Looking for a Boson Alternative for CISSP? An Honest ExSim-Max Comparison

Why I wrote this page

If you've searched for a Boson CISSP alternative, you already know the landscape. Boson ExSim-Max for CISSP is the industry-standard CISSP practice exam - six full-length exams, 900 questions, mapped to all eight domains, with a reputation built over more than a decade. If you can afford it and the format fits you, it's a safe choice, and nothing here is going to change that.

This page is for a specific candidate:

• Someone who wants a cheaper option - $18 with lifetime access instead of around $99 a year that expires.
• Someone who wants to try before paying. Boson does not publish a free trial exam.
• Someone who wants a different kind of feedback: not just an answer key, but a concept-level diagnosis that says "you miss risk-prioritization questions," not "you scored 62% on Security and Risk Management."

I'm a senior network and security engineer. I built FigigExams because I kept watching strong people pass practice exams, read the explanations, and still not know which concepts were actually holding them back. This is my honest take on where it fits next to Boson for CISSP, and where it doesn't.

What Boson ExSim-Max for CISSP does well

Credit where it's due. Boson ExSim-Max for CISSP is a polished, serious product. The question bank is deep - six full-length exams, 900 questions - the explanations are detailed and reference the source material, and the items are well-calibrated to the difficulty and manager-perspective framing of the live CISSP. Boson also backs it with a No Pass, No Pay guarantee: if ExSim-Max doesn't help you pass, you're eligible for a refund. That's a real commitment, and it's more than most practice products offer.

Boson even makes the same core promise I do: if you can pass ExSim-Max for CISSP, you're ready for the live exam. They're right to. None of what follows is an attack on Boson - FigigExams solves a slightly different problem, for a different budget.

Side-by-side: Boson ExSim-Max for CISSP vs FigigExams

The Boson figures below reflect their public product listing for ExSim-Max for CISSP. Check Boson's site for current pricing and access terms - I don't control their catalog.

Accuracy matters, so the Boson column avoids details I can't verify from outside their product. If any Boson figure is out of date, email me at [email protected] and I'll correct it.

The personal Exam Coach Boson doesn't have

This is the reason FigigExams exists. Boson tells you which answer was right and why. The FigigExams Exam Coach goes one level deeper: every attempt produces a personalized report that names the exact concepts costing you points - across all eight CBK domains - and gives you a follow-up chat plus a targeted study plan based on your weakest concepts.

For a broad exam like CISSP, that matters. A 62% on Security and Risk Management doesn't tell you what to study tonight. "You consistently miss questions where risk-prioritization beats control-implementation" does. That concept-level steer is what turns a stuck 70%-er into a pass - and it's the one thing a 900-question answer key can't give you on its own.

The manager-perspective edge

The CISSP is not a technical exam. It's a manager-perspective exam disguised as a technical one, and the most common reason strong engineers fail is answering as the engineer they are instead of the CISO the exam wants them to be.

Most CISSP questions deliberately offer one answer that is technically correct and one that is strategically correct. The strategic answer wins. "Implement IDS" is rarely the right CISSP answer; "establish a baseline and risk assessment first" usually is. For risk questions, the order is almost always identify, assess, mitigate, then transfer or accept - and the right choice is usually one step earlier than the engineer instinct. FigigExams questions are written to that fault line on purpose, and the Exam Coach explains why the strategic answer beat the technical one.

Frequently asked questions

Is FigigExams a replacement for Boson ExSim-Max for CISSP?

It's a lower-cost alternative focused on concept-level feedback through a personal Exam Coach. Boson remains a strong choice if you want the largest question bank (900 questions) and a money-back guarantee. Many candidates use FigigExams first to diagnose weak domains cheaply, then add Boson for a final high-volume pass.

How much does Boson ExSim-Max for CISSP cost compared to FigigExams?

Boson is listed around $99 per year, and access is time-limited. A FigigExams CISSP exam is $18 with lifetime access, plus a free trial with no credit card. Boson offers more questions; FigigExams is far cheaper, never expires, and adds a concept-level Exam Coach.

Does FigigExams have a readiness guarantee like Boson?

Boson says that if you can pass ExSim-Max, you're ready. FigigExams makes the same readiness claim through its 4-exam pack: pass all four full-length exams with margin and you've demonstrated stable, broad, manager-level competence across all eight CBK domains. No one can guarantee a pass, but four consistent passes is the strongest readiness signal you can give yourself.

What is the Exam Coach, and does Boson have one?

The Exam Coach analyzes your answers at the concept level - which specific concepts cost you points and what to study next. Boson gives detailed explanations and references, but no per-attempt concept-level diagnosis or personalized study plan.

Are the questions written for the manager perspective like the real exam?

Yes. Most questions deliberately include one technically-correct answer and one strategy-correct answer, because that's how the real exam works. The strategy-correct answer - establish a baseline and risk assessment first, rather than "implement IDS" - is the one that wins.