Passed the GPEN without an index!
Correction… without my own home build index…
So I passed my very first GIAC exam, the GPEN yesterday with a satisfying 80% pass, I’m not very good at tests… I like a more hands-on approach so just passing it is fine by me.
Well after doing the course the I began looking at the OnDemand material that I was given… and as a new thing (by popular request) SANS now includes an index of all the books.
I knew that when studying for a GIAC exam you had to create your own index as this is has been covered by many other people, when googling for how to prep for GIAC exams.
But now SANS includes one for free… so I thought that I didn’t need one and could skip this part…
well… yes and no…
After passing the exam one part of me is glad that I didn’t spend the time indexing every little thing that I thought would be of use during the exam because I would properly miss something anyways… so I spend that time playing in the labs instead.
But during the exam when trying to use the index I quite often couldn’t find what I was looking for… and that frustrated me a bit since this was also my first “open book” exam and not being able to use all that information that I had brought with me was frustrating… so maybe I should have made my own index??
Anyways you can make do with the premade index… I tweaked mine a bit after the first test-exam so it was easier to lookup page numbers... but doing the exam without having to lookup every answer I think makes you a better student... and lets face it you can't look everything up... you need to have some experience...
This is just my rant… if anyone is in the same position and don’t know what to do? I hope this helps a little…
Just my two cents… or in this case Coin
[img][/img]https://www.dropbox.com/s/fof6a7ih95oe7ju/GPEN%20exam.jpg
So I passed my very first GIAC exam, the GPEN yesterday with a satisfying 80% pass, I’m not very good at tests… I like a more hands-on approach so just passing it is fine by me.
Well after doing the course the I began looking at the OnDemand material that I was given… and as a new thing (by popular request) SANS now includes an index of all the books.
I knew that when studying for a GIAC exam you had to create your own index as this is has been covered by many other people, when googling for how to prep for GIAC exams.
But now SANS includes one for free… so I thought that I didn’t need one and could skip this part…
well… yes and no…
After passing the exam one part of me is glad that I didn’t spend the time indexing every little thing that I thought would be of use during the exam because I would properly miss something anyways… so I spend that time playing in the labs instead.
But during the exam when trying to use the index I quite often couldn’t find what I was looking for… and that frustrated me a bit since this was also my first “open book” exam and not being able to use all that information that I had brought with me was frustrating… so maybe I should have made my own index??
Anyways you can make do with the premade index… I tweaked mine a bit after the first test-exam so it was easier to lookup page numbers... but doing the exam without having to lookup every answer I think makes you a better student... and lets face it you can't look everything up... you need to have some experience...
This is just my rant… if anyone is in the same position and don’t know what to do? I hope this helps a little…
Just my two cents… or in this case Coin
[img][/img]https://www.dropbox.com/s/fof6a7ih95oe7ju/GPEN%20exam.jpg
Comments
It's great you passed your exam without your own index, but if your score during the exam was marginal, relying on the SANS index you would have probably failed. While concentrating on the labs may have helped you pass the exam, my opinion is why not do the labs, study and build an index. Stack the deck in your favor as much as possible.
500 pages? Or 500 entries?
I'm lost in my index, just trying to cram as much info as possible (basically almost copying the slides info in a small table)....
Let's see how it all pans out
WTF?!?!?! Why? How?
Lol. Sorry about that. 500 entries, not pages.
Security+, eJPT, CySA+, PenTest+,
Cisco CyberOps, GCIH, VHL,
In progress: OSCP
I look at it as a resource that is available to you if you need it. You may not need your index, but I believe it far better to have something and not need it than need it and not have it. You could certainly challenge yourself and not make an index, or make one and not use it. But there no extra credit for not using one, and challenging yourself. Bet you would be very upset if using one would have made the difference between a pass or fail score. It's certainly not a cheap exam, it was only a $150 exam, maybe I wouldn't take as seriously either.
I did not index for GPEN but I did make one for the GCIH. It helped for the detailed questions, like syntax or details on the phases of an incident. Plus it's good experience reviewing the material to create the index, prep work to reduce panic during the exam. My index terms were focused from the practice tests.
I have just returned from SEC511 training, no coin, lost by one point! but for this exam I think I'll make an index... as I feel this course is a lot more theory than SEC560 and less fun labs to play around in...
This is some solid life advice. Sitting my GPEN in 2 hours
I'm thinking of doing the Python one next (SEC573) but still deciding.
Did you pass the GPEN?? How well did your index help you on it?
By chance, do you have any unused practice tests? I sit for my exam later this month and have used my two practice exams...I'd like to try and get an additional practice test in...if you did not use all of your two practice exams...would you be willing to gift one to me?
Thanks in advance...