I Passed The CCSP Exam in 40 Minutes... Here Are My Tips
These tips helped me pass the CCSP in less than an hour
I sat for the Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) exam this Monday
It is one of the coveted Cloud Security certifications in the industry, bought to you by the same people who launched the CISSP
While I routinely write about not going overboard on certifications .. there is no doubt you need them to baseline your knowledge
The CCSP Exam is a toughie with over 125 questions spread over 3 hours
It covers all aspects of cloud security, from data security to legal issues spread out over six domains
My CCSP Exam started at 8 am
Some 40 minutes later, I was out with the passing result on my hand
These are the tips I would recommend for others who are sitting for this exam
1 — Be Smart About Your Study Resources
The CCSP exam covers many topics, and you are expected to know ALL of them when you sit for the exam.
Be smart about where you study from
The primary resource I used was the study guide and practice questions bundle from (ISC)2
It combines the official study guide from (ISC)2 with an updated collection of practice test questions and answers.
It was recommended that I study from multiple resources, but I did not have the time (or energy) to do that.
This was my primary resource for passing the exam, and I passed just by studying it
2 — Practice Questions >> Reading
I read the study guide just once
Honestly, I did not remember anything once I had finished it, as passive reading puts me to sleep
I focused the majority of my time on the practice questions, which are over 800 in the book
I cannot stress this enough .. concentrate more on the practice questions than the study guide
Go over them multiple times as they put you in the mindset needed for the exam
They also show you how the questions will be structured in the exam and help you pinpoint which domains you are weak in
I would recommend spending 90% of your time on the questions and 10% of your time reading concepts from the study guide
3 — Least / Most Questions are a killer
Everybody hates these questions
All the answers are either all correct or all wrong
You have to find the most correct or most wrong out of all them
These can confuse even the most confident of test-takers
For example, it might ask you about which cloud model gives you the LEAST or MOST amount of control as a customer
One solution I would recommend is to think of the answer FIRST before looking at the options you are presented
This way, you have already thought of what the answer is and will not be thrown off by the answers that are given
4 — Eliminate the Wrong Ones
Apart from least / most .. there will undoubtedly be questions in which you are not sure of which answer to pick as all look equally wrong or right
In this scenario .. start going one by one and eliminating the most wrong answers first
These will usually narrow it down to two options for you and help you decide
Do not procrastinate and waste time if you are not able to choose
Make a decision and move on, as time is of the essence in this exam
5 — Time Yourself
In addition to practice, ALWAYS keep an eye on how much time you have
It is possible to waste 15 minutes torturing yourself over one question and realizing you do not have time to finish the rest
This will result in you rushing through the remaining ones to save time and making even more errors!
6 — Concepts Over Abbreviations
This is less of a tip and more of an observation.
This year, the CCSP exam did not focus much on abbreviations and memorization.
It did not ask me about different uptime levels or what EAL 1 is over EAL 7, etc.
There was more focus on concepts, and I hope this trend continues.
It also means you should dive deep into understanding concepts rather than just memorizing.
The questions will test your understanding by presenting scenarios in which you have to understand how cloud security concepts work.
Simply memorizing the definitions of terms like what is SAST, DAST, SCA WILL NOT HELP
That is it, honestly.
If you have invested the time and effort in prepping for the CCSP, you should receive the email below in your inbox shortly after the exam.
I also have videos on my channel where I go over the CCSP exam, so check that out.
Good luck on your exam !
After failing my first attempt at CCSP, I decided to try Passexamhub, and I’m so glad I did! Their practice tests covered all key areas, and I finally passed. Highly recommend it for anyone serious about certification!