I believe ISC2’s decision of remote testing surprises the community. I respect their final decision, but I hope our concern and voice could be heard.
Capacity or Safety
Human life always takes priority over any other matter. I consider remote testing is implemented because of the limited or insufficient enrollment capacity or safety concerns about test centers. Isn’t it?
If test centers in the pandemic time are not safe, they should be shut down completely. If some of the test centers can be open, that means the safety issue is addressable. So, I believe that remote testing comes in to compensate for the insufficient capacity. However, in the past six months, the number of CISSP grows as many as in the prior 18 months.
The Growth of CISSP in the Past 6 Months
- The number of CISSP increases by 6,016, from 141,607 to 147,623, in 6 months (1-Jul-20 to 1-Jan-21) during the peak pandemic time.
- The number of CISSP increases by only 5,179, from 136,428 to 141,607, in 18 months (31-Dec-18 to 1-Jul-20).
People Safety, ISC2 Growth, Exam Integrity, and Tradeoff
We still have some “safe” test centers available, and the number of CISSP keeps growing (by 6,016 CISSPs in recent 6 months) without remote testing even during the pandemic time. Remote testing undoubtedly boosts the growth of ISC2 members, but it comes with a price of the potential loss of the exam integrity and long-term credit of ISC2 credentials.
The “Exams in Test Centers Only” Strategy
Even though more and more certification bodies have implemented remote testing, it’s an opportunity, in my view, for ISC2 to uniquely distinct itself from the competition by insisting on the strategy of “exams in test centers only.” It, in the meantime, maintains the high standard, exam integrity, and its credit.
Do It Differently
I hope ISC2 remains unique and competitive in the certification market, but remote testing would make it an average player. If remote testing is an unchangeable decision, I hope it is the most rigid and different from others.
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