Passed SY0-301!

neonballoon

Just got back from the testing center with a passing score of 841/900. I am hugely relieved as I was unsure if I would pass while taking it.

Background:
I graduated with a BA in Information Systems and have 3 years of tech support experience with exposure to SQL and basic troubleshooting the company's software/website. I have an A+ and Network+ I passed back in 2010.

Study Material:
-I watched all 185 Professor Messer videos and took diligent notes.
-Read Darril Gibson's Security+ Get Certified Get Ahead book highlighting important bits. I got around 60% on the first assessment test in the beginning of the book. Took notes during the chapter tests and reviewed questions I was iffy on.
-Read Darril Gibson's book through again focusing on the highlighted parts and retaking all the practice questions. I scored 90-95% on both assessment tests.
-Typed out all the "Remember This" parts, printed it out and read through it 3 times. Highlighted parts that I missed practice questions on.
-Memorized all the port #s and whether it was TCP/UDP.
-Watched and took sample performance based questions I could find online.

Overall I spent around 3 months because I am overseas and have a lot of time and wanted to take advantage of it. Passing with 1-2 month prep time is possible.

The Exam:
I had about 5-6 performance based questions and totally shook me up as the first question had me configure the MOST secure WEP and it was not a drop down menu, I had to type all the information in. I feel most of the questions were also poorly worded and introduced things I don't remember studying. The questions were much more vague and indirect than the practice questions but I went through them using common sense and process of elimination. There were a surprising number of questions on WEP and PKI.
I finished the exam with about 40 minutes to spare so I re-did the performance questions and the flagged questions and felt much better going through the exam again.

The next step:
I am aiming to get an entry-level position with a government contractor so I am going by the DoD 8570 chart. Studying for C|EH next.

Big thanks to Darril Gibson and his book, it was easy to follow and wasn't bored to tears.

Question - how long does it take for CompTIA to update my website profile with the results? I'm not seeing the results yet.

Justin-

Great job, congrats on the pass!

I am currently studying for the SY0-401, using Sybex. So far I've read 1/4 of the book so I still have a while to go.