The Ultimate ISC2 Guide: Resources and Steps to Pass Your Exam

What is the ISC2 CC Exam?

ISC2 is currently on a mission to certify one million individuals in cybersecurity! They are offering free vouchers and training for the Certified in Cybersecurity (CC) exam to help individuals with no prior experience begin their cybersecurity careers. This certification is perfect if you’re looking to learn some of the fundamentals of cybersecurity and also receive certification and membership from ISC2, a leading organization in the cybersecurity industry.

If you’ve researched anything about this certification already, you may have seen many posts of individuals who failed or felt their studying was not enough for the exam. To make sure you're fully prepared, I created this detailed guide filled with advice and resources which will hopefully help you pass your exam!

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1. Become an ISC2 Candidate

The first step you must take is to become a candidate with ISC2 and access your free voucher and materials. On this page, you can scroll down and select the $0 option to register with ISC2, schedule your exam, and receive their online self-paced training course. The voucher can be purchased for $0 by using the promo code provided by ISC2 after you become a candidate.

2. Watch Professor Messer's A+ & Security+ Videos

I would have had a VERY hard time passing without knowing some IT fundamentals from the A+ and Security+ certifications. Definitely watch Professor Messer on Youtube, specifically the network and security portion of the A+ objectives. Also, take a look at Professor Messers Sec+ videos to learn security topics more in-depth. This will give you a great foundation for the CC exam.

3. Complete ISC2's Online Self-Paced Training

It is essential to complete the self-paced training program offered by ISC2 to understand the scope of the exam and its domains. This is an online course to learn the exam objectives at your own pace. Using the training alone might not be enough information for a beginner in IT as it is more of a general summary of what you need to know. The best thing you can do is take the pre-assessment, go through the entire training, and also take the post-assessment multiple times until you feel comfortable with the concepts taught. Write down a list of concepts you struggle with and make sure to re-learn these concepts.

4. Use Third-Party Learning Resources

After completing the self-paced training, I highly suggest going through some third-party resources to expand your knowledge of the concepts. First, check out Thor Pedersen's CC course on Udemy. His videos are great for learning concepts in depth and also provide extra information for your career in cybersecurity. Take your list of concepts you struggle with and watch his videos to learn your weaker knowledge areas in depth. He also provides practice exams in the course which are great for testing your knowledge. Definitely take these practice exams multiple times until you understand the concepts well.

Another great resource is Mike Chapple's CC course on Linkedin Learning. This course is much more condensed than Thor's course and goes over all the information you absolutely need for the CC exam. Also, here are some notes to go along with his videos.

5. Take CC Practice Exams on Udemy

Another helpful resource that I consider the best on this list is the CC Practice Exams by Paulo Carreira and Adree Miranda on Udemy. These 2 exams are filled with 100 questions each and are an invaluable resource for learning important concepts within the CC exam. The test results tell you exactly which areas you are strong in or need to improve which is excellent for guiding your studying. I highly suggest taking these after having gone through the previous two courses. Repeat the same process of identifying your weak areas, studying those concepts in depth, and retaking the exams to gauge your improvement.

6. Watch ISC2 CC Question Playlists On Youtube

Some great playlists I recommend are Prabh Nair's CC playlist, and Cloud Guru Amit's playlist. They both created a series of videos with questions to test your knowledge and also explanations to break down the answers so you fully understand concepts. Although these are great resources for learning concepts, it's important to do your due diligence on the answers provided in these videos as these resources could sometimes provide misleading or incorrect information. Make sure to refer back to ISC2's official website and documentation to verify the information you learn. Lastly, I would recommend watching this CC exam summary video which goes over some important topics to know for the exam.

7. Use additional resources from ISC2

The ISC2 official CC flashcards were particularly helpful for memorizing specific words which could score you easy points on the exam. Make sure to know these terms and be able to explain them in your own words to truly understand the concepts. I also suggest reviewing the ISC2 exam outline. Memorize the domains and be able to explain each concept listed in the outline to ensure you haven't missed any important concepts. Lastly, take time to review the ISC2 e-textbook before your exam to brush up on topics and details you may have missed in your studying. Though these resources are smaller, they made a huge difference in my understanding of concepts for the exam.

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Hope this guide has been helpful in providing tips and resources on how to approach the ISC2 CC exam! If you follow the methodology in this guide, you should be able to pass the exam with flying colors and also learn some great fundamentals to start your cybersecurity career. Remember to not be intimidated and know that you have the potential to learn anything you set your mind to with hard work and persistence. Good luck with your exam!

- Elyssa