Passed Today - Advice for others.

Lantzvillian

Hello everyone,
Passed today the security+, but I thought others may need a bit of advice on what I used to get 860 and my mindset on studying for exams.

I work for a SCADA security company so I have nothing short of experience since i have worked there nearly 8 months, various computer shops, two years of college in a hands on course called ITAS at a local univeristy and not to mention all the uncounted linux stuff I have been doing for years.

The security+ exam was easy if you know your stuff, but I would study first, re-read something if I didn't understand it and if I didn't get it the third time I just left a postit there as a reminder. Proceeding on I'd read the entire chapter and do the review. I didn't bother to do any of the hands on since I do waaaay more than that stuff at work so I kept going. I didn't do the practive exams until I had finished both books I was planning to read.

I read: Mark Ciampa's Network Security Principles and Syngress Security +(2007 ed).. The Security Principles book was easier to read and i thought provided better explanations on VPN,RAS,PKI, and Certificates. The Syngress did a much better job of the rest, but provided waaay more information and its review questions were god awefull at times and were worse than Comptias. Sure they made me think, but stupid..... (I learned in university if a question is really fracking awefull most profs wouldn't use it, so neither would a company like Comptia, however, this is just how you look at a question and everyones opinon is different)

I then did the practice exams, made notes on areas I needed improvement in, read my postits and notes on techexams. Proprofs notes were complete garbage since they didn't lineup to the material I had read and sure weren't likely to be found on the exam in my opinon. (It is nice to have a third perspecitve I agree, but it was one I could do without)

Since I could be what you call a provincial/state professional competitor for wakeboarding, I also ate my breakfast of champions. Most athlets keep diaries of what they eat for competiton and develop a formula on what makes them have a great day. For me no joke, Mcdonalds BLT and orange juice. Got to the testcenter, read my ntoes for 10 minutes - sicne if u don't know it then, you don't know it all and took the test.

Read each question throughly and you will do fine. Most of the time a first answer you choose is the correct answer.

Thanks,

Ronnie

Slowhand

Congratulations on the pass, and don't forget to update the "Certifications:" section in your profile.