This blog post talks about Certified in CyberSecurity (ISC2) Certification.
Introduction
At the time of writing, Certified in CyberSecurity (CC) is a FREE Entry-level Cybersecurity Training + Certification Exam from ISC2. There is an ongoing promotion whereby ISC2 is offering FREE CC + Training to one million people. It is a entry level certificate that is open to anyone with an ISC2 account. However, do note that upon passing the exam, you will have to complete an application form an pay 50 USD as a Annual Maintenance Fee (AMF) before getting your certificate. It is valid for 3 years only. I successfully completed this certification exam in Nov 2023.
Exam details
Why did i choose this?
The only reason why i took this was because it was advertised as “FREE”. Prior to this, I have already passed exams of a “higher tier/difficulty” and it would be a waste of money to take a certification that is of lower value.
Cost
As mentioned in their T&Cs, the certification exam + the training is actually Free of charge, but you are required to pay a AMF of USD 50 every year. Across a span of 3 years, you’re expected to pay 150 USD to maintain your membership status in ISC2 and also this cert.
Study Materials
You can find all the relevant study materials from their learning portal. There are practise exams for you to kinda gauge what to expect as well.
Exam
The Exam is 2 hours and comprises of 100 MCQ questions. You have to score 700 out of 1000 to pass. I was only given the choice to take the exam at a physical test center. The process was fairly simple, just book a timeslot, appear with 2 forms of identification, take the exam and thats it.
Honest Opinions
It is not worth the 150 USD fee that you have to pay across 3 years. Content wise, it is VERY VERY basic. The materials are should have already been taught in your Poly/Uni modules, or are concepts that are widely used in cybersecurity. The free training and exam attempt is nice, but I wouldnt recommend this if you’re chasing for A certification. The only scenerio that i feel you can take the training + exam is if you’re entirely NEW to cybersecurity and want to break into this field. The free training is not bad, and going through the examination process will prepare you for future certification attempts. You can take the training and exam but not pay the AMF.