ICS2 Certified in Cyber Security: My Experience

ICS2 (International Information System Security Certification Consortium, Inc.), the corporation offering the prestigious CISSP certification, has created a new entry level course called Certified in Cyber Security. This certification is part of the 1 Million Certified in Cyber Security initiative. and is currently being offered free to the first 1 million test takers worldwide. This is a great entry-level certification for any aspiring security professionals.

Recently, January 12th 2022, I passed this exam at a Pearson Vue Testing Center. I am sharing my experience taking this exam for you to learn from and better prepare. Due to ICS2 exam guidelines I am unable to share specific questions or examples of questions however I intend to share insight into how to prepare and what you may want to prepare for; but first, the exam outline.

Exam Format

The exam consists of 100 multiple choice questions with 75 out of the 100 questions counting for the exam. The other 25 questions are test questions that the ICS2 cooperation are using as test questions for the Certified in Cyber Security exam. you receive 120 minutes to complete the exam in a proctored testing environment. A score of 700/1000 or 70% is required to pass this exam. This exam, similar to the CISSP exam, is split up into 5 topic domains: Security Principles, Business Continuity, Access Control, Network Security, and Security Operations.

How to Prepare

First and foremost, enroll in the ICS2 Certified in Cyber Security Course. This course is split into 5 chapters that are modeled around the 5 topic domains. This course also offers a pre and post exam to practice on. Shoot for near perfect scores on these exams as you approach your exam date to feel comfortable that you may pass.

Second, read blog posts, watch videos, and get more experience. The more you know the better. The Certified in Cyber Security course will not cover all of the information that may be tested on the exam. For example, the course may talk about hardware locks, fences, and receptionists as physical security however you may also want spend time familiarizing yourself with other basic physical security measures such as mantraps, walls, and bollards. Expand your knowledge just outside of the scope of the Certified in Cyber Security course and you should do fine.

Finally, practice terms and definitions bi-directionally. Test yourself by making the tie between term and definition and definition to term.

What Next

My next step is to continue the ISC2 route with the System Security Certified Professional (SSCP) exam.