Source
r/cissp•
1MachineElf

When did the renewal rules change?

It used to be that in lieu of CPEs, it was possible to renew the CISSP certification by simply re-taking the exam. I was informed this week by ISC2 Member Support that this option is no longer offered, and 140 CPE hours are not the only way to renew.

Does anyone know when the rules regarding this changed?

Many places online still renewals are possible via retaking the exam, including the current CISSP page on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Certified_information_systems_security_professional&oldid=1187423183#:~:text=or%20re%2Dtaking%20the%20exam

Posted Dec 2, 2023, 2:54 PM UTC

311
cabell88•

If it lapses, and you take the test again, thats not renewing. Renewing is doing everything you can to never take it again.

13
1MachineElfOP•

Good point, that's a useful distinction.

I was also told by ISC2 Member Support that if it lapses, I'd have to wait 2 years before I can take the test.

Has this always been the case?

2
RATLSNAKE•

Does it matter? Curious, but who sits this certification exam (or any) knowing full well that CPEs are a mandatory part of this world, and then ignores them?

Truthfully if you work in this industry, and you have to in becoming a CISSP, earning CPEs takes no effort. Conferences, podcasts, books, vendor presentations, webinars.

Never seen such a question, so this raises some eyebrows.

1
1MachineElfOP•

While it's true that CPEs don't take much effort, they do take time. 120 hours of my time is far more valuable than the price of an exam voucher, which is why I'd prefer to just retake the exam.

For what it's worth, the last CPEs I earned were from one of ISC2's own trainings, and the CPE folks didn't recognize the CPEs for some unexplainable reason. That experience led me to believe that I'd waste even more time for every CPE I'd need to log. Plus, the free BrightTalk events are mostly just advertisements - a poor use of most people's time IMO.

-2
amw3000•

Plus, the free BrightTalk events are mostly just advertisements - a poor use of people's time IMO.

Just have them on while your cleaning, doing other work, etc. The point of the BrightTalk events is to stay current, not memorize them word for word. Your life doesn't need to stop to watch them.

If you don't like ISC2 as an organization, don't renew.

1
D1CCP•

If you are a CISSP, I would assume you are working in the field. And so, for the 120 hours, aren't you already doing these "lifestyle" things already? You already earn CPE's for so many things automatically if you are working in the field.

Prepping for the retake would take more than 120 hours (but of course, this can be highly subjective)

1
legion9x19CISSP•

120 hours over 3 years is a lot of time for a CISSP?

If you can't meet that requirement with your normal daily activities, then why even have the certification in the first place?

This isn't the hill to die on.

1
BenMalisow•

Why in the world would you want to pay seven hundred bucks (PLUS the AMF) to "renew" your cert?

I have oriented my life around never taking that fucking test again. Even while on sabbatical, I kept up my CPEs.

Putting on my Security Hat, and thinking from the ISC2 perspective, this policy is in place to discourage ill-intentioned folks from harvesting test questions. It is a sensible policy, from that perspective.

6
1MachineElfOP•

I can see the importance of protecting the test questions, but isn't the electronic test's "intelligence" there to help prevent that anyway? They did not have to take away a renewal route to achieve that goal.

I understand your point of view, but you are also basically saying that 120 hours of your time is worth less than seven hundred dollars. It is not logical.

-2
BenMalisow•

...only if we assume we're not already, in the course of our professional lives, spending 40 hours per year engaged in activities that equate to CPEs.

And anyone who fails to do so, well, I'm not sure I really want them being a CISSP. 40 hours over the course of a year of learning to maintain currency in a field that is explicitly based on cutting-edge tech? That's nuthin'. Very, very low bar.

1