What the Change to the CISSP Exam Retake Policy Means for You
Becoming a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) is a worthwhile endeavour for any IT professional looking to move ahead in the field of cybersecurity. Earning your CISSP certification requires you to pass the CISSP exam, which can be challenging if you enter unprepared. The best way to prepare for the exam is by getting CISSP training by taking a CISSP exam prep course, like the one offered at TechnoEdge Learning, but if you’re not able to pass the exam on your first attempt, you’ll want to be aware of the CISSP exam retake policy.
The CISSP certification is managed by (ISC)2, one of the world’s leading cybersecurity professional organizations. Recently, (ISC)2 updated their exam retake policy, which affects all of their certification exams. The policy was updated on October 24th, 2020, and it includes two key rules which we will break down for you.
Test-Free Days Between Retake Attempts
If you do not get a passing score on your CISSP exam, you are able to reattempt the exam, but not immediately. You must have a specific number of “test-free days,” which are simply days in which you haven’t attempted the test, between each exam attempt. The number of days required between each attempt increases after each attempt. If you fail your first CISSP exam attempt, you can retest after 30 test-free days. If you fail your second attempt, then you must wait for 60 days after that attempt to retest. After your third attempt, you must wait 90 days.
If you were to attempt the exam 4 times, waiting the minimum number of test-free days between each attempt, it would take approximately 6 months to reach your fourth exam attempt. After your fourth attempt, there is no further increase in the number of test-free days you must have between attempts, but this is because the second exam retake policy rule comes into effect after your fourth attempt.
Max Attempts Per Year
You may only attempt a particular (ISC)2 exam as many as 4 times during a 12-month period. This means that if you make your first attempt at the CISSP exam in February 2021, and you make your fourth attempt in August 2021, you’ll have to wait until February 2022 before you can take the CISSP exam again.
This limitation only applies to a singular exam. If you’ve attempted the CISSP exam 4 times in a 12-month period then you can no longer attempt the CISSP exam during that period, but you can challenge any other of the exams offered by (ISC)2.
Cost of Retaking the Exam
If you find yourself having to retake the exam you will need to register again and pay the full exam fee as well. The exam fee for the CISSP test is $699 USD.
Making the Most of Your Exam Attempts
It can be reassuring to know that failing to pass your CISSP exam on the first try isn’t the end of the world. However, the time and money it can take to reattempt the exam can be discouraging. Preparing for the exam ahead of time is one of the best ways to ensure that you make the most of your exam attempts. TechnoEdge Learning offers a CISSP Exam Prep course that provides you with an extensive review of all 8 domains of the (ISC)2 CISSP Common Body of Knowledge (CBK). TechnoEdge is one of (ISC)2‘s official training providers, which means that the course content is approved by (ISC)2 and tailored for the most recent version of the exam.
Register now for TechnoEdge Learning’s upcoming CISSP training and take your cybersecurity career to the next level.