Test Observations and Syudy Information
Passed today with an 836. Here are some of my observations and study information.
I used Get Certified! SYO-401 by Darril Gibson. Excellent book that covered, like, 70% of what you will need to know for the exam. The other 30% will need to come from other various sources that will go beyond the information in this book alone.
I hit all of the free practice tests I could find on the Internet. No braindumps as that completely defeats the purpose of the test…which is to get you to actually learn the information so you can apply the knowledge in a real job…instead of being fired after a few months because you don’t know what *%# you’re doing!
Don’t let the online free practice tests lull you into a false sense of confidence. The actual exam is much more difficult than these free practice exams. The test was not simply regurgitating all the rote memorization stuff you learned in the book.
Learn every acronym inside and out. Nothing was more frustrating than looking at the choice of answers and saying to yourself “What the heck is “DRP” or “ICS” or “VTC“?. It may provide the option of eliminating it as a choice. The Comptia website has a pdf file of the certification exam objectives…it has a good list of acronyms.
Learn protocols, authentication, and cryptography inside and out. Not just the surface definition stuff like “HTTP is TCP on port 80” or “MD5 is a 128-bit hash”. Did deeper and learn the where, when and why they are used. Also learn the where not, when not and why not.
Be prepared for scenario questions. Like “You have these systems and you need to accomplish this and that with these reporting/logging requirements. What is the BEST encryption protocol to achieve this objective? (This is not an actual test question…why would I **** you out of the fun of learning all this stuff!). The questions require that you understand much more than the surface information provided in cert prep books…hence the 70% provided by Get Certified!.
Make sure you understand how the certification test software operates (e.g. clicking Next, Flagging a question for review) and general test taking skills before you walk into the test center.
I used Get Certified! SYO-401 by Darril Gibson. Excellent book that covered, like, 70% of what you will need to know for the exam. The other 30% will need to come from other various sources that will go beyond the information in this book alone.
I hit all of the free practice tests I could find on the Internet. No braindumps as that completely defeats the purpose of the test…which is to get you to actually learn the information so you can apply the knowledge in a real job…instead of being fired after a few months because you don’t know what *%# you’re doing!
Don’t let the online free practice tests lull you into a false sense of confidence. The actual exam is much more difficult than these free practice exams. The test was not simply regurgitating all the rote memorization stuff you learned in the book.
Learn every acronym inside and out. Nothing was more frustrating than looking at the choice of answers and saying to yourself “What the heck is “DRP” or “ICS” or “VTC“?. It may provide the option of eliminating it as a choice. The Comptia website has a pdf file of the certification exam objectives…it has a good list of acronyms.
Learn protocols, authentication, and cryptography inside and out. Not just the surface definition stuff like “HTTP is TCP on port 80” or “MD5 is a 128-bit hash”. Did deeper and learn the where, when and why they are used. Also learn the where not, when not and why not.
Be prepared for scenario questions. Like “You have these systems and you need to accomplish this and that with these reporting/logging requirements. What is the BEST encryption protocol to achieve this objective? (This is not an actual test question…why would I **** you out of the fun of learning all this stuff!). The questions require that you understand much more than the surface information provided in cert prep books…hence the 70% provided by Get Certified!.
Make sure you understand how the certification test software operates (e.g. clicking Next, Flagging a question for review) and general test taking skills before you walk into the test center.
Comments
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nisti2
Member Posts: 503 ■■■■□□□□□□
Congrats on your pass! I've scheduled mine soon!
2020 Year goals:
Already passed: Oracle Cloud, AZ-900
Taking AZ-104 in December.
"Certs... is all about IT certs!" -
Kuvuli21
Member Posts: 50 ■■■□□□□□□□
I agree with this as I recently took this exam and passed first try. However I had experience in the field and used only exam cram and their practice tests along with the one getcertified4less gives you when you buy the voucher from them for the exam.
But yes just knowing the factual answers is not enough. it is randomized in what questions you will get. I only had 3 simulation style questions.
Plural sight and cbtnuggets have good videos that are good if your more of a visual learner!Currently studying: 70-680 Windows 7: Configuring
2017-2018 goals: 70-685, Server 2012, CWNP, SSCP and/or CCNA. -
BerkshireHerd
Member Posts: 185
Agree with all, passed yesterday and was challenged on many questions.Identity & Access Manager // B.A - Marshall University 2005
