Safe to assume CertMaster alone won't help me pass?

Rewire

Hey all.

I've just finished my CompTIA A+ Cert and am now looking at Security+. I've already bought the Certmaster + Voucher + Retake and after a bit further investigation I'm seeing that it may not be enough. I have a background in IT but like an idiot I went to college for a passion and not a job, so I have a worthless degree. I do have close to 20 years of practical experience using computers which made the A+ easy, but after doing some of the certmaster for Security+ I'm barely getting 20-30% of the questions right.

Basically, I'm wondering if focusing all my time on trying to ace all the CertMaster stuff won't help? Has anyone ever used just the certmaster and passed? Is there some specific areas I should be focusing on? I do absorb information very quickly in hands on usage, after doing something 2-3 times I can do it reliably without help for at least 2 years without practical application.

I'm trying to take the exam by the 15th.

I'm not looking to spend a ton of money on more study material, but if it's worth it, I will by all means provided the price is right.

Thanks for your help!

averageguy72

The CertMaster doesn't line up really well with the actual test. IMO, the information is good to know but it isn't indicative of the question type on the test. Darril Gibson's website is great ($30 or $40, if i remember right). TotalSeminars, to me, was close in terms of wording/grammar. You can get a TotalSem CD with this book - CompTIA Security+ Certification Practice Exams, Second Edition ($25).

BerkshireHerd

Agree with above, Darril's book and website are all you need.

cdx

Gibson book+practice tests + his premiuim content from his website, certmaster is not enough.

ultm8mind

GCGA Premium Content, the Gibson Book, and knowing the stuff. I think the CertMaster stuff is garbage, the only thing that makes that package worth anything is the retake for safety net purposes. I would download the audio and listen to it numerous times, and I even listened to it in my sleep, lol. Be comfortable with situational type scenarios, like if this happens what do I do? What is the right way to handle it? Know how the subjects are applied to what we do...

scaredoftests

Nope it won't.

amurica

Yeah Cert Master is not enough. I just took the test yesterday and passed with a 800 and I although I used certmaster, it was not enough to pass. Just for advice, I would use the Learnzapp from Darril Gibson because it has a lot of questions similar to the test. Check out his website to and there are a few blogs about firewall rules you should know, I will leave it at that as to not violate the NDA. I also used TESTOUT which was just ok, a little unorganized but not bad. Lastly was Professer Messer which was pretty good. I used just those resources and passed with an ok score. If you have anymore questions you can hit me up and I will help you with what helped me pass. Peace.

dialectical

I found that CertMaster showed me a ton that I didn't know. Used it for the A+, Network+, and Security+ and thought it was especially usefully for Security+. Right now I'm using it for Linux+ and I only knew the answers to 10% of the questions. What I do is just copy their answers to stuff I don't know into a Notes file on my phone, and by the time I'm done I have a massive study guide.

However, I guess such a study guide would really just be the starting point for a more multimedia approach involving video courses and other books. Some of the explanations on CertMaster literally just repeat what the answer is which is very frustrating because nothing is actually explained. I'm also going through the LPIC1 and LPIC2 videos on CBTNuggets and the stuff on Pluralsight. So yes, in a way, it is enough to show you everything you need to know. CertMaster shows you how to KNOW the blueprint better than anything so you know exactly what you need. But you still have to go out and master the content through other means.

The bundle is very worth it however. For a $200 exam, you get the training plus a free retake for an extra $100. But it definitely hurts that you have to pay this for two tests!

Rewire

Me back again. So i'm pretty much acing all of Darrel Gibson's content on his Get Certified Get ahead content, and I've got all the certmaster stuff down, and I understand the content. I'm just hoping it's enough because I don't have the Network+ Certification already.

Going to take the test this Tuesday, anything else specific I should maybe know besides the firewall stuff mentioned by amurica?