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The CISSP certification, which is highly valued and highly regarded in IT and information security, is one of the most valuable and highly regarded IT certifications in the world. This credential proves your expertise and knowledge in cybersecurity.

Everything you need to know about the CISSP/CAT Process

The original exam for CISSP certification consisted of 250 questions. This test took six hours to complete. The new CISSP exam was made available through Pearson VUE test centers as a CBT (computer based testing) option. The six-hour time limit and the number of questions were the same. The ISC2 revised the CISSPCAT exam delivery method in 2018. This method is still being used today. Computer Adaptive Test is also known as CAT.

The CISSP credential can be obtained in many languages. ISC2 only uses the English version of its CISSP-CAT exam delivery system. The six-hour version with 250 questions in linear format is still available for languages other than English.

Students must view at most 100 questions and not more than 150 questions during a CISSPCAT exam. This is a time limit of three hours. Only 75 of the 100 questions students attempt are scored and contribute to your final score. There are 100 questions, and the 25 non-graded questions are interspersed. These questions help in evaluating future test questions.

Your assessment is only based on the 75 questions that were graded out 100. Question 101 is discarded after you answer it. Question 101 is replaced by 101. The same process applies to question 102 and question 102. As more questions are dropped from your exam, they don't contribute to your passing or failing the exam. They are replaced by questions from the same domain. The exam can keep the domain coverage percentage.

Instead of focusing on getting enough points to get over the line, ICS2 measures your knowledge demonstration skills in the context of a concept called the passing standard. ISC2 doesn’t define the required level of achievement to meet this passing standard. Experts and professionals who are certified in the field place it at 70%.

The testing system determines your ability to pass the exam by assessing your ability to meet the standard when you reach the 100th question. If the system estimates your potential to pass the exam at least 95%, it will award you a PASS score. If the system predicts that you are at least 95% likely to fail, the test will end with a FAIL score. The system will reevaluate the test until it reaches question 150 if it cannot determine whether you are likely to pass or fail.

Also read: Average Annual Salary for CISSP Certified Professionals in 2022

Changes in domain weightage in the 2022 CISSP certification exam:

Domains can be thought of as smaller groups of topics that were organized by the ISC2. This grouping is based upon a cybersecurity industry survey from the JTA (Job Task Analysis), also known as the Cybersecurity Workforce Study.

This grouping indicates that there are eight domains included in the CISSP certification exam. These domains are updated regularly to reflect technological advances and security standards. The most recent update was in 2021 and the 2018 edition before that. The only significant change in the 2021 edition is a 1% decrease in questions under Domain 4 and a 1% increase in topics under Domain 8.

Learning Objectives for the CISSP Certification

You can gain the following benefits as a candidate for CISSP certification training courses:

All the skills required to become a certified CISSP professional.

A more holistic and broader perspective.