Writting this week

danicametcalfe

Hi Everyone,

I have the Security + exam scheduled for this Friday and I am getting really nervous because of the stuff that I have read on this forum. This is the first exam that I am going that is industry recognized. Are there any pointers that anyone can give me?

Is the exam based mainly general concepts and best practices or are there more technical questions?

Do I need to know the TCSEC levels?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

supertechCETma

The exam doesn't stray very far from the posted objectives. Yes, it is mostly general concepts and best practices with a little technical detail thrown in.

TCSEC - the fundamental objectives of the DoD standard are covered but none of the divisions or classes. but it's all covered now under Common Criteria.

undomiel

Don't get too scared off by us, this exam is definitely passable. Just make sure you have all of your general knowledge covered. I made the mistake of focusing more on the technical side of things and then I ran into difficulty because there was lots of general policy type questions in there that I had to puzzle out instead of actually knowing. My recommendation is just to relax, stay calm, study all of the objectives and finally don't focus on the passing score.

danicametcalfe

Thanks for the help.

What training material did you use to prep for the exam? I have worked in the industry for over a year now but I just hate the feeling of not prepare.

supertechCETma

the usual... Sybex, Syngress, Exam Cram, Tcat, lots of research.

Don 79 TA

i too feel your pain as i am preparring too
security has been a major weakness to me in all the previous exams i have taken
so i am taking a little step back to re-absorb the material
knowledge is the key for, although passing the exam would be a nice benefit