The largest non-profit association of certified cybersecurity professionals in the world is launching an online exam proctoring pilot program.
(ISC)²'s new program, announced today, will embrace the association's entire portfolio of cybersecurity certifications, including the famed independent information security certification CISSP.
As of July 1, 2020, there were 141,607 (ISC)² members holding the CISSP certification worldwide.
Offering certification online is part of the association's efforts to counter the effects of the global outbreak of the novel coronavirus on the lives of security professionals.
“In the wake of COVID-19, (ISC)² has spent considerable time and effort to ensure the integrity of our exam process while taking into consideration that many candidates are facing extraordinary uncertainty and restrictions due to the pandemic,” said Dr. Casey Marks, chief product officer and vice president, (ISC)².
“Our pilot test program will enable us to gather the data we need to weigh the integrity and effectiveness of the exams while making them more easily accessible during these unprecedented times.”
Under the pilot test, a maximum of 2,000 total examinations will be delivered. Candidates can register for the (ISC)² online proctoring pilot test beginning today.
In this pilot program, test deliveries are being limited to candidates who are located within the United States and who have no past (ISC)² disciplinary actions on record. Tests will only be available in the English language.
The pilot program will be exclusively administered through Pearson VUE, which will offer exam appointments on a first-come, first-served basis.
Online examinations for the CAP, CCSP, CSSLP, HCISPP, CISSP-ISSAP, CISSP-ISSEP, CISSP-ISSMP, and SSCP certifications will be administered February 15, 2021 – February 21, 2021. Online CISSP examinations will be administered February 22, 2021 – February 28, 2021.
The cost for examinations offered online as part of the pilot scheme has been set at the same rate charged for test center–delivered examinations. But, where test center candidates typically receive diagnostic information regarding how they performed in their tests, online candidates will only be given a pass/fail result.
(ISC)², which has a membership of more than 150,000 security professionals, celebrates its 31st anniversary this year.