Let's pretend you're planning a big trip, and you need a nice place to stay. After considering different options online, you find a place that sounds great. The photos appear perfect.

So, here's the question. When you arrive, will the lodging match your expectations...or is it just too good to be true?

When you're choosing among CISSP® training providers, we know you're sorting through a variety of companies and often times, big, beautiful claims. To ensure you aren't surprised when you reach the CISSP certification exam, here are three myths debunked.

Myth #1: Pass rates of 90%+ are guaranteed.

What you should know: No training provider knows exactly which questions and real-world scenarios will be on the exam, so there's no way to guarantee a pass rate.

The CISSP certification exam is very tough, and it's constantly being updated to reflect our ever-changing cyber world. Not to mention, there are a variety of unknown variables when each person takes the exam.

The notion that a company will prepare you for the exact questions on the exam is impossible.

Bottom line: (ISC)² does not provide pass rate information to any training providers - including our very own (ISC)² Official and Approved Training Providers. Be careful with any company that guarantees a pass rate.

Myth #2: Any training company can get you a CISSP exam voucher.

What you should know: (ISC)² and (ISC)² Official Training Providers are the only authorized organizations with the ability to offer CISSP exam vouchers.

What happens if an unauthorized company says they can get exam vouchers for you? For example, “all you need to do is give them your Pearson VUE credentials.”

You should know you're putting yourself at risk. Sharing your Pearson VUE credentials with unauthorized companies or individuals violates the terms of the (ISC)² Non-Disclosure Agreement. Doing this means you:

May lose your CISSP certification

Can be indefinitely suspended from retaking the exam

Will lose the money you've paid for the exam

Bottom line: When you go through official channels for exam vouchers, you completely eliminate these risks. (ISC)² and our Official Training Providers will never ask you for your Pearson VUE credentials.

Myth #3: Passing the exam is the one and only thing that matters.

What you should know: There’s more at stake here.

It’s easy to slip into the mindset that passing the exam is the only thing that matters. In this mindset, training can quickly turn into a series of memorization drills and brain dumps.

But step back for a moment. The CISSP certification was created to measure whether you have the experience, knowledge and critical thinking skills to be effective at your job.

Yes, we help you prepare for test day. Just as important, though, we never lose sight of the bigger picture: inspiring a safe and secure cyber world and developing professionals who can protect their organizations.

Because we create and manage the CISSP Common Body of Knowledge (CBK®), our training seminars always include the most current information. Plus, all of our instructors have the CISSP certification themselves. This means our instructors can help you:

Understand how to apply the most current best practices in real-world scenarios

Build critical thinking skills to enable you to think beyond the tasks at hand

Address today’s security problems, and discover tomorrow’s challenges before they even happen

Bottom line: When you choose (ISC)² or one of our (ISC)² Official Training Providers, you are on the way to becoming the most well-rounded and effective information security professional possible.