As you can probably tell by the title, I passed the exam and am now a Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer (CDPSE)! This process took approximately a month ad a half. If you haven’t read my Part 1 post about this topic, check it out! I completed the exam on January 30, 2021 and finally got my results Friday morning on March 19, 2021 with a result of PASS.
This study guide covers the three domains of the exam:
- Privacy Governance (34% of exam)
- Privacy Architecture (36% of exam)
- Data Cycle (30% of exam)
These resources, along with the references identified in the review manual, helped me achieve a passing score for the exam! Additional resources to check out would be the NIST Privacy Framework, NIST Cybersecurity Framework, my GDPR series, and additional resources mentioned by ISACA’s study guide outline.
This exam was a more difficult exam only because the content is brand new and my experience was the first time it had been available for people like you and me to take (and pass). One thing you must remember when taking exams like this (CISA, CISM, etc.) is that they will ask you for which answer is the BEST or the MOST accurate for the situation. Anyone who has taken the exam before knows exactly what I’m talking about. A great way to prepare for questions like this is to think up what questions would be asked on the exam. Let’s look at an example below…
Question: A request for information was submitted by a data subject for their information the company has. What would be the MOST appropriate document to consult regarding where the data is located and how to obtain it?
- (A) Data Dictionary
- (B) Business Glossary
- (C) Privacy Notice
- (D) Data Flow Diagram
Which do you think is the answer??? After you pick the answer and then look below to find the correct one, leave a like or dislike depending on if you thought this was a good question or not.
Figure it out? Give up? Still thinking? Look below here for the explanation of the answer!
A Data Dictionary is a data inventory at the application level and will display information collected on data subjects. This will detail the location and type of data stored for each data subject that has been collected (for a specific purpose outlined in the privacy notice of course).
Did you agree with the answer? It would be incredibly helpful if you would leave a like or dislike above with your opinion! That way, I can tailor my questions that are correct and accurate.
All that said, I completed the exam and received a passing score. Once you pass, you’ll need to complete the application and pay the $50 fee to submit it. A requirement of three years of experience in each area is needed to fulfill the post-exam requirements. Once you complete all those requirements after you pass the exam, you will get the image below and have achieved the next step in your privacy career!
If you would like advice or my opinion regarding anything I mention on this website or that is not yet on this website, please feel free to reach out and I will respond as quickly as I possibly can! Best of luck on your privacy journey!
See the Newsletters page for the latest content and to subscribe to the regular update, see the About page for information around who DPP is, and check out the Contact page to reach out to DPP with any questions or concerns. These are my thoughts and should not be taken as professional advice simply because you are not paying me for my opinion.
Once you understand how valuable your information is, then you can begin taking steps to keep it private.