Studying for the CompTIA CyberSecurity Analyst+

OpusDixie

Does anyone have any recommendations on training materials to use in preparing for the Comptia CyberSecurity Analyst+?
I'm trying to compare the objective list with other exams to sort out which books I should be reading.

Thanks,

-OD

Moldygr33nb3an

I take the exam on the 24th. Honestly, there isn't exclusive material out there for it so I would just recommend going through the objectives list and learning each topic in the domains. One by one. At least that is what I am doing.

I was working on the CASP but decided to divert my studies to the Beta exam.

NetworkNewb

Could probably pass almost any exam with just Google and Youtube

OpusDixie

I heard it was a cross between Sec+ and CASP, so I ended up getting a copy of the Gibson Sec+ and the CASP 2012 study guide. I'm familiar with most of the exam objectives from my job (sec analyst), so I'm hoping all this will be enough.
Good luck with the exam, I hope you do well!

Remedymp

IIRC, it's performance exam Incident Handling. If you know how to use Splunk, Snort, Wireshark, Linux command line and Incident Response, then you should do just fine. But, it's a beta, and it's necessary for Comptia figure out what kind questions make sense versus which ones needs to be discarded.

OpusDixie

Thanks, I'll brush up on Snort. I run Security Onion, but I mainly just use squert/elsa, and tweak the Snort rules.

dhay13

i just set up a new pfsense firewall and am running Snort and sending the logs to OSSIM. i haven't used snort in about 5 years so need to re-familiarize myself with it

supasecuritybro

the beta is closed. They are sending results Q1 2017. Good luck to all who took it. I think I passed.

Ertaz

supasecuritybro wrote: »

the beta is closed. They are sending results Q1 2017. Good luck to all who took it. I think I passed.

Did they send out a link for that?

Nevermind, found it: https://certification.comptia.org/certifications/cybersecurity-analyst

NetworkNewb

Ertaz wrote: »

Did they send out a link for that?

Says on the Comptia's exam page:

Exam Details

Coming soon! Final exam to be released in Q1 2017. The CSA+ beta exam registration is closed. If you took the beta exam, your pass/fail results will be sent directly from Pearson VUE when the exam is released in Q1 2017. Thank you for taking the beta and helping CompTIA further define IT workforce skills in security analytics.

Ertaz

NetworkNewb wrote: »

Says on the Comptia's exam page:

Exam Details

Coming soon! Final exam to be released in Q1 2017. The CSA+ beta exam registration is closed. If you took the beta exam, your pass/fail results will be sent directly from Pearson VUE when the exam is released in Q1 2017. Thank you for taking the beta and helping CompTIA further define IT workforce skills in security analytics.

Thanks man. I wonder why they are taking so much time to release the pass/fail info.

NetworkNewb

Right! Was not thinking it would take that long...

TranceSoulBrother

Ertaz wrote: »

Thanks man. I wonder why they are taking so much time to release the pass/fail info.

I think it's got to do with analyzing all the questions, establish a passing score, check all the wording and remove any ambiguities. It shouldn't be about a pass/fail score but the finished exam as a whole.
If you're such a worrywart, why didn't you take a beta exam, knowing that the result would take so long. Lean back and relax. Life is short.

Ertaz

TranceSoulBrother wrote: »

I think it's got to do with analyzing all the questions, establish a passing score, check all the wording and remove any ambiguities. It shouldn't be about a pass/fail score but the finished exam as a whole.
If you're such a worrywart, why didn't you take a beta exam, knowing that the result would take so long. Lean back and relax. Life is short.

Easy there mumbles.
I suppose that when Comptia said they'd evaluate the results at the end of August that they would be able to complete it by the end of the year.

I'm not terribly worried. This was just a "for-fun" exercise for me since I already have the CISSP and CASP. If I passed it, hey great, 30 CPEs for me.

cyberguypr

Every single time a beta exam is completed results need to be analyzed and the passing score needs to be set. This takes time.

Example of VMware's process

After the Beta period closes, we begin the question analysis process. This is the time in which the results from the Active Beta period are being analyzed. During this time, we review item specific data, general exam data and participant comments. The data is analyzed to determine which items will appear on the live exam. Depending on the amount of data that must be analyzed and the time needed to construct the live exam, this period can take from 6 to 10 weeks. Once the final live exam is made available to the public, we then score all the beta results against the official passing score.

The Beta Scoring period is the time in which the results from the Active Beta period are scored against the live exam. This process takes 1 to 2 weeks; after which you will receive your score report. Score reports will be sent out at, or very close to, the date of the live exam release.

And Micro$oft

Beta exam scoring
When you complete a beta exam, you do not receive a score immediately because the scoring model for the exam is not yet finalized.
You usually receive your exam score by the time the final version of the exam becomes available—this can be up to 16 weeks after you take the exam. This time frame reflects the comprehensive process used to evaluate the beta exam results.

Note Participation in beta exams is voluntary, and Microsoft makes no promises or guarantees regarding the beta exam process, availability of your scores, or the timing of your results.

After the beta period closes, we statistically analyze the data to evaluate the performance of each question. We also read and evaluate all comments provided during the beta exam.

Cisco

Each written exam version is offered first in beta form at a discounted cost of US$50. Beta exams are scheduled just like other written exams and are available at all worldwide testing locations. Results, however, are typically not available until 8 to 12 weeks after the close of the beta. A candidate may attempt the beta exam only once during the beta period.

firemike314

I take mine on August 30th so will see.

firemike314

Was there actually any simulations on this exam? I have it August 30th.

Ertaz

firemike314 wrote: »

Was there actually any simulations on this exam? I have it August 30th.

Yes, but they were more straight forward than the ones on the casp.