Passed Security+ - No IT Experience
Hello Everyone
I just passed Sec+ with a score of 867.
I have no other experience within the IT field. I do a little programming in Java at home, it helped with understanding key points like Buffer Overflow, Code Review, SQL, etc... Aside from that though, everything was really new to me or I simply did not understand the topic well enough (I knew about Spyware, Trojans, but not enough to explain what they really did).
My main book was by Darril Gibson. His study guide was amazing.
I also studied the application with that book. This was an invaluable tool as well. Really helped me understand the content.
My study method for this test was as follows:
Hope this helps some people.
I just passed Sec+ with a score of 867.
I have no other experience within the IT field. I do a little programming in Java at home, it helped with understanding key points like Buffer Overflow, Code Review, SQL, etc... Aside from that though, everything was really new to me or I simply did not understand the topic well enough (I knew about Spyware, Trojans, but not enough to explain what they really did).
My main book was by Darril Gibson. His study guide was amazing.
I also studied the application with that book. This was an invaluable tool as well. Really helped me understand the content.
My study method for this test was as follows:
- Read Gibson's book. Make notes of everything, even if I thought I understood it well.
- Do the Android application. Read the flashcards until I can answer without multiple choice.
- Do question after question and test after test. I just repeated this process until I knew my material. I did so many questions. Any question I got wrong, I added it to my notes about that technology, protocol, etc... This was immensely helpful in getting pass this test.
- The most important point of all, read the objectives list and explain each point aloud (thanks to TallDude7). If I couldn't explain it, I read the chapter in Gibson's book or used Google for an answer. I was hard on myself with this, I didn't give an easy answer and move on. This took a lot of time. Even after I studied all the content (30 hours+), I spent 10 hours alone doing this ensuring I understood everything.
Hope this helps some people.
Comments
Thanks.
Each chapter in Gibson's book took between 2 - 3.5 hours for me to cover (writing notes, understanding what they did and also doing the practice questions).
I started to prep for the exam in August I believe, I read the first 9 chapters. I then didn't study it all all again until mid-late November when I went 3 - 4 hours a day doing it all (Finishing the book and reviewing). I had my exam on the 11th Of December. Four days before the exam, I was doing 8 hours a day.
I believe in total I spent around 60+ hours or so preparing for this exam.
Other people's mileage may vary, but I had no experience so I really needed that extra time.
*Bachelor's of Science: Information Technology - Security, Master's of Science: Information Technology - Management
Matthew 6:33 - "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need."
Certs/Business Licenses In Progress: AWS Solutions Architect, Series 6, Series 63
Alright thanks for the Information.
I believe it contains some of them, although I cannot confirm if they are the exact same as the ones on his website. The type of questions within the book and app are similar and some are the same. What percentage, I really do not know.