CISSP All-in-One Exam Guide, Fifth Edition 5th Edition

First and foremost I passed the CISSP exam on the first try using this book. Please read the rest of this review carefully if you are thinking of purchasing this book. Read the title of the book "CISSP All-in-One Exam Guide, Fifth Edition" - This is not a tech manual, it is a study guide as clearly outlined in the title. If you are looking for a book to keep on your shelf that you want to lookup real word security issues, then this is NOT it. However, if you want to pass the CISSP exam using a "get to the point Exam Guide", then this is the one you want. I tried reading the ISC2 CBK 2nd and I could not do it. It wondered off of to topics that are not on the CISSP exam. Case in point, it is a "Body of Knowledge" and not a to the point "Exam Guide". Shon Harris has broken the material up in small enough sections so if you have a problem area then you can concentrate on your problem area in the book. Use this book and CCCure's CISSP quizzes ($40 for 90 days access) and you can identify your weak areas, fix them and pass the test. I passed the test using CCCure's questions (EXCELLENT) to test my knowledge and this book to improve my weak areas and I PASSED.Just a few points when you take the exam. I took the exam on September 18, 2010 in Wayne PA. I received email notification that I passed on October 20, 2010. I submitted the additional information for job history and endorsement on October 25, 2010. On November 16, 2010 I received another email saying I am now a CISSP and my docs will be mailed to me within six weeks. A of Thanksgiving Day (Today) I do not have a certificate. So, as you can see, it can up to 90 days to actually provide proof that you have an in hand certificate.

Far easier to read and understand than the official ISC2 text. The practice exams give you a reletively accurate indication of how you will do on the actual exam--and I stress relative, because if you are borderline in some areas it could go either way. I used the Shon Harris guide as my main resource to study for the CISSP exam and passed the first time, but I also re-read it several times, took all of the practice exams from the CD and other sources, and skimmed through other author's texts. I get her new editions (but not always "new" condition books) to remain current on the domains, replace loaned copies that were not returned (like now) and also to prepare lessons for our ISSA chapter's CISSP study groups. Overall, I believe it's the one text that helps you understand the basics and concepts better than the others, especially the cram books, but you still have to put in the time to study and prepare. It's a 6-hour exam for a reason--good luck!

I was looking for a book to get me in the mode of studying for the CISSP exam. I read a bunch of reviews, and this surfaced as one of the prime study guides for CISSP. I purchased it, and it's huge. It's nearly 6 inches thick (maybe thicker). I travel a lot, so lugging it around quickly became a total hassle, but it is full of information regarding the CISSP exam.So, to be clear, the book is a study guide for passing the exam. It is not a reference for all things relevant to a CISSP. If you haven't taken the exam, or really familiarized yourself with the material, there is a huge difference. The breadth of material necessary to pass the exam is immense, and no single book could really do justice to the entire body of knowledge. This book skims over the 5 bazillion topics you need to be familiar with to pass the exam. If you need to actually KNOW something about a certain topic in any depth, you'll need to find another reference to augment the topic.What this book really taught me was that I needed a course if I was going to get through all the material. I don't require a CISSP for my job, and no one was going to force me to get it, so I knew I would never put in the time necessary to go through all the hundreds and hundreds of pages to get through it - and if I did, I would have forgotten all the stuff at the beginning by the time I got to the end. So, it was a $50 litmus test to help me decide to take a course. I'm sure a dedicated, diligent studier, however, could make great use of this book, and probably even pass the exam (I see some other reviewers have).I would also recommend coupling this study guide with the practice exam questions, CISSP Practice Exams (All-in-One). Of all the practice exams I took, with the exception of the (ISC)2 practice exams, Harris' were, by far, the most "similar" in terms of difficulty, layout, and verbiage of any of the practice exams I took. Both books in conjunction could certainly make for a formidable knowledge base for a dedicated person trying to pass the CISSP exam. Good luck!

The book covers the domains of the CISSP in a clear and easy to read format. One thing the book does well is cover the CISSP topics far deeper than what is actually on the test. If you read and understand the cryptography domain, and can draw out and explain the diagrams from the book, you will be way above what the questions on the test actually cover. Using this book alone will prepare you for the test if you already have a solid foundation in information security/information assurance. I would also strongly recommend buying the Shon Harris CISSP Practice Exams All In One as well along with this book to help get you used to the way the CISSP asks questions.I studied out of this book for about a month and then attended the Shon Harris CISSP bootcamp. Reading the book complemented the course tremendously and matched the course almost exactly. I took the test at the end of the week long bootcamp and passed.