Security+ (401) Training Resources <CompTIA Certmaster?>

orlandofl

I'm sure this has been asked, so i'll apologize in advance. Tomorrow starts my Security+ regime, I just passed network+ this morning. I'll be giving this four weeks of full-time study (40 hours a week). My comptia security+ training resources include:

-Darril Gibson's 401 Study Guide
-CompTIA Security+ Certmaster (was great for Net+, anyone tried this for Security+?)
-CBT Nuggets Security+ with Keith Barker
-Gibson's Security+ Full Access Package with practice exams, flash cards, and audio
Pass the Security+ Exam the First Time You Take It | Get Certified Get Ahead
-Professor Messer's Study Guide

Anything essential I've overlooked is much appreciated!!

-Travis

stryder144

Congrats on the Network+ pass...that is awesome! As for the resources you've compiled...staggering! You should be more than covered by the material you've chosen. Good luck. PM me if you need help.

itangel

Congrats! on your Net+, I am looking at a few certs myself Net+ & Sec+ but trying to decide a path and if I want to return to WGU to take the security path of there course there too. XD

orlandofl

Good luck!

ThePawofRizzo

orlandofl, I'm aiming to take Sec+ pretty soon...maybe as soon as this week. I'm using a variety of resources, but one is the Certmaster. I can give you some idea (I hope) of it as a preparatory tool. I'm glad to hear the Net+ version was helpful, and so I hope Sec+ is equally so.

orlandofl

Awesome! I bought the 'bundle' from CompTIA that has the Certmaster and 2nd shot retake. When I'm done with the CBT nugget videos if it's decent according to your review I'll likely devote a week to Certmaster.

Thanks!

-Travis

fuz1on

Good luck you guys!

The_Expert

Certmaster is a really nice tool to use... too bad CompTia charges so much for it. I used it for Security+ when I had a time crunch last year... needed to get the Security+ out of the way before my voucher expired.

ThePawofRizzo

orlandofl wrote: »

Awesome! I bought the 'bundle' from CompTIA that has the Certmaster and 2nd shot retake. When I'm done with the CBT nugget videos if it's decent according to your review I'll likely devote a week to Certmaster.

Thanks!

-Travis

That's what I got. I wouldn't have gotten Certmaster without the discounted rate with the 2nd shot. I have Security+ from when it was out in it's first version, but thought I should review and retake to prepare for CASP, CISSP, etc.

I had hoped to take it this weekend, but the testing center appears closed on Saturday. Looks like I can take it in the next couple weekends, just not as soon as I'd hope. I'll post back here after I've had it to see if the Certmaster helps.

prldecivic

orlandofl wrote: »

I'm sure this has been asked, so i'll apologize in advance. Tomorrow starts my Security+ regime, I just passed network+ this morning. I'll be giving this four weeks of full-time study (40 hours a week). My training resources include:

-Darril Gibson's 401 Study Guide
-CompTIA Security+ Certmaster (was great for Net+, anyone tried this for Security+?)
-CBT Nuggets Security+ with Keith Barker
-Gibson's Security+ Full Access Package with practice exams, flash cards, and audio
Pass the Security+ Exam the First Time You Take It | Get Certified Get Ahead
-Professor Messer's Study Guide

Anything essential I've overlooked is much appreciated!!

-Travis

These seem to be the most popular study resources. Is the Certmaster just a bunch of Test questions? That's what i gathered from the comptia site. So would folks suggested, CBT Nuggets first to learn the content then watch Professor Messer's Videos + Study guide then Certmaster to prepare for the test?

ThePawofRizzo

Yeah, Certmaster is basically test questions for review. There aren't any training videos. It seems to be decent training, but I'll know better after the exam.

From CompTIA:

"Mastery of a question is achieved when the learner answers the question confidently and correctly two times in a row. A CertMaster course is complete when a learner achieves 100% mastery of all questions. "

bigdavesolns

I studied using the CertMaster, and it hardly helped at all. In fact I failed it. It misses so many things on the test. And the things it does teach aren't on the exam. It really nailed home the "Things that a person knows" etc. stuff and mantraps, bollards, cctv, etc. A little about ports, and a whole bunch over Kerberos and TACACS+. None of which were on the test. Absolutely stupid.

orlandofl

I studied using the CertMaster, and it hardly helped at all. In fact I failed it. It misses so many things on the test. And the things it does teach aren't on the exam. It really nailed home the "Things that a person knows" etc. stuff and mantraps, bollards, cctv, etc. A little about ports, and a whole bunch over Kerberos and TACACS+. None of which were on the test. Absolutely stupid.

I used Certmaster on Net+ with success. Sorry to hear about your experiences with it on Security+. I'll go over the Certmaster stuff..but likely concentrate on Darril Gibson's website.

-Travis

ThePawofRizzo

I passed it with an 814, and Certmaster helped, but I wouldn't say once someone does well on Certmaster that they are necessarily ready for the exam. I used the McGraw Hill practice questions books, Certmaster, the Pearson text, and the Passport book. I think the Pearson text was most thorough for review. Passport was mostly for quick review, and was good just for that.

orlandofl

I passed it with an 814, and Certmaster helped, but I wouldn't say once someone does well on Certmaster that they are necessarily ready for the exam. I used the McGraw Hill practice questions books, Certmaster, the Pearson text, and the Passport book. I think the Pearson text was most thorough for review. Passport was mostly for quick review, and was good just for that.

Congrats! Thanks for the info on Certmaster. I'll divide my last 2 weeks between Certmaster and Darril's website.

-Travis

ThePawofRizzo

Good luck and keep us posted!

Darkmori

Cert master for Security+ is very lacking. I can answer most questions in CM easily.... I have ran through it 4 times ( going through again just for fun )...yet I failed Security+ exam with a 705. I used Cert Master to pass both A+ exams and Network+ exams. The new Deluxe bundle is nice though, you get Cert Master, exam voucher, and a free re-take for $368.

It helps a lot if you take Network+ first, before Security+. The Network+ Cert Master has a lot of info in it, unlike the Sec+ version that did not bother to explain things or define acronyms. No sims in Sec+ CM either. But you can google up many of those. The only one I cannot find is the WAP set-up through a Radius server; found some helpful youtube vids, but nothing that gives me a solid understanding of it. Any help with this would be appreciated.