Surviving the SSCP: How I Became a Certified Pain-in-the-Ass
Preparing for the SSCP was one hell of a ride! It may be an entry-level cert, but don’t underestimate it — the sheer volume of material is intense.
In my role, I’m often perceived as the most hated person in the account I support. Why? Because I’m part of the CISO/security team, constantly asking questions, auditing, enforcing zero standing privileges, implementing security policies, and limiting access. Now, after earning this certification, I’ve officially leveled up to a certified pain-in-the-ass — the role no admin or technician invites to the party.
If you're tackling the SSCP (hopefully, without the “hated” part), I want to share what worked for me.
Failing to plan is planning to fail — painfully true.
- Organize Your Resources. Break down the 7 domains into subdomains, and use tools like mind maps, flashcards, and comparison tables. Trust me, this is a valuable investment — you'll not only benefit during your studies but also have a solid resource for future interview preparation.
- Register for the Exam: ISC2 Exam Registration
- Set a Timeline: study consistently — I did 2 hours/day for 6 months before the exam
- Revise the material: set aside at least two weeks for review and make sure to dedicate the weekend before the exam, so schedule it for Monday.
- LinkedIn Learning: SSCP Exam Prep Path
- Udemy: SSCP Course
- Cybrary: SSCP Prep Path
- Coursera – SSCP Professional Certificate
- CC: ThorTeaches Free Study Guide
- Gibson: SSCP (ISC)² Official Study Guide
- Mike Chapple, David Seidl, SSCP Official Practice Tests
- Jason Andress, Foundations of Information Security. A straightforward Intrduction
- Practise test https://cloud.connect.isc2.org/sscp-quiz
2. Use Different Learning Methodologies
As mentioned, SSCP certification covers a massive amount of material across 7 domains, making memorization cumbersome. Instead of cramming, use these proven techniques to improve understanding and retention:
- Feynman Technique & Protégé Effect – teach concepts in simple terms as if explaining to a beginner or a child. If you struggle, revisit the topic until you can explain it to a person who has no clue about it. As a possible "victim", you can choose your spouse, boy/girlfriend/friend, if they agree of course :)
- Creative Visualization – imagine yourself as a cybersecurity expert or a wordly anchor explaining threats to an audience or leading security awareness training
- Socratic Method – play both teacher and student. Imagine you're a renowned cybersecurity professor (yes, dream big!) at the prestigious University of Yale. Start by asking challenging questions to your imaginary audience. And, of course, if they don't know the answers (no wonder, because they’re imaginary), go ahead and answer them yourself — explaining it as if you’re helping them understand what they don’t quite grasp yet.
- Cicero method — ask what, why, where, when, and how to truly understand security principles, like least privilege, CIA triage, or other notions.
- Pomodoro Technique – study in 25–30-minute sprints with 5-minute breaks to stay focused and avoid burnout.
To excel in cybersecurity, continuous learning is essential. You need to stay up-to-date with the latest threats and trends. This is not just a recommendation but a prerequisite for any entry-level job in cybersecurity. Here’s how to keep your skills sharp:
- Cultivate a habit of reading cybersecurity news weekly (SecurityWeek, Cybernews, or The Hacker News)
- Explore ISC2 Articles: read insightful articles on its LinkedIn page.
- Learn from Experts: follow industry influencers in Linkedin. For example:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-gordon-cissp/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/thorteaches/posts/?feedView=all
https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-ahmed-%F0%9F%9A%80-446601133/
- Start a Blog: each month, choose a topic to explore. Investigate, research, reflect, and publish a small article sharing your insights. You can write about Internationl Back up day, or CrowdStrike-related IT outage, or any topic of your personal interest or choice. My example: https://teletype.in/@nikagaray/y6cG-VRqbrR
- Watch Movies & Podcasts: explore TV shows, movies, and podcasts on cybersecurity topics (e.g., Zero Day, Mr. Robot, Black Mirror, Silicon Valley, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, CSI: Cyber, Hackers, The Fifth Estate, Leave the World Behind, Top 7 YouTube Channels for Cybersecurity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7Ni5Y0yMG0)
While doing practice tests, don’t just focus on the right answers, also understand/justify why they are correct. Dig into the wrong answers too; understanding why an answer is incorrect is just as important.
Mike Chapple, David Seidl, SSCP Official Practice Tests
Yes, you heard that right! Collaborate with tools like ChatGPT or Gemini and ask it to create tables to compare the similar notions or exercises on SLE, ALE, ARO, CIDR rotation, hexadecimal conversion, symmetric key calculations, and residual risk. I did this every day 20 minutes leading up to the exam, and it made a huge difference.
The most essential ingredient of this process: real-world application. Since almost all the questions on the exam are scenario-based, don't wait until you get your SSCP certification to start applying your knowledge — get ahead of the game! The certification process takes time (typically 2–3 months, excluding the exam), but if you're preparing for the SSCP, chances are quite high that you're already working in security. After all, the SSCP requires at least one year of experience. So, leverage your current role to gain hands-on expertise!
- Collaborate with your Risk Management team – get involved in risk identification and mitigation efforts.
- Conduct self-audits – don’t wait for external audits; perform random and periodic security assessments of the processes you are responsible for.
- Engage with Disaster Recovery (DR) planning – ask your DR manager about the types of tests conducted in your organization and their frequency. Offer to support voluntarily.
- Support your CISO – volunteer for cybersecurity initiatives. For example, I became a Cybersecurity Ambassador, offering my help in phishing drills or promoting new cybersecurity tools.
- Learn from your Network team – since this is the second hardest topic after Cryptology, ask your colleagues questions about routers, switches, repeaters, default gateways, TCP/IP protocols, and the OSI model.
- Get involved in incident response – take part in post-incident recovery processes to gain practical experience in handling security breaches.
This approach has never let me down during an exam. Of course, I understand it might not work for everyone, but I firmly believe that success is more about persistence than luck. Call it professional deformation if you will — I like to stay in control!
You breathe, you push, you prepare — right up until the last minute. Systematically and passionately.
That said, balance is key. Get enough sleep, exercise, and keep your mind sharp.
In short, stay focused, stay healthy, and enjoy the process. The exam is tough, but so are you!