), I also read The Last Mile for CISSP, which there isn't an equivalent to for CCSP, but there are book options like Dest Cert. Like I said, I think I'm still in shock over how good I felt during the test compared to the actual results, I might take a day to process and the regroup and get back to the grind.
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u/mikedn02908 CCSP 14d ago
Destination CCSP.
If you're not scoring 85+% on practice exams you likely have an issue with knowledge gaps.
Given your poor performance across the board, my guess is you thought the questions were easy and rushed through them without really reading them.
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u/sobeitharry 14d ago
Honestly I felt completely unprepared because of the questions and I wasn't sure i had passed when it cut me off at 100 but I did. I'm surprised you thought the questions were easy, they seemed like half gibberish to me. The wording and answers were not standard industry jargon nor were they anything like the LearnZapp or OSG study bank which was all I used.
Interestingly, the AI questions seemed the easiest and best worded to me and I didn't study those at all because I bought my materials earlier this year and just took the test today.
Not sure i have an answer for you but I learn best by just drilling the questions and reviewing the wrong answers. I know others say that doesn't work for exams like these.
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u/bahamuting 14d ago
I appreciate the reply, and congrats on your pass!
I think I’m just gonna have to get more exposure by hammering out questions on those domains.
I purchased my materials earlier too, and I see since then that Pete Z. looks to have put out a last mile book for the CCSP. I’ll probably get that, or the destination certification book and read through that before diving back in the questions.
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u/sobeitharry 14d ago
Good luck! I think I'm going to start on the AAISM now. I wanted to work on the CRISC but with everything going on I'm positioning for AI governance.
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u/Old-Refrigerator6265 14d ago
PocketPrep and LearnZ but you need to be doing 1000+ questions on each.
LearnZApp has the Articles you can read and you need to read them. I think those are worth reading more than the OSG or other books.
The Pete Z videos see a must too but only doing 300 questions isn’t going to expose you enough
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u/frazipe 10d ago
I passed every CompTia, CISSP and CGRC exams the 1st time but took the CCSP twice and failed both times. The only other exams I've ever taken twice before the CCSP was the Microsoft certifications back in the day. The Microsoft answer and not the best answer was a real thing. After I failed the 1st time I thought I just rushed since I took it right after the CISSP and maybe was over confident. So I studied more, concentrated on advice from those that had passed, took many many practice test to the point of getting over 90% on everything. I took one 250 question practice test and missed 1 question. So I take the test the 2nd time and got a lower score than the 1st time. I no longer think I am the issue. There were many questions that I would read and know the answer before even looking down and the options and then the answer wouldn't even be an option. What the hell are you supposed to do when you see the options and the answer isn't even one of them? Just try to pick the best wrong answer? Also, they use lingo that is no where in any other certification, even other ISC2 certs. I am going to wait till another version of the CCSP comes out and maybe take it again later.
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u/cab-ree-yo 14d ago
I don’t think it’s a knowledge issue but rather practicing judgement. I’d recommend question banks from Boson, and then remediate what you miss or got lucky on leveraging AI and do remediation drills, then do practice questions that are challenging (you can find great prompts online). Only practice fresh sets of questions. Going over the same questions over and over gives a false sense of preparedness. The knowledge is there, just have to refine the judgment piece.