Congratulations, you just provisionally passed the CISSP! The next steps are for the exam results to be sent back to (ISC)2, you to get endorsed, and then starting your journey as an official CISSP. One does not officially become a CISSP until one pays the membership fee. The yearly membership fee is $150 and must be paid up front at the beginning of the 3 year CISSP period. Lets break down these steps, so you can better understand what to expect.
The first step is for the testing organization, Pearson Vue at the time of this writing, to send (ISC)2 your results. This can take sometimes anywhere from 2-5 business days, depending on the situation. Therefore, don’t be worried that the results do not show up right away. If it takes more than those specified business days, then send an email to (ISC)2 to help clarify the situation. Weekday holidays might delay the implementation of this.
After (ISC)2 has registered and confirmed that you passed, the next step is to get endorsed. To get endorsed, you must have a profile in the (ISC)2 and have it registered to the same email that Pearson Due has. Once it says that you have passed the test, you have 9 months from the date of passing to get endorsed. There are 2 ways to get endorsed, either have an existing CISSP in good standing and a valid CISSP endorse you, or have (ISC)2 be the endorser.
Regardless of which path taken to get endorsed, you will need to have the experience to become a full member. This is meaning to have 5 years of experience in 2 of 8 domains, but can be knocked down to 4 years with the applicable certifications or degree. If you dont have the experience to become fully certified, then there is no need to do anything else as by passing the test, one automatically becomes an Associate of (ISC)2. Note, that associates of (ISC)2 cannot use the letters CISSP on their resumes as it is a violation of ethics. The last step in the process if not getting an endorsement is to pay the membership fee, which is discussed in the last chapter.
For those looking to get endorsed, the URL for endorsement is https://apps.isc2.org/Endorsement/#/Home.
When one uses an endorser, one will fill out the endorsement form, and then will wait for (ISC)2 to review and approve their request. It is indeed possible to have the endorsement audited, but it only happens on a very small number of requests, so dont worry. If one goes through the (ISC)2 endorsement, then it will require providing items such as approval offers and other proof of employment details that might not be necessary with an endorser. It definitely is easier to go with an endorsement from an existing CISSP. However, this does not mean one is a CISSP after endorsement, as there is 1 step left.
After passing the test, one will be asked to pay their maintenance dues before becoming an official member and CISSP or Associate. This might be surprising to some and is definitely different than other organizations, which allow you to pay membership dues all at once at anytime during the 3 year period, or alternatively allow one to pay their yearly dues at any point during that year, rather than at the start. However, the cost is $150.
What is interesting is that after becoming certified, the 3 year period for Continuing Education begins the start of the next month. Therefore if one passes on September 14th, then the CPE and CISSP 3 year period would start October 1st, 2022 and run until September, 2025.
For more information on passing the CISSP exam, check out this article. It has helpful tips and tricks that you wont be able to find anywhere else.