Boson exam difficulty

airzero

So I've been studying for awhile to take CEH, got my training through skillsoft approved by EC-Council to sit for the exam. So I wanted to do a bit more studying before I actually take the exam and I saw how well the bosom practice tests were regarded on these forums and figured I'd give them a shot. I've read a few people state that the boson exams are harder then the actual test and I was wondering about how much more difficult they actually are? (I now that's pretty hard to guage)

Every other practice test I've taken including EC-Councils official assessment, I was able to get in the mid 80s to low 90s range. I took two boson practice exams and scored 60 and 64. It kind of shook my confidence and I'm a bit worried about the exam now.

riyan

Buddy, you are already prepared. Getting 64 and above on Boson on EXAM A&B is good indication that you are prepared.
However you should get at least 65 or above on Exam D to be sure.

I think you are well prepared for taking down CEH. Just schedule it and do not waste more time on this cert.

airzero

Just passed the exam. It was definitely easier then the Boson practice tests.

herschel.soumahoro

So could you give an overview of the test

herschel.soumahoro

things we need to know or might not

airzero

Like other threads have stated, the majority of the material overlaps with Security+ if you've taken that. Learn nmap and it's different options as well as recognizing what other tools are used for (hping, tcpdump, john the ripper, etc.). Also know how to identify some well known attacks (stuxnet, poodle, heartbleed, etc.) And be able to identify a type of attack, so difference between SQL injection, XSS, MITM, etc.

Besides that it's basic security knowledge and common sense. I knew most of the material from studying for OSCP so it was pretty easy. But if your newer to security I would definitley recommend Security+ first.

Also i used the sybex study guide, skillset, and the boson practice exams (HIGHLY RECOMMEND) to study.

riyan

airzero wrote: »

Just passed the exam. It was definitely easier then the Boson practice tests.

Told you so. I think you will be getting beyond 90% passing marking.

Glad that you did not waste too much time on this cert.

There are better things to do and better certs to attempt.

Good luck.....

tobby

Congrats airzero, was it the free skillset you used?

airzero

Yes I used the free skillset. The questions are similar to the exam difficulty wise, but had horrible grammar. I think I only got through 2-3 levels for each category before switching to the boson exams.

MickyDee

Can you explain how the skillsoft approval process worked with EC-Council? Did you just complete the sixteen modules and then submit the module certifications?

9bits

I have the Boson exams for CEHv8. I ran updates on them, but I'm unsure if they're still questions over v8, or if it's now the same material as v9. Does anyone know?

od3n67

So I am using both Boson and Transcender and I think my most recent Transcender scores were 82 and 78, in that order. I just took exam A with Boson and scored a 79.2 and last Sunday took exam D and got a 67.2. Other than that 79.2 the rest of the scores are just shy of the 70 needed. So I was wondering it in fact these questions are harder, but I am also worried that what I have done is just memorized the questions. Any thoughts?

airzero

od3n67 wrote: »

So I am using both Boson and Transcender and I think my most recent Transcender scores were 82 and 78, in that order. I just took exam A with Boson and scored a 79.2 and last Sunday took exam D and got a 67.2. Other than that 79.2 the rest of the scores are just shy of the 70 needed. So I was wondering it in fact these questions are harder, but I am also worried that what I have done is just memorized the questions. Any thoughts?

I'm sure you'll be fine. I never scored above an 80 on the Boson exams and I blew the CEH exam out of the water. Those practice tests are harder then the actual exam.

kmclink

airzero: considering the time frame of your original post, what Boson version were you using?

I worked thru the EC-Council cirriculum, including ilabs, and have played with Kali a bit. I primarily use Nessus and InSSIDer in my job, as well as the common OS relavent (Windows, Linux, MacOS) command line TCP tools. I received my Boson CEHv9 engine back in December, and I scored in the 700-800s first time thru on tests A-D. But I wonder if anything has changed in the last year?

Did you take the EC-Council Assessment test? Is that a good guage to use as well? I started doing some of the SkillSet modules, but like others I find them drawn out, and probably a tool I should have used a few months back.

I am planning to take the exam in the next couple weeks, but I want to guage my readiness as best I can before I schedule. Any thoughts are appreciated.

airzero

kmclink wrote: »

airzero: considering the time frame of your original post, what Boson version were you using?

I worked thru the EC-Council cirriculum, including ilabs, and have played with Kali a bit. I primarily use Nessus and InSSIDer in my job, as well as the common OS relavent (Windows, Linux, MacOS) command line TCP tools. I received my Boson CEHv9 engine back in December, and I scored in the 700-800s first time thru on tests A-D. But I wonder if anything has changed in the last year?

Did you take the EC-Council Assessment test? Is that a good guage to use as well? I started doing some of the SkillSet modules, but like others I find them drawn out, and probably a tool I should have used a few months back.

I am planning to take the exam in the next couple weeks, but I want to guage my readiness as best I can before I schedule. Any thoughts are appreciated.

I used the boson exam from the begining of 2017 but it was still CEHv9. If you are going to use skillset then just use the questions, everything else isnt worth the effort.

The bosin exam is by far the best test i had used to prepare. I am not lying when i say it was harder then the actual exam. From the sounds of your acores you are more then ready to take the exam.

kmclink

Ouch! I just took the assessment on EC-Council's site and scored a 60%. :O

The comments about grammar are not a lie... the questions (on the assessment anyway) are horid. I think I know the material... I hope I was just tripped up on the wording, and needed to take a little more time. (I finished the assessment in about than 20 minutes). I took a random Boson test right after and completed that in an hour and 10 minutes with an 856. A few questions I remembered by memory, so I hope that isn't giving me unmerited confidence?!

I ordered the Mike Walker bundle just to do a cram session this weekend and donate it to a co-worker after I pass. I will try to create a post sometime next week (Pass or Fail.).