I just completed the 3 hour 50 minute grind that is the GCIA exam. I must admit I am pretty excited. I finally feel like I belong in the security world now.
I took SEC503 in August at SANS Virginia Beach and then got married the next week and went on my honeymoon, so I needed some extra time to prepare.
I began by re-reading all the material, slowly, making sure I really understood what was being conveyed. It's super easy to just glaze over and miss important information. This worked well for me because I am the kind of individual that learns well from reading. Judy Novak does a good job of presenting information so it isn't too dry.
I then began creating my index in Excel with the Topic, Brief Description, Page # format and did each book like that. Reading through the books slowly also helped me remember where information was.
I did find this site
https://malwarejake.blogspot.com/2015/05/packet-analysis-practice-part-1.html that really helped me practice decoding hex packets and interpreting the information. I think this is one of the most valuable things I did while studying.
I took one practice test with my index a week before the Exam and then re-studied my weak areas and added to my index. I scored and 83% on this practice test.
The testing experience was very good, I really like the testing center I use they are very professional and always have materials and space for me to work.
After the first 30 questions my score indicator read 100% and I thought is was broken. After 45 questions i finally missed one and it went to 97%. It was very hard not to lose focus knowing I was doing so well.
I took one 4min break half-way through to pee and get some water. I didn't want to loose my roll from too long a break.
I want to take this opportunity to thank all the professionals on here for providing their resources and suggestions for this exam. It was most valuable. Please feel free to ask for any suggestions if you are taking this exam. I would be glad to help as others have helped me.
