Resources, Tips, and Techniques that Helped Me Pass the CompTIA Security+ Exam
After completing the Google Cybersecurity Certificate program, the next step on my to-do list was to pass the CompTIA Security+ Exam.
Exam Prep Time
How long does it take to study and prep for the exam? It depends on your knowledge, experience, and background. It also depends on how quickly you can study and learn. I have seen Reddit comments that give the range from 1-2 weeks to several months.
My Background
I am going to be upfront and say that the Google cybersecurity program was NOT enough to pass the Security+ exam. Don’t get me wrong, it was a very informative course with lots of practical knowledge.
However, the CompTIA Security+ exam covers A LOT!
Also, I did not do the Network+ certification nor did I have two years of network admin experience. My background in software development and IT has mainly been in technical writing, manual QA testing, and doing computer troubleshooting and fixing for myself and friends and family.
I decided to set two goals:
1. Aim to pass.
The score does not matter as long as it is a passing score.
2. Use this as a learning experience.
There is an immense amount of knowledge that must be covered, but it is also valuable knowledge.
I would say I took about a month and a half of studying and review to prep for the exam.
However, the CompTIA Security+ exam covers A LOT!
Also, I did not do the Network+ certification nor did I have two years of network admin experience. My background in software development and IT has mainly been in technical writing, manual QA testing, and doing computer troubleshooting and fixing for myself and friends and family.
I decided to set two goals:
1. Aim to pass.
The score does not matter as long as it is a passing score.
2. Use this as a learning experience.
There is an immense amount of knowledge that must be covered, but it is also valuable knowledge.
I would say I took about a month and a half of studying and review to prep for the exam.
Resources I Used
There are two major video courses that come highly recommended: Professor Messer (free on Youtube) and Jason Dion (Udemy).
Professor Messer is the OG that everyone recommends. His videos come in bite-sized pieces so they are easily digestible. Reviewers have commented they can listen to him on the go. Jason Dion on Udemy also comes highly recommended, but don’t pay full price! Udemy often has sales. Even if there isn’t a sale, if you add his course to your cart, (but don’t check out), Udemy will eventually send you a discount code.
People are going to ask, “Which series would you recommend?” I am going to have to give the general, (groan-worthy) answer of, “It depends on what works for you.”
Why? Because …
Professor Messer is the OG that everyone recommends. His videos come in bite-sized pieces so they are easily digestible. Reviewers have commented they can listen to him on the go. Jason Dion on Udemy also comes highly recommended, but don’t pay full price! Udemy often has sales. Even if there isn’t a sale, if you add his course to your cart, (but don’t check out), Udemy will eventually send you a discount code.
People are going to ask, “Which series would you recommend?” I am going to have to give the general, (groan-worthy) answer of, “It depends on what works for you.”
Why? Because …
Attention Deficit and a Successful Technique
I am usually a big fan of video courses. But for some reason, I had trouble concentrating on both Professor Messer and Jason Dion’s videos. To be frank, not much info was getting absorbed and I needed to figure out what would work for me.
Here was my process:
Here was my process:
- Studying from Darril Gibson’s Book, “CompTIA Security+ Get Certified Get Ahead: SY0-601 Study Guide". (Note: Link goes to the SY0-701 version.)
- Taking all 6 practice exams from: CompTIA Security+ (SY0-601) Practice Exams & Simulated PBQs from Jason Dion. (Note: Link goes to the SY0-701 version.)
- Learning from CyberKraft’s PBQ Youtube videos.
- Supplementing knowledge through misc. videos and articles.
Book Learnin’
Starting with Gibson’s book, I aimed to finish a chapter in 2-3 days. My biggest roadblock was lack of concentration. I would finish a paragraph and not remember anything I read. It took some time, but I developed a method that worked for me:
1. Remove distraction and focus line by line.
I would use a blank piece of paper to cover the entire page save for one line. As I read, I would move the paper down the page exposing line by line. This forced me to only concentrate on one sentence at a time.
1. Remove distraction and focus line by line.
I would use a blank piece of paper to cover the entire page save for one line. As I read, I would move the paper down the page exposing line by line. This forced me to only concentrate on one sentence at a time.
2. Scribbled notes and then rewrote those notes.
I made notes of key points as I read. This forced me even more to concentrate and to pick out important piece of information.
