Maybe 3rd Time lucky

Odieone

I am afraid I failed yet again. I made up some solid ground. I failed the first time with 690 and this time I failed with 750. Soo close, I answered my past mistakes and weaknesses but it just wasnt enough to get me over the line.

good news was I didnt make the same mistakes like last time. Nope I have brand new vulnerabilities (in the spirit of the exam).

I think it was just unlucky. Plus it didnt help that someone took the swan dive infront of me to "catch" the train.

Either case, I have a huge decision to make.
1. Take Security+ 2007 again in a month or wait for 2008.
2. Restudy the same books: Sybex and Syngress or go for a third resource. I am more inclined to pick up another book. If current trend holds, each book I add to my arsenal gives me 60 points so I should get to 810. Maybe I should get two new books just in case.

I am thinking Security+ Certification All in One and Exam Cram 2 . Anyone else got any suggestions.

But for the meantime, I am going to take 70-270 and 70-272 to complete my MCSA but it will be a hollow victory. I truly truly wanted this cert.

bertieb

Ouch, thats sad to hear especially seeing as you were really close this time

When I took this one, I thought that I had the material well understood but the actual exam questions left a lot to be desired with regards to the wording - I spent more time trying to decipher exactly what they were asking

Not sure what you should do next, you're really close but I can appreciate the fact this one costs more £££/$$$ than most other certs.

I used the Sybex book and thought it was good, and I also had a copy of the Mike Meyers passport for review purposes which was OK (but not great).

Whatever you decide, good luck.

shednik

Best of luck to you!!

remyforbes777

Is this test harder than the CCNA?

LarryDaMan

ExamCram2 was a decent quick read. From the things I have heard, avoid AIO. It is old and misses several objectives. I bought it, but never read it. Don't take my word for it, just search these threads and read the reviews on Amazon.

If you want ExamCram2 or AIO, I would be willing to give them to you, just PM me. I thought the Syngress book was good, and if anyone wants that, PM me too.

I recommend printing out the objectives from CompTIA and going through them one-by-one, and then making a stack of flashcards to help burn some of the facts and concepts into your brain. I am a big believer in flashcards, you would be shocked how many cards you can remember correctly after going through them for a couple of hours. These things will surely get you to the pass mark, you were very close!

Good luck.

dynamik

Maybe give Transcender a shot. It's another $149, but it'll be better than losing money on another exam. It'll help you identify your weak areas, and the explanations it offers are usually pretty good.

remyforbes777 wrote:

Is this test harder than the CCNA?

No. I'd put it below the CCENT, by quite a bit.

LarryDaMan

dynamik wrote:

Maybe give Transcender a shot. It's another $149, but it'll be better than losing money on another exam. It'll help you identify your weak areas, and the explanations it offers are usually pretty good.

remyforbes777 wrote:

Is this test harder than the CCNA?

No. I'd put it below the CCENT, by quite a bit.

Way too expensive. I think Transcender's reputation exceeds the quality on some of the products. Since Transcender was acquired by Self-Test (Kaplan) many of the developers and writers have departed. Now you are getting Self-Test quality at Transcender prices.

dynamik

larrydaman wrote:

Way too expensive. I think Transcender's reputation exceeds the quality on some of the products. Since Transcender was acquired by Self-Test (Kaplan) many of the developers and writers have departed. Now you are getting Self-Test quality at Transcender prices.

It was actually really good for the Security+. Remember, that one is probably a few years old. I know what you mean though...

LarryDaMan

Yeah, I know a guy on another forum who writes for Boson, and he said Transcender was turned upside down when it was acquired by Kaplan. The developers and writers make all of the difference, because any company can make a fancy user exam interface. Apparently, Boson has a bunch of new products on the horizon for the CISCO certs... we will see.

Odieone

Thanks for all the pick me up guys. I truly needed it. Yeah it burns me to drop yet another wad of $$$. But its not really the only reason for me to walk away from Security+ for the time being. Its the 4 week wait. Fall Semester would have started by then so I m not sure I will have the time to devote only to Security+ .

Larry... do you have AIO and Exam Cram in ebook form or is it hard copy?

Remy...CCNA differs from Security+ exam because for one, its not trying to trick you with the wording of the question. Its actually testing you on what you could expect in the real world. For that I would recommend the Sybex book by Todd Lamle. Take your time with that book and the boson labs really helped me. Some people prefer to do the single test but my CCIE recommended for me to do the two test system to help me focus. Besides its not cheaper if you fail it.

Dynamik ... i told about transcender but knowing that its bought by Kaplan, its hard for me to separate Selftest from them. I think if I dont get the other two books from Larry. I might just get the hard copy from Amazon cause they are going for $60.00 for the pair.

I do have one huge question I hope you guys can help me with.. when they change to the 2008 objectives would these books be still relevant? : : : Or do I need to read really really fast.

LarryDaMan

Odieone wrote:

Thanks for all the pick me up guys. I truly needed it. Yeah it burns me to drop yet another wad of $$$. But its not really the only reason for me to walk away from Security+ for the time being. Its the 4 week wait. Fall Semester would have started by then so I m not sure I will have the time to devote only to Security+ .

Larry... do you have AIO and Exam Cram in ebook form or is it hard copy?

Remy...CCNA differs from Security+ exam because for one, its not trying to trick you with the wording of the question. Its actually testing you on what you could expect in the real world. For that I would recommend the Sybex book by Todd Lamle. Take your time with that book and the boson labs really helped me. Some people prefer to do the single test but my CCIE recommended for me to do the two test system to help me focus. Besides its not cheaper if you fail it.

Dynamik ... i told about transcender but knowing that its bought by Kaplan, its hard for me to separate Selftest from them. I think if I dont get the other two books from Larry. I might just get the hard copy from Amazon cause they are going for $60.00 for the pair.

I do have one huge question I hope you guys can help me with.. when they change to the 2008 objectives would these books be still relevant? : : : Or do I need to read really really fast.

I can mail you the two books tomorrow during my lunch break, PM me with your name and address. I would be happy for someone to get some use out of them. It is actually 3 books because I think ExamCram came with another book just for questions. No problem.

To answer your question, they will not retire the current test until sometime next year, so you have plenty of time... just make sure you're taking the correct test because the new one is released in October.

Odieone

Thanks Larry.. I am all the way in Japan so its a fair far from DC. I dont mind getting them from Amazon since the forum recommends both books and I already know that the Syngress book truly helped me tons.

Besides just by letting me know that the exam is available after October has already made things uber easier for me.

I am sure someone else could use the books too that more local. Besides I might need to take a class in Advanced English Rhetoric before I take on this exam again. hahah I spent 10 minutes debating the meaning of a word - nothing remotely IT related.

Thanks for the offer though. Its much appreciated.

LarryDaMan

No problem, good luck.