Hello, friends. How have you been? I wish you all a great start to 2023. Anyway, have you by any chance heard that (ISC)2 provided free cybersecurity training and exam for 1 million people? If you haven’t then please check it out: One Million FREE (ISC)² Certified in Cybersecurity Courses and Exams. 

I recently had the opportunity to take the training and exam and after experiencing it first-hand, I encourage you to do so. I know you may or may not see yourself in that one of the most talked-about fields in IT. However, whether you want to have a career in cybersecurity or not, I suggest that you learn it (especially when it comes with no price tag) since protecting information is a significant part of our life in the digital era. Learning the fundamental of it wouldn’t hurt you and I believe that you’ll thank yourself later for doing that. Okay--enough for me promoting cybersecurity or I could spend hours talking about it--pardon me I can’t help it. Now let’s get to the point. Hihi. I divided the story into three parts: before, during, and after the exam.

Before the Exam

After I heard about the free online self-paced training and exam, I directly visited the website to get more information about it. After going through all the provided information, I decided to give it a go. I created an account and then completed the (ISC)2 candidate application form with certified in cybersecurity as my certification of interest. Shortly after that, I gained access to the training and exam registration. I picked the test center near UNSW as I am quite familiar with the location and for the date, I choose to have it after the new year since I wanted to have a full break during the year-end holiday.

When I almost finished the training, I was curious about what other people said regarding the exam. Was it difficult? Were the materials provided in the training enough? I was lucky that I tried to find the information or I would think that my simple preparation was enough. Unless you have quite intensive experience in the field, please go beyond the training materials. In my case, I read the Eleventh Hour CISSP®: Study Guide (Conrad et al, 2016--I found out that there is a newer edition of it but since I only had the third version, I used it). In total, the preparation took me 5 days during my university term break when I have no other agenda but studying (but of course, I didn’t study for 10 hours a day--I watched Chinese drama and did random things in between).

On the last day of preparation, I ensured that I understood everything I need to know (including bringing 2 personal IDs and how to get to the test center) then sleep early.

During the Exam

I arrived at the test center very early (I liked it this way for every exam I took) and then told the test administrator (TA) that I wanted to take an exam. He asked for my ID, had me submit my palm vein scan, and took my exam candidate's photo. He then guided me to the waiting room and said that I can take the exam whenever I am ready. After a quick review of the summary I wrote about the things I found challenging (such as the port numbers as during my time as an IT auditor, I didn't memorize them all), I entered the exam room and faced the 100 questions.

If you have read my previous exam experience posts, you would notice that I am a big fan of do-it-quickly-then-review-it. However, turned out that for this exam, this doesn’t apply. I was stubborn even after I saw there was no "back" button on the exam page to go to the previous question. I kept doing it quickly thinking that it might have a “review all” option after I finished all the questions. To my surprise, after I completed the 100^th questions, the only button left is “end exam”. Haha. I quietly had my panicky laugh because how can I be that stubborn to ignore the suspicion that I wouldn’t be able to review the answers. I finished the exam in 64 minutes out of the 120 minutes provided due to my obstinate attitude toward the sign. When you take the exam later, please learn from my mistake and use your time wisely.

I left the exam room hearing the TA ask me how was my exam experience. I told him that I was clueless that this exam didn’t let me go back to review my answers. He then told me usually exams have that feature, tried to console me. I thought I failed so I didn't have the courage to ask him about my results paper. While the exam was free, after all the effort I took during the supposed summer break when students usually don’t study at all, I found myself a bit disappointed.

“It’s okay. I learned my lesson that I shouldn’t treat everything solely based on my experience. Every case could be different.” I smiled at him eventually after regaining my balance.

“But you passed,” he handed me a piece of paper. It was the exam provisional results with the opening word 'congratulations'.

“Are you serious?” I couldn’t hide my shocked expression.

“Yes. Congratulations,” he threw me a reassuring smile as if he knew I wouldn’t believe the paper even when I read it by myself.

“Thank you so much. I really appreciate your help today,” I smiled at him back.

That confused face coincidentally reflected my actual expression upon receiving this paper :)

After the Exam

The day after the exam, I received an email stating that I officially passed the exam. The next step is to complete the online application, which the candidate must do within nine months of the exam date.  Within 24 hours after the application is completed, the candidate can perform the final step in the process which is paying the first Annual Maintenance Fee (AMF). Once the AMF payment is made, we will earn the certification.

You might ask, “so it is not actually free?”. It is free if all you want is knowledge provided in the training and the exam. It is still up to you whether you want to get the certification or not. In my case, as a little treat to myself, I don't mind spending $50 to get the certification. However, it is totally your choice to pay for it or not so don’t worry. Gaining knowledge and exam experience is valuable for us even without the certification.

The Tips

I wanted to close this post by sharing some tips based on my experience. First and foremost, understand why you need it. Only when you know the reason, do you have a strong determination to embrace the journey. Then, be sure to set aside enough time to study. Another important tip is to take advantage of all of the resources that are available to you. Don't be afraid to ask for help if you're struggling and ask someone when you are confused. Be sure to get plenty of rest and stay healthy in the days leading up to the exam. A clear mind and a healthy body will help you perform your best on exam day. Lastly, as you can't go back to the previous question, take your time to choose the answer before moving to the next question.

Okay. Before this post goes too long, I will end it here. I am happy to take your questions if you have any and if you need help, don’t hesitate to reach out. I wish you all the best.

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Indonesian Version: Pengalaman Mengikuti Ujian Certified in Cybersecurity (CC)