Didn't Pass 740 :-(

CJREX

Newbie post here.

I don't know what happened.

I ALWAYS score 850+ on any practice exam I take.

But I was getting questions I'd never seen or heard of.

I vaguely remember something about a jpg with blue letters and a white background, several questions on fire extinguishers, and a LOT of detailed questions on encryption methods and how many bits they use for their key.

Oh, the material provided by by employer was by Specialized Solutions.

Worthless for test prep.

I don't want to flunk this thing again at $250 a pop for the test.

Any tips and tricks would be greatly appreciated.

Also, I am not new to IT testing because I have MCSE and CNA.

And CompTIA can't word a lot of their questions for squat.

Sorry for the rant, but this really ticks me off.

dynamik

That sucks man. There's no need to apologize though; I think we'd all want to rant if our resources left us unprepared for an exam. Check out the Syngress book and consider giving Transcender a shot as well.

You probably only missed it by a few, so you'll be in good shape for your next attempt after some review.

Welcome to the forums

UnixGuy

welcome to the forums.

I agree, the pricing of the exam is ridiculous !


but your score isn't bad, as dynamik said, with little practice you will make it next time, take your time don't rush.

good luck

Slowhand

Sounds like you got put through the wringer. Don't worry, though, it happens to all of us at one time or another. Think of it as a learning experience, now you're better prepared for what the exam is like. As for suggestions, you've got some options:

Books
* Security+ Guide to Networking Security Fundamentals, Second Edition (This was my primary study guide for this exam.)
* CompTIA Security+ Study Guide

Video Courses
* CBT Nuggets
* TestOut

Keep in mind, the Security+ exam was recently updated, and the study-guides may not reflect those changes. For this reason, some additional reading that isn't "just what you need for the exam" is a good idea.

* Hacking Exposed 5th Edition - Always recommended reading to get your feet wet with some hands-on security concepts.
* Protect Your Windows Network: From Perimeter to Data - I enjoyed this book a great deal, and I learned a lot as well. I highly recommend it.
* Guide to Network Defense and Countermeasures - Another book I enjoyed. I recommend it, but not as highly as others on this list.
* Secrets and Lies: Digital Security in a Networked World - Not a technical how-to book, but still very enlightening.

I'm sure that other members of TechExams.net can give you all kinds of recommendations for books and training material beyond this list, but it's a fair start. Of course, it's important to have a solid foundation in all the underlying technologies you're trying to secure. As they say over in the Cisco forum: "you need to understand the network before you can secure it".

And finally. . . The Art of War
Heh, couldn't resist.
Still, not a bad read; it should definitely be on every security admin's bookshelf.

mengo17

The exam was updated or is it going to be ?

NetAdmin2436

Bummer. We all stumble sometimes, so no worries....Keep at it and you'll be fine.

Welcome to the forums.

dynamik

AFAIK, the exam hasn't been updated yet and is scheduled for later this fall (which is fast approaching! It's getting cold again...)

I believe they also have a six month overlap (approximately) where you can choose which version of the exam you wish to take. That way, people don't get caught off guard.

dredlord

I just red your post re the JPEG image that is a technique used for staganography, basically its a technique of hiding information in plain site. A very simple example would be typing a word document and hiding the last couple of lines using white ink. Thus hiding the last bits of data.

A good reference is the security focus site on this topic:
http://www.securityfocus.com/infocus/1684

hope you find it usefull

jdocchio67

CJREX

Don't feel bad, that was the same score I ended up with 740 when I took my Security+ exam the last week of June of this year.

I was so ticked off I didn't want to even bother. Then my supervisor pushed me to restudy and get ready to take the test again.

This time I used the Syngress book, so little by little start to study again and get it done.

Good luck .

dredlord

A little tip I dont know if the sygress book mentions any tools one uses to crack passwords, port scan or map a network. You should look up a couple of common tools like John The Ripper, Nmap and LC5

Vogon Poet

CJREX wrote:

And CompTIA can't word a lot of their questions for squat.

Bingo. That was a problem for a lot of us. Some good suggestions here. I would recommend both Syngress and Sybex. I also like using 2 types of practice tests that are different from my study materials. The ExamCram 2 Practice Test book has a large number of questions that might get you used to different wording.
Good luck.

jdocchio67

When I first studied I used the Sybex and Exam Cram book, some of the questions I had on the exam the information was not in those books, and some of the material was not explained in dept.
I read the Syngress book and it had the information that I was missing, and much more in depth explaination.

I also picked the Exam cram 2 question book it has more example questions to go through

I also picked up the Preplogic training videos right after I took my exam when they had a sale on them for 1/2 price. So I'm going through those, and keep studying.


