SANS on demand

christians1

Hello,

anyone take SANS FOR572? I did the 4 month on demand training. watched all videos and passed all the quizzes with no issues. I did not do the labs though. When I went to take the 1st practice exam. It kicked my butt, really did not do good.

I am up against my 4 month window. So I was wondering. Has anyone ever used the extension that is offered? I think I found that its like $300 for an extra 45 days. I dont want to go into this exam and fail it so im thinking of the extension.

Also, are the practice exams close to the actual exam? I get 2 practice ones in my training course. Or is the actual exam easier,harder or same? Any information or suggestions would be helpful.

JoJoCal19

The labs are there specifically to reinforce the concepts and ingrain them into memory. Bypass them at your own peril. Do them if you want to pass.

The practice exams are set up just like the real exam and are generally representative of the difficulty of the real exams.

docrice

Did 572 a couple of years ago, was the only GIAC exam I actually didn't do (due to work schedule load). Was thinking of getting an extension but ultimately decided to focus my efforts on projects at work. All took/passed all other GIAC exams that I paid for. Practice and real exams tend to be pretty much the same in experience and difficulty.

Don't skip the labs. They're there to reinforce the material. If you know the material well enough already, then it's not really necessary but otherwise the labs exist for a reason.

TechGromit

christians1 wrote: »

I am up against my 4 month window. So I was wondering. Has anyone ever used the extension that is offered? I think I found that its like $300 for an extra 45 days. I don't want to go into this exam and fail it so im thinking of the extension.

A co-worker paid for an extension after doing poorly on the 1st GCIH practice test. Unfortunately they didn't take the extra time to study more for the exam and was force to take the exam on the last day of there extension. She was able to just pull off a passing score, and had an extra practice exam to give away. My advise is if your not going to buckle down and use the extra time to start some serious studying, don't waste you money. Four months should be more than enough time to prepare for the exam, if you can't properly prepare in 4 months, what are you really going to do with an one and a half month extension?

christians1 wrote: »

Also, are the practice exams close to the actual exam? I get 2 practice ones in my training course. Or is the actual exam easier,harder or same? Any information or suggestions would be helpful.

The practice exams are very close to the actual exam, some find them a little easier, others a little harder, but they are an excellent indicator to gauge if your ready for your exam. If you can do well on the practice tests, chances are you will pass the exam.

christians1

I think im going to do the extension and schedule the exam at the end of it. But this will be my only extension so I give it my best shot. (ill update either way after I take it)

I have the books, videos and practice tests. Does anyone have any other resources/websites that has information on these exams? like for the FOR572 is there any sites that have deep dive information on the items that are covered on the material?

Thanks.

TechGromit

https://www.amazon.com/Network-Forensics-Tracking-Hackers-Cyberspace/dp/0132564718

This is the only one i know, don't know if it's advanced as the material you have already.