Security+ Unlocked: My Journey to Passing the Exam! Up Next, CySA+

Introduction

I passed the Security+ exam this week! It’s been an exhilarating experience filled with preparation, practice, and a few unexpected challenges along the way. In this blog, I’ll provide a review of my preparation strategy and share valuable insights into tackling the Security+ exam. From trusted study resources to key tips and tricks, this is my story of conquering the exam and what I learned along the way.

The Power of Professor Messer

When it comes to exam preparation, I placed my trust in Professor Messer’s YouTube videos. His concise and effective explanations, perfectly aligned with the exam objectives, became my primary source of knowledge. Professor Messer’s content was clear-cut and to the point, making it easy to revisit specific topics whenever needed. It laid a solid foundation for my preparation.

Practice Makes Perfect

To gauge my readiness for the exam, I turned to Professor Messer’s practice exams. While some recommend Dion’s tests as well, I found that three tests were sufficient for my needs. My journey began with a score of approximately 75% on the first test. This initial assessment allowed me to identify areas that needed improvement, which I promptly reviewed.

Pro tip: I leveraged the wisdom of Reddit and employed a technique that involved scrutinizing the CompTIA exam objectives. For each point, I questioned whether I could explain it and knew the details. If not, I revisited the relevant videos and took notes, ensuring a solid grasp of the material. This method significantly boosted my scores, with the next two tests yielding an impressive ~86%.

Harnessing Google’s Wisdom

Google’s new generative responses feature proved to be a handy tool for resolving doubts quickly. When faced with questions about the differences between two similar protocols, terms, or concepts, a simple search provided concise pointers to eliminate any confusion.

The Exam Adventure

As I ventured into the actual exam, I encountered a few curveballs. Some of the questions felt a bit vague, which made me recalibrate my score expectations. However, based on my confidence in the answers, I’m confident that I achieved a decent score.

Caveat

Prior to my Security+ journey, I had already read the Sybex CySA+ study guide. And almost everything I needed to know for Security+ was covered in that resource. This background knowledge made my preparation more efficient, taking only about 10 days of focused study. Security+ may be considered a basic test, so a solid understanding of the exam objectives is often sufficient — no need to get lost in excessive details.

Conclusion

While the exam posed its challenges, I emerged with newfound confidence in my cybersecurity knowledge. Remember, mastering the exam objectives is the key to success, and with the right strategy, anyone can secure the Security+ certification.