I failed the test yesterday

graceknow

Did they changed the test format. I have been through more then four training materials.
And tooke a lots of practic test too. Most of question were on scenario based.
I want to talk to someone know that They changed test format.

mog27

Are you serious????? I'm taking it in a few days and this post has me really worrying. This is the last thing I needed to see.

Nishesh.Prasad

M not sure wether Comptia has changed the Test format for Sec+ .... they dont have anything on their website. But yes, i do admit that the questions, at the first look, might not seem or look as familiar to the patterns that the Test Engines normally available for sec+ would have. They were Very Much scenario based which was a bit new for me when i took the Test but honestly i dont think it had anything 'out of the blue'.

hetty

Its not changing for a while. Maybe October
http://www.techexams.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=32421

AndrewNP

I did the test two weeks ago and when I first started the test I thought - oh-oh these questions are different to what I had been studding for.

However I quickly realised that they were just asking the same questions in different ways. As I am an MCSE a lot of that training came back plus just general knowledge (I work for an IT company). SO in the end I scored an 858.

So my tip is don't just learn lists of port numbers ect - learn what things do, how to use them, strengths and weaknesses ect.

undomiel

When I took it a couple of months ago a lot of the questions revolved around scenarios. It wasn't just straight spitting out of facts. But that's ok, it just means you need to pay attention to the question and look for what it is asking for. They're hard but they aren't Microsoft question tricky. Study up on the tech notes here and make sure you know your PKI and Disaster Planning/Recovery backwards and forwards and you should be fine.

mog27

Did it used to NOT be scenario oriented? Did it just change overnight or something?

dynamik

I guess it depends on what you mean by scenario-based. Mine was nothing like an MS exam where you had to wallow through three paragraphs of text and try to decipher what they were actually looking for. However,

You need to let HTTP traffic through a firewall. What do you do?

A) Allow traffic on port 25
Allow traffic on port 443
C) Allow traffic on port 80
D) Allow traffic on port 110

is also a scenario, but it's pretty obvious that it's just asking which port HTTP uses. The questions on my Security+ exam were along those lines.

franco67

how many months or days did you study ? what materials are you using ?
you said PKI, rbac, mac, dac, rbac......... ?

mog27

dynamik wrote:

I guess it depends on what you mean by scenario-based. Mine was nothing like an MS exam where you had to wallow through three paragraphs of text and try to decipher what they were actually looking for. However,

You need to let HTTP traffic through a firewall. What do you do?

A) Allow traffic on port 25
Allow traffic on port 443
C) Allow traffic on port 80
D) Allow traffic on port 110

is also a scenario, but it's pretty obvious that it's just asking which port HTTP uses. The questions on my Security+ exam were along those lines.

That isn't so bad then. It's practically the same thing as "What port does http use?"

undomiel

Don't let your guard down though, they do have more involved scenarios than that. But they don't overload you with extraneous information, so they aren't really misleading.

jdixon63

graceknow wrote:

Did they changed the test format. I have been through more then four training materials.
And tooke a lots of practic test too. Most of question were on scenario based.
I want to talk to someone know that They changed test format.

No one has stated the obvious, so I well -- I appreciate you willingness to say you didn't pass, which initiates a totally different and much needed dialogue (of a different sort than "I passed"). Thanks for your openness.

Maybe you can share how you prepped, and also what you feel went awry.

dynamik

undomiel wrote:

Don't let your guard down though, they do have more involved scenarios than that. But they don't overload you with extraneous information, so they aren't really misleading.

You work for a company in Alaska that provides tourists with dog sleds and camping supplies. One of your clients has become stranded and you must rush to his aid. You have four dogs available to you. One dog can carry 200lbs at 6mph. Each additional dog adds a 20% increase in speed. Your client is approximately 13 miles northwest of your location, and there is an 18mph wind blowing in from the northeast. How long will it take you to reach your client? As you're calculating the amount time, you remember that you need to let HTTP traffic through a firewall. What do you do?

A) Allow traffic on port 25
Allow traffic on port 443
C) Allow traffic on port 80
D) Allow traffic on port 110

Was it more like that? I really can't remember...

rbutturini

I remember there were some scenario questions like that, but a lot of it was straight objective questions. Like some people mentioned earlier, I think the key is not to overcomplicate the exam...Just memorize the fundamentals from the key sections like Encryption, access control types, etc. Good luck!

kjohnsting

I just passed a couple of weeks ago. I had no idea I was taking the 2007 version. I had ONLY used older material to study with: Microsoft published book (which was horrible), Sybex (which was great), and 3 Boson exam simulators. I passed with flying colors.

Read the questions thoroughly, review all the answers when you finish all 100 questions. Stay your course. You will pass.

rickfray

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luvlee_ghg

I have taken my security+ exam on 31st march 2008 and completed with 900/900. I felt about 10 to 12 questions were little difficult(not straight forward). All others were just the same old questions that one can find in the basic study materials.

No need to worry. Prepare well and all the best to all

undomiel

rickfray, that sounds suspiciously like braindump activity, I'd be very careful to avoid boot camps that give you question banks to memorize. If they're actual exam questions that could jeopardize your certifications, and it is also highly unethical. This exam can be passed with some good solid studying, I would say a few weeks to a month or so depending upon your experience level, though probably not with just half a week of study. You do not need to **** with memorize questions. Just learn the material and you'll be fine, even though this is a difficult exam. If I'm able to do it without using an books, using tech notes from here and other legal sites, and plenty of non-braindump practice tests, then you should be able to do it as well for your own self study. It just takes some good study effort. No need for boot camps and braindumps.

shednik

rickfray wrote:

had memorized the 300 questions they had and expected to pass with no problem. After the first try, I saw 30-35 new questions not in the test bank, another 20+ new ones on top of those the 2nd time and 15-20 reworded ones. I discussed this with the instructore and he was shocked, as he debriefs his students and they tell him usually on a week to week basis, CompTIA may add 1-5 new questions weekly. He remembered that about 3 months ago there was a bunch of new ones also and he suspects that they refresh or add a bunch of new ones at the beginning of each quarter (Jan, April, Jul, etc.). When did I take it? - April 2nd, right at the start of the calendar quarter, so I got hit by the new ones. ETEC had taught a class just the previous week and the questions matched nearly identical to their test bank.

I have a better idea...instead of memorizing questions actually learn the material and know how to apply it to different scenarios. With what you just said there it leads me to believe that you were given a braindump and cheated by viewing actual test questions. It's ridiculous that no one will even try to learn material and just want the easy way out.

rickfray

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examseeker

I hope this sounds right as I type..

You just have to ask yourself, what is going on here? What is the only thing you need to know?

dynamik had a really good post. Don't worry about all the wording--just on what they are asking you. Try to look through the question -- and when you read, keep asking yourself, "could this be on the test" or "how could they make this into a test question"?

Not trying to be an instructor, but it is what helped me.

motogpman

I am hoping that this isn't the center that is located in the North Houston area! I frequent many IT forums and the subject of braindumps always seem to get people hot, with good reason. I might have taken a previous test through this company, not taken any training however, and I might have to go and have a look see. If they base their tests on braindumps and are also a tesing center, that that is a double negative in my book! Incredible.

I think I will reschedule to a different tesing center in this area, I don't want to promote business if this is the case. You can PM me if this is the center you are referring to.

Good luck on taking the test however!

As pointed out by others, study the material over and over, as many different places/books you can. I have looked through the Security+ area here and I am very impressed! Much thanks to everyone who has helped put this stuff together for us!