Passed Security+ 201
Passed the test this morning with 810 (min score 750). Not a great score, but I knew I had some weak areas going in - I'm not complaining. I didn't expect to pass by the half way mark due to the volume of questions I was unsure about. The last 30 questions seem to be more straight forward. If you grill hard on the fundamental prep objectives, you can use common sense to get you through it. Several questions required knowing ports. Several questions on SSL. I crammed hard for detailed questions on Kerberos & IPsec, but only a couple simple questions. Know your symmetric/asymmetric algorithms & hashing. I used the Security+ Delux book, Transcender, TechExam notes & a brief review of the ExamCram 201 book. I wouldn't call the Transcender test prep a life saver on this one, but at $60 for a 30 day web pass it was still well worth it. If you use Transcender, study not only the specific question answers, but the detailed notes about why the other options were wrong. There's a lot of info there that's useful. I started using the Transcender course a full 30 days before the test which is a bad idea. You end up unintentionally memorizing answers without really understanding the core concepts behind it - which can give you false confidence. I realized I had more weak points than I thought when I started reviewing ExamCram assessment questions a day before the test. Good luck for those still preparing for this one. I'm on to Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Configuration 70-640 next.
Comments
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DonOmite
Member Posts: 4 ■□□□□□□□□□
Everyone in the dept I work in (IT) is required to get the Security+ cert. So of course most people were scrambling to take the 101 test because they heard it was soooooo much easier than the 201.
Okay. I wanted to take the 201 just because it was newer but couldn't find anything really about it so decided to just go for the 101. I signed up for the 101 test for 7/30/2009. Waiting until almost the last minute. I have done computers since 1970 and been SA, DBA, NA, developer, etc etc. Figured I had a lock on this. BUT I studied using the book with the lighthouse on it.
Read it through cover to cover finding things I had forgotten and some I didn't know. Then went back and had a test made of all the review questions from all the chapters. I passed that with a 95%. Then I went online and found every practice test I could find. Passed them all easily. I WAS READY!!!
Got to the testing site and they said I had to take 201. HUH? Even tho I had my paperwork showing 101 was what I signed up for and other people from my shop were there taking 101, somehow I had to take the 201. Well? How different could it be?
So I took the 201 with no prep for it other than 101 prep.
For the first time in my life I thought I had failed a test. But I didn't. I passed with a 770. HEY! I PASSED! That is what matters. lol I figure with NO prep it was very good.
Now here is the deal about 201. I went back for a 3rd review of the questions and started counting the questions as to what the main topic was for them.
OVER 50% were about cryptography and encryption. I include certs and keys in that. WHOA! Then about 25% was on detecting intrusions and what to do about them. The rest was more what I expected the test to be about.
I had only 1 question on any kind of access list and it was round about. 2 questions about cel phone security. 1 question about a port number.
Good thing I had reviewed cryptography etc but the 101 book didn't cover near enough to cover the questions that were being asked.
I'm too old for this crap. -
Panarchy
Member Posts: 29 ■□□□□□□□□□
Wow... it's really that different?
****.
Wait, now I remember... the 101 exam expired yesterday :S
CompTIA Security+
Great work on passing though mate!
Panarchy -
cdupuis
Inactive Imported Users Posts: 32 ■■□□□□□□□□
I saw this comment above:
--- Beginning ---
Now here is the deal about 201. I went back for a 3rd review of the questions and started counting the questions as to what the main topic was for them.
OVER 50% were about cryptography and encryption. I include certs and keys in that. WHOA! Then about 25% was on detecting intrusions and what to do about them. The rest was more what I expected the test to be about.
I had only 1 question on any kind of access list and it was round about. 2 questions about cel phone security. 1 question about a port number.
Good thing I had reviewed cryptography etc but the 101 book didn't cover near enough to cover the questions that were being asked.
--- End ---
I have just done the conversion of a full blown six days class from the 101 objectives to the 201 objectives.
The 201 objectives are a lot less technical and the exam is starting to look more and more like a mini CISSP class. The 201 objectives are really great if you intend to do CISSP in the future.
As far as crytography is concerned it is only the fifth most important domain as far as the exam is concerned. It counts only for 15% of the exam. Domains such as Systems Security (21%) and Network Infrastructure (20%) are a lot more important.
Do not study ONLY cryptography or else you will crash and burn on the real exam.
You have to remember that the weakest domain you have will always seems like the one you had the most questions on the exam.
There are 4 domains that have more questions on the exam than Cryptography. The questions are distributed PER DOMAIN and CompTIA tells you exactly what is the value of each of the domains in their objectives.
Do study the top 4 as well.
Take care
clement -
Bulletz
Member Posts: 159
Congratuations on the Pass! thats a great archivement.Show me the way to go 127.0.0.1