I made notes of key points as I read. This forced me even more to concentrate and to pick out important piece of information.
Gibson’s chapters also have brief key points sections throughout the chapters as well as a bullet point summary at the end of each chapter. These helped me double check if I took notes on those points or if I skipped them. They also made me review relevant info in detail because if they are in the summary, then they are important.
Important: Rewriting my notes meant organizing the sprawl, further cementing the knowledge. Plus, this gave me a study guide that I used for review later on.
Important: Rewriting my notes meant organizing the sprawl, further cementing the knowledge. Plus, this gave me a study guide that I used for review later on.
Practice Exams
Jason Dion’s CompTIA Security+ (SY0-601) Practice Exams & Simulated PBQs were very useful. There were some grammatical issues, but overall, they mimicked the real exam pretty well. At the end of each exam a summary was displayed showing the questions I got wrong, the questions I got right, and the questions I flagged. All questions came with explanations.
Cons:
I would go through the explanations for all the questions I got wrong as well as for all the flagged questions. I also took notes on gaps in my knowledge or areas I did not really understand.
Afterwards, I would:
For example, I couldn’t quite understand ‘Federated Identities’ and the video ‘How Federated Authentication Works’ was incredibly clear and helpful.
Cons:
- Sometimes the answers did not cover why the other answers were wrong.
- PBQs were not that complicated.
I would go through the explanations for all the questions I got wrong as well as for all the flagged questions. I also took notes on gaps in my knowledge or areas I did not really understand.
Afterwards, I would:
- review the identified topics in Gibson’s book,
- perform Google searches and read up on the areas I needed further explanation on, or
- look up videos on Youtube that would go more in depth.
For example, I couldn’t quite understand ‘Federated Identities’ and the video ‘How Federated Authentication Works’ was incredibly clear and helpful.
Ee, Gads! Performance Based Questions
Let’s address the elephant in the room: Performance based questions (PBQs)
To say I viewed PBQs with nervous anticipation was an understatement. Honestly, I just did not know what to expect. Since PBQs would take the most time to answer on the exam, I did not want to go in without some preparation.
Major shout out to the CyberKraft channel on Youtube.
Dennis Kraft goes through the questions in detail on how he would approach the problem and how he would solve it, as well as offering his insight from his practical, real world experiences.
To say I viewed PBQs with nervous anticipation was an understatement. Honestly, I just did not know what to expect. Since PBQs would take the most time to answer on the exam, I did not want to go in without some preparation.
Major shout out to the CyberKraft channel on Youtube.
Dennis Kraft goes through the questions in detail on how he would approach the problem and how he would solve it, as well as offering his insight from his practical, real world experiences.
Miscellaneous Resources
Free Practice Exams
If you are looking to take some practice exams for free, check out Miami Toppel Career Center. They provide four free practice exams.
The following are more resources that have helped:
CyberKraft’s The Ports and Protocols You Need for the Security+ SY0 701 Exam
(I made flashcards to help memorize these.)
Lab Videos:
CyberKraft’s CompTIA Security+ Labs
CyberLabs007 Hands-On Lab Training for CompTIA Security+ Exam
Youtube videos that walkthrough exams:
Vincent Humble’s Security+ Study SY0-601 Playlist
Cyber James’ Security+ Realistic Practice Exams
Acronyms
CompTIA Security+ Acronyms
Quizlet Security+ (SY0-601) Acronym List
CyberKraft’s The Ports and Protocols You Need for the Security+ SY0 701 Exam
(I made flashcards to help memorize these.)
Lab Videos:
CyberKraft’s CompTIA Security+ Labs
CyberLabs007 Hands-On Lab Training for CompTIA Security+ Exam
Youtube videos that walkthrough exams:
Vincent Humble’s Security+ Study SY0-601 Playlist
Cyber James’ Security+ Realistic Practice Exams
Acronyms
CompTIA Security+ Acronyms
Quizlet Security+ (SY0-601) Acronym List
Conclusion
The resources I talked about are the major players I used to help me pass the exam. In future blog articles I will go into tips and notes that I hope will be helpful to you.
If you have any resources you would like to add, feel free to comment below.
And if you are currently studying for the exam, good luck and keep at it!
If you have any resources you would like to add, feel free to comment below.
And if you are currently studying for the exam, good luck and keep at it!
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