The CISSP, from ISC2, is an advanced, experience-gated certification covering the eight domains of the Common Body of Knowledge: security and risk management, asset security, security architecture and engineering, communication and network security, identity and access management, security assessment and testing, security operations, and software development security.
Exam format at a glance
| Format | The English exam is Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT): 100–150 items in up to 3 hours, with multiple choice and advanced item types. Delivered at Pearson VUE test centres. |
| Cost | Approximately 749 USD, before regional pricing and taxes. |
| Scoring | A scaled score of 700 out of 1000 is required to pass. Because the exam is adaptive, the result is pass/fail — there is no percentage reported. |
| Validity | Valid for 3 years, maintained by earning 120 continuing professional education (CPE) credits per cycle and paying the annual maintenance fee. |
Who this exam is for
- Experienced security practitioners moving into security management, architecture, or governance roles
- Security engineers, analysts, and consultants who need the credential that gates senior and leadership job postings
- GRC, audit, and risk professionals who need demonstrable breadth across all eight security domains
How to actually study for it
- Answer as a risk manager, not a technician: identify the asset and the risk, consider business impact, and choose the response a prudent, senior professional would — the 'best' answer, not merely a correct one.
- Domain 1 (Security and Risk Management, 16%) is the anchor: quantitative risk (SLE = AV × EF; ALE = SLE × ARO), due care vs due diligence, governance, and the ISC2 Code of Ethics canon order.
- Know the classic models and what they protect: Bell-LaPadula (confidentiality), Biba (integrity), the reference monitor properties, and fail-secure vs fail-safe.
- Be precise on operations: incident response order, separation of duties / job rotation / mandatory vacation, RAID levels, and full vs differential vs incremental backup restore chains.
Where to go next
Start with the free 10-question diagnostic to see where you actually stand, read 15 sample questions with answers, or go straight to the one-page CISSP cheat sheet. The full CISSP practice exam covers every domain at the real exam's weighting, with every answer explained.