Certified Information Privacy Professional Study Guide: Pass the IAPP's Certification Foundation Exam with Ease!

I bought this in the kindle format, so the formatting portions might not be relevant to the other versions.At least for me, the best way to study for a multiple choice exam has always been to take a bunch of practice questions and review why the correct answer is right and the other answers are wrong.This book is designed with that principle in mind--but the answers appear immediately after each question. I got used to holding a sheet of paper in front and sliding it down, but it would be far more effective to have a page break of some sort before the answer. It was a frustrating experience, holding up the sheet and clicking to view the next page without accidentally seeing the answer. This is the main reason I deducted a star.Also, question 45 in the first section is flawed. It basically asks which country satisfies a condition, and then the explanation for the answer lists two of the possible choices as satisfying the condition.The material in this book is also a bit outdated. There are now questions dealing with more recent laws. Still, if you're familiar with the material in this book, you'll be off to a good start.I did manage to pass the CIPP/US exam on my first try. I read through the main book from IAPP once, and reviewed someone else's outline a few times. Then I bought this book the day before the exam and ran through the practice questions twice. However, I'm a lawyer with a tech background that has always had a general interest in privacy, and had a general familiarity with some of the privacy laws to begin with, so I was able to get away with significantly less preparation that most people will likely need.I'd still recommend this book for anyone looking to take the exam without paying for the more expensive classes from IAPP for now, but if it isn't updated in the next 1-2 years to include GDPR, the Privacy Shield, and CCPA, I'd be hesitant to continue recommending it.

If you are looking for a focused and useful study guide for CIPP/US, this is not it. In my opinion, it could harm your studies. The reasons: 1) The first half of the book is not core subject matter for the exam. Focusing your studies on it will be a waste of your time and will harm your studies. i.e. almost the entire first half of the book is not on the test!!2) There is at least one duplicate - word-for-word - question. This is a waste of your time and shows complete lack of editorial care.3) Although self-described as explaining 'everything you need to know in crystal clear detail', the book is objectively lacking in significant areas (for example, it fails to even remotely adequately cover FISA, National Security Letters and Section 215 Orders).After getting the book and being so shocked at how bad it is, I decided to go digging around some of the positive reviews and reviewers. Some of them are clearly sketchy. For example, Matt Tomas (reviewer on 1/1/2015) provided a 5-start review - his single review on Amazon. For somebody who seems to know a lot about CIPP/US study prep, I can find no mention of him through the IAPP membership portal, CIPP/US certified professional search, or even just searching on google. I think that is strange for somebody that apparently is qualified to talk about the utility of this book. My point is, if you are using these reviews to judge the quality of the product, do some digging. Draw your own conclusions.My conclusions is this: This book is a money grab; at best, it is a passable overview of most (but not all) CIPP/US topics which is dangerously paired with a re-hashing of outdated superfluous CIPP Foundation exam material. It is not a very good resource for CIPP/US candidates. If you have studied for the exam and you page through the book, it will not pass the smell test. If you are scrambling last minute to study, and you don't have a good grasp on what is/isn't covered subject matter, this book is a dangerous option that could lead you to waste hours on irrelevant material.It is tough to find quality CIPP/US exam study materials. From experience, I can say that putting in the effort to develop your own study guide based on the covered test subject matter is definitely a recipe for success. If you are the type of person that needs to get their hands on every practice question they can, then maybe this book (the second half's questions) will be worth the money. However, I would caution against it (see point 1 above) as it may divert your attention away from the topics that are actually tested on the CIPP/US exam.

The US portion of the book was very useful. Note, this book isn't a self-contained study aid - it serves more as a tutor with directions on what to review, research, know. This is why I gave it four stars (I deducted a star because the book isn't entirely clear that the IAPP certification process has changed and much of the data on "foundations" isn't necessary). Each chapter addresses a different topic covered on the CIPP exam and where to look on the IAPP website for more information & definitions. The questions are spot on. The answers provided are helpful, albeit you may wish to use IAPP's guides to supplement. Note for lawyers: unlike real life where lawyers would commit malpractice if they relied on memory for key dates and/or code specifics - the IAPP exam requires you to memorize every detail. So memorize, memorize, memorize. The upside, I everything I memorized for the exam was useful in real life (unlike the bar exam). As an aside, I found taking the CIPP exam in a paper format (as opposed to on a computer) a lot easier. If you like paper too, opt to take the exam at a conference instead of at a testing center. Best of luck - and welcome to privacy - a great profession that keeps improving because it values collaboration over litigation. Go figure!

I recommend it purely for practicing the test-questions. At the exam some of them where asked. However, for the theory I would stick to the official guide, as it is much richer. You will not pass the foundation exam easily only using this book.

Outdated and not Canadian content.