So like my supervisor told me, Straighten up and fly right soldier, you took the test, you know what it's like now, now work on your weaknesses and get ready again.

jdocchio67

dredlord wrote:

A little tip I dont know if the sygress book mentions any tools one uses to crack passwords, port scan or map a network. You should look up a couple of common tools like John The Ripper, Nmap and LC5

The Syngress (Second Edition) book does mention the tools to crack passwords. I'm reading the book again for the second time and NMap is in Chapter 2, and NetStumbler in chapter 4, and a couple others, along the way. The others you mentioned are in Sybex and Exam cram.

What ever is not in the Syngress, I have in Sybex and Exam Cram books, and what ever is not in Sybex and Exam Cram books I have in Syngress.

The Syngress book explains material in a longer format, but it picks up some of the materials the other 2 books lack.

Temporary or session, Persistent, Tracking cookies, and COOKIE POISONING ATTACK which I don't find in Sybex and are in the Syngress which I had a few questions on these the last time I took the test, and missed them.

I also just picked up the Exam Cram question book, and Mike Myers Passport book, so this time I'm going in locked and loaded.

and just finished the training CD's from Preplogic.com (Learn Smart) which were actually not to bad.

Best of luck all

Devin McCloud

My favorite security tool Backtrack 3!

JJbiggle

I just took it on Friday. I thought it was tough, my first CompTia test that had choose two that apply questions (about 20). Some of the stuff that was on the exam I did not even study for, but thankfully I knew. i.e RootKits, Fire Extinguishers (Thanks to the U.S. Navy).

Give it another try. You will get it.

BTW I used Prep Logic.

mamono

Yes, we all have beef with the diction that CompTIA uses for their exam questions. Just reread the question twice and make sure that you understand exactly what they're saying prior to selecting an answer. I know for certain that I had to do that numerous times when I took my CompTIA exams.

I am currently reading the Sybex book and its covers the topics lightly at first then goes into further detail as the book progresses. Seems to be a well written book. Good for light reading. I've read that numerous people used multiple sources for this exam and that you have no choice but to do that because this is just one of those exams that covers a huge number of topics that it is difficult to rely on only one source.

Give it your all...! As everyone else has said, we all hit a brick wall once in a while and have to retake. I've done that twice this year already. You'll be fine. Good luck!

bradtechonline

Stenography is the nanswer to a JPG image question.

The fire extinguisher question was probably looking for some sort of Dry Chemical..

This is avery rough test man.. broad, and worded poorly

It's hard to know everything and memorize it all..

CJREX wrote: »

Newbie post here.

I don't know what happened.

I ALWAYS score 850+ on any practice exam I take.

But I was getting questions I'd never seen or heard of.

I vaguely remember something about a jpg with blue letters and a white background, several questions on fire extinguishers, and a LOT of detailed questions on encryption methods and how many bits they use for their key.

Oh, the material provided by by employer was by Specialized Solutions.

Worthless for test prep.

I don't want to flunk this thing again at $250 a pop for the test.

Any tips and tricks would be greatly appreciated.

Also, I am not new to IT testing because I have MCSE and CNA.

And CompTIA can't word a lot of their questions for squat.

Sorry for the rant, but this really ticks me off.

Kasor

I passed this exam at Dec 2008. Look like you didn't study well enough on the material. You are missing those minor question that you didn't pay attention to. Security+ including secure your sever room, encrypting document/password/access information. If you are MCSE, then many of the encryption methods you should already familiar with it.

You need to study more and find another books that suggested by other people in this forum.

Good Luck

bradtechonline

Just realize that failing is not a knock against your technical skills. You have to get used to the terminology, and wording styles used for this exam.

Authentication
Non Repudiation
Repudiation
Integrity


The correlate certain hashing methods with the terminology you above, and process methods.. A person could go into this test being a very good security technician, and get thrown off by stuff that is just specific to this exam.. By your score I know you must at least have the knowledge... Measureup really helped me... It's not a brain ****, it is just practice tests, and they have a study mode.. Plus if I saw something I had never seen before I researched the heck out of it on my own. Even terms that are wrong answers if they exist.

mamono

There are vouchers for this exam on ebay for $155. Way cheaper than paying normal price for the exam.

CompTIA Security+ Pearson Vue Exam Voucher - eBay (item 160309081053 end time Jan-19-09 10:07:17 PST)

I just bought mine the other day and scheduled my exam immediately afterwards. Feel a bit apprehensive as I always do, but we'll see. Works for both the 2007 and 2008 versions of the exam, so it says. I scheduled the 2008 version, worked perfectly fine.

Cross studying seems to be the key for this exam as others have stated. I've been reading the latest version of the Sybex book that covers the 2008 subject material. So far so good, seems to be rather comprehensive. I have experience with server system failure analysis, so some of the content is familiar to me because I have had to apply them. I've been scoring well on all the review questions.

Study study study!!!