Just Passed the GCWN - Whew!

krucial85krucial85 Member Posts: 84 ■■■□□□□□□□
in GIAC
This exam was harder than I thought going into the exam. I thought I was prepared by the results of the practice exams that I took (Practice test 1 - 71, Practice test 2 - 73 and Practice test 3 - 86) but the exam was quite different (but I passed). I've really tried to commit myself to learning as much as I can before I leave the military, thus the reason for seeking the knowledge gained in the certification courses, but I'm concerned about my transition. I have been placed in an Information Assurance role and don't believe I will get the opportunity to hone my skills in a production environment. It was suggested that I try to find a place where I can volunteer and/or dabble in my home-built lab with virtual machines but I'm concerned that I might not be able to "talk the talk" or "walk the walk" well enough in the civilian sector. Anybody have any suggestions or words of wisdom that you could impart upon me?
"The way to succeed is never quit. That's it. But be really humble about it."
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  • markmorowmarkmorow Member Posts: 44 ■■■□□□□□□□
    I'm taking this in a few weeks. What made the exam so different then the practice test?

    Have you checked out this program at MS? https://military.microsoft.com/
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  • krucial85krucial85 Member Posts: 84 ■■■□□□□□□□
    What made this test so different from the practice tests was that there are so many obscure questions that could be asked. I caveat that with the fact that I had no windows administration experience going into the exam and trying to retain all of the detailed information, while at the same time trying to understand the concepts, proved to be very challenging for me. I survived by having the biggest index that I've had thus far. It's doable though. What is that site about that you referenced?
    "The way to succeed is never quit. That's it. But be really humble about it."
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  • JoJoCal19JoJoCal19 Mod Posts: 2,834 Mod
    Congrats on the pass!
    Have: CISSP, CISM, CISA, CRISC, eJPT, GCIA, GSEC, CCSP, CCSK, AWS CSAA, AWS CCP, OCI Foundations Associate, ITIL-F, MS Cyber Security - USF, BSBA - UF, MSISA - WGU
    Currently Working On: Python, OSCP Prep
    Next Up:​ OSCP
    Studying:​ Code Academy (Python), Bash Scripting, Virtual Hacking Lab Coursework
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  • markmorowmarkmorow Member Posts: 44 ■■■□□□□□□□
    So you felt the real exam asked much more obscure bits of information then the actual practice test.

    It's a Microsoft program around jobs for people recently getting out of the military.
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  • TechGromitTechGromit Member Posts: 2,156 ■■■■■■■■■□
    krucial85 wrote: »
    This exam was harder than I thought going into the exam. I thought I was prepared by the results of the practice exams that I took (Practice test 1 - 71, Practice test 2 - 73 and Practice test 3 - 86) but the exam was quite different (but I passed).

    Practice Test 3? Normally only two practice exams are included with the certification attempt, did you pay for a 3rd practice exam?
    Still searching for the corner in a round room.
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  • krucial85krucial85 Member Posts: 84 ■■■□□□□□□□
    TechGromit: I didn't pay for an additional practice exam but I came to this forum and asked if anyone had one to donate and the next day I one was donated to me.

    Markmorrow: Thanks for the information about the Microsoft program for ex-military personnel. I'll take a look at it.
    "The way to succeed is never quit. That's it. But be really humble about it."
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  • charismaticxcharismaticx Member Posts: 160 ■■■■□□□□□□
    I know this post is a little old, but I’m interested with how the exam is. Not to give anything anyway. Would you say the exam was index heavy or practical experience comes into play. I’m about half way into book three and I’m really curious how the exam is like. It seems like it’s all practical. 
    Goals: PNPT; OSCP; GPYC; GSE
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