I prepped for 3 months by buying some general classic security books from the CISSP Common Body of Knowledge study list, and I never took a class.

The exam tests how you think. So you need to figure out if you are thinking like the most senior person who "owns the risk" in a company. This is not a geeky ethical hacking certification.

I recommend that you review the free study guides on cccure.org. I created a matrix that listed the chapters and the free study guide sections ORGANIZED BY DOMAIN. This is the study trick, ORGANIZED BY DOMAIN. Then do your reading and review ORGANIZED BY DOMAIN. When you start seeing repeat topics and you remember when you read about that in a previous article, then you know that you're nearing readiness in that area. Do NOT study the domains from 1 through 10. Read through your material,  ORGANIZED BY DOMAIN, starting with the domain you know THE LEAST, and progress toward the areas that you already know. This leaves you the most prepared when that exam date suddenly appears a week away.

1. Study ORGANIZED BY DOMAIN.
2. Study what you know the least, first.
3. This 90% a non-technical exam about how to think like a risk management profession.

Good Luck,
Donna

I was lucky enough as well, to have the opportunity for a boot camp leading up to the exam.  We may have been in the same one, or taken the it with the same instructor, because mine gave the same advice.  After class on Friday, I drove to Reston Town Center and treated myself to dinner and a glass of wine at Morton's Steak House.

I then proceeded to have a surprisingly good sleep, woke up for some Tai Chi (that's the clue to my instructor), and nailed the exam.

Of course I had spent the previous six months or so reading the books and hanging out on cccure.  Clement's the man!