SSCP - Tips on Studying For your Cert

The SSCP or System Security Certified Practitioner certification is similar to but a little more difficult than an entry level certification. If you are looking to get into cyber security, specifically administration and feel you would like a base of information the SSCP is, that would be in my opinion, worth obtaining. 

SSCP is geared towards Security Administration for various career paths. There are a couple of items you need to know to assist in studying for the Certification. 

First things first, you should know the requirements for the exam:

• Have 1 year experience
• Register for the exam
• Pass the exam
• Subscribe to the code of ethics and get an endorsement

With that being said it should be relatively easy to support those requirements if you are already working in the field. 

Anyone going for this cert also must be familiar with the 7 Domains. These domains will cover areas that you should be familiar with if you are working as an entry level tech person even. In the instance you are not familiar with the domains, you can visit https://www.isc2.org/Certifications/SSCP to get a study guide for the cert. 

While each Domain covers a separate topic, the Domains will overlap. If you are more of a kinesthetic learner, hands on training maybe the way to go for you. If you are an auditory learner, Getting a kindle version of the companion book would be a great idea. If you are a visual learner, you would do well with videos Available from ISC2 and/or Youtube. And finally if you like to learn by reading and writing, you will do well with the Book and writing the information and reviewing. For me, I used a varied approach to studying, I watched various videos for the domain I was studying that week then read multiple chapters while taking notes. During my workout times, I would listen to the audio of the domains. 

One other thing I thought was beneficial, creating my own videos and audio based on my notes. With this method, i found i was able to retain more information versus when i was just watching other videos about the topics.

Now if you find that it's a bit more time consuming to create your own content to study from, by all means pick a method that will help you achieve your goal. 

I took a couple of months to study for this exam. I already had a good base from working in the IT field for quite some time. If you don’t have the previous experience, get out and volunteer (virtual is also an option). Volunteering when I didn't have the most experience also helped. I would lend my knowledge out to companies who needed assistance with basic things like email, website and basic computer skills training. I met tons of people who helped with my skills development along the way. 

One other big Study Tip, take a break and relax. Give yourself time to digest the material. Rest your brain in between the topics. Information overload can cause you to ultimately doubt what you learned. It's Ok to take a break. 

Have confidence in your abilities. Work on a plan that works for you. And if needed, create your own roadmap. And above all Rest.

Hopefully these types will allow you to work on your SSCP cert.