Customer Reviews

SSCP Study Guide and DVD Training System

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've been wanting to get my SSCP for some time (hoping to ultimately get CISSP), but it has been difficult becasue there is not a lot out there for study tools. I was psyched when I saw that Syngress was publishing a SSCP study guide, becaues I've used theeir books before on other exams and always really liked them. This book did not diappoint. The book is very will written and does an excellent job of covering all of the (ISC)2 domains. The authors are CISSPs and SSCPs and you can tell they know what material is important to highlight in the text for the exam. The DVD that comes w/ the book is excellent as well. You get a couple of hours of instructor training with power point presentations, graphics, etc. This exam has a lot of theory and concept types of things, so it definitely helps to have an instrutor explain this stuff in addition to just reading the book. Anyway, many thanks to Syngress and the authors for a long overdue book.

First, let me start by saying that I am one of the authors of the SSCP Study Guide and DVD Training System. I recommended the book to an associate of mine and he alerted me to the bad reviews this book was receiving, so I would like to clear things up.

As of the time I wrote this, the book received 3 1/2 stars based on 5 reviews. The first review gave 1 star with the title "Do not buy". It seems that this harsh review was posted after the reader failed the exam. At the end of the review the reader stated that "...I used this as my single point for studying and failed the exam". I can assure you that this is a good study guide for the SSCP exam, however I would NEVER use only one point of reference for ANY exam or anything else important in life.

The next 3 reviews are the EXACT SAME REVIEW giving the book 2 stars with the title "Poor Editing, Bad Reference Book". In this review it is unclear if the reader actually read the entire book or is just trying to promote another book.

All authors of the SSCP Study Guide and DVD Training System have been through and passed at least one (ISC)2 exam. These are NOT easy exams. They cover a vast amount of material that can be overwhelming. The SSCP Study Guide and DVD Training System book does however cover a vast majority of the information you will be required to know for the exam. If you have the required experience and the desire to pass this exam I would suggest the following:

- Buy this book
- Read through this book and pay attention to the subject matter covered. Many subjects in this book have entire books written about them. As you hit a subject that you don't understand, or need more in depth coverage to understand; study it separately. Then come back to this book.
- Don't take the exam until you are comfortable with all the Domains covered in this book.

The SSCP is a hard exam. Studying for it is a tedious task. This book makes that task A LOT easier. We have passed this exam based This book can and will help you pass the exam. Good luck.

Well, as far as test preparation books go, this is an OK resource. I would not call it stellar, but it's not drivel or a waste of time either. The information is presented fairly well, but as others have noted there is a lot of repetition and the grammatical errors and typos ARE distracting.

Bottom Line -- Will the information help you on the test? Yes. Is it all you need to pass even with experience? No. Is the information accurate? Yes, I think so.

I would suggest an SSCP candidate compliment his/her studies with the "other" book that's out there as well and all the freebies available on the Internet. Case in point, the Syngress book did not cover such topics as Continuity Planning in as great of detail as the other book. While not a reason to drop the Syngress book like a rock, if the SSCP candidate is looking to really learn the information, this is essential information to know and have to solidify the base understanding.

With respect to the DVD, I can appreciate the other reviewers' feedback. While I didn't *zing* it across the room after 15 minutes of listening, I do agree the injected humor seems forced and the author/narrator a little elitist in his approach. However, if you are not familiar with Information Security, the topics covered are indeed worth listening to via the DVD forum.

With lack of number of preparation books out there, the Syngress study guide is not bad on the whole.

INTRO:
The SSCP exam and certification is a great way to make headways into the IT Security world. The exam requires 1 year of experience and application via (ISC)2's website. This book does not contains the most up to date information, but is a great companion to the Common Body of Knowledge (CBK) that (ISC)2 has published more recently (2006).

EXAM:
This book should cover all the material (7 domains) tested on the exam. It is a prudent measure, to use more than one resource to study for any IT exam. I would also recommend the practice exams offered by (ISC)2.

CONCLUSION:
If you want to learn about the fascinating world of IT Security, have passed CompTIA's Security+ exam and are looking for a challenge, or do not have the years of work experience to qualify for (ISC)2's CISSP exam, this book is for you. I would also add the yellow book published by (ISC)2 for a complete body of study material.

I ordered this book with the intent that it would be my primary SSCP test preparation guide aside from my own education and experience. However, upon reading the first few chapters the lack of quality editing and attention to detail was apparent. In the second chapter alone there are numerous typographical and grammatical errors and at least one clearly incorrect diagram (pg. 33). Some of the wording is confusing and makes me wonder if the authors understand what they are writing about. Because of these obvious errors, I can't trust that the information this book contains is correct.

The DVD that comes with this book basically contains a series of powerpoint presentations given by the book's editor where each presentation covers a different CBK domain. These presentations do not go very deep into the domains and offer little in addition to the material covered in the book. I found the DVD to be of little use to me, which may be because of my particular learning style, but others might find it to be somewhat useful.

My advice to anyone looking for an SSCP test prep guide is to order "The SSCP Prep Guide" by Debra and Michael Isaac and pass on this book unless you absolutely must have the DVD training system. "The SSCP Prep Guide," published by John Wiley & Sons, is definitely of much better quality than this book and is also great as a reference book. Whatever you do, do not count on the "SSCP Study Guide and DVD Training System" to be your primary test preparation resource.

The SSCP DVD and Training System was probably the most useless training mechanism I have ever used. The book is divided correctly, however it fails to cover important information on the exam. Some chapters are unclear, and overlap to an extent where it becomes unclear as to what domain you are actually covering.

The DVD was the biggest disappointment of all. It is a quick PowerPoint presentation with the author in a PIP window giving an overview of "key points".

Needless to say I used this as my single point for studying and FAILED the exam.

DO NOT BUY!!

I ordered this book with the intent that it would be my primary SSCP test preparation guide aside from my own education and experience. However, upon reading the first few chapters the lack of quality editing and attention to detail was apparent. In the second chapter alone there are numerous typographical and grammatical errors and at least one clearly incorrect diagram (pg. 33). Some of the wording is confusing and makes me wonder if the authors understand what they are writing about. Because of these obvious errors, I can't trust that the information this book contains is correct.

The DVD that comes with this book basically contains a series of powerpoint presentations given by the book's editor where each presentation covers a different CBK domain. These presentations do not go very deep into the domains and offer little in addition to the material covered in the book. I found the DVD to be of little use to me, which may be because of my particular learning style, but others might find it to be somewhat useful.

My advice to anyone looking for an SSCP test prep guide is to order "The SSCP Prep Guide" by Debra and Michael Isaac and pass on this book unless you absolutely must have the DVD training system. "The SSCP Prep Guide," published by John Wiley & Sons, is definitely of much better quality than this book and is also great as a reference book. Whatever you do, do not count on the "SSCP Study Guide and DVD Training System" to be your primary test preparation resource.