Need Advice/Support - Must Pass Before Dec 30!

ZzBloopzZ

Hello,

Long story short, I had originally planned to take the exam the day before Thanksgiving but my new job has been very demanding. So I had to push it back due to long work hours. Now I must go on a business trip from Dec 9 - Dec 11, so I won't have time to do a cram session that I had originally planned to do.

I am currently on chapter 3 on Darril's book for SY-201. I was thinking of doing 2 chapters a day so that by Thursday late night I will have finished the book.

Then if I review/focus on the areas I had difficulty with next week. Think I can take the exam Dec 16... or am I being too aggressive? I have been in IT for 2 years but have been tinkering with networks/computers for well over 10 years and understand everything I have read so far in the book. However, I feel nervous as I have never gotten a certification before. I would like to pass the exam ASAP so that I can actually enjoy my Christmas, as I have been doing 10-12 hour shifts for past month or so. I am so stressed out lately, this exam is the last big thing that is left on my shoulders.

I want to understand the full concepts, so that I can create a strong foundation for myself. However, are there any particular areas/chapters that I need to fully memorize? I plan to print out that chart with the the services/ports and fully memorize that on the plane this weekend.

Appreciate any feedback!

P.S. I have heard of people reading the book once through, do some practice quizzes and then score really high. Could it be that they just received a lucky easy test bank or they just geniuses? Or is the exam really just that easy?

alan2308

ZzBloopzZ wrote: »

P.S. I have heard of people reading the book once through, do some practice quizzes and then score really high. Could it be that they just received a lucky easy test bank or they just geniuses? Or is the exam really just that easy?

That could be, but the thing that's missing from your assessment is how they did on the practice quizzes. If you read through the book carefully and then do well on practice quizzes, then it should stand to reason that you'll do well on the real exam. I haven't bought Darril's book yet (though the book and the exam are on my radar), but everything that I've read says that the practice questions in the book are a real good indication of where you stand.

Good luck!

cyberguypr

Sec+ is a pretty straightforward test. I am not saying it's super easy, just that it can be easily passed if, and only if, you truly understand the material. There's not much in-depth analysis involved as something like a Windows Sever or Cisco exam will require. If you are somewhat familiar with the content or find that you can absorb it fairly quick, then you may do OK on the test. Darril's review questions are a great indicator of how well you are understanding the material.

ZzBloopzZ wrote: »

P.S. I have heard of people reading the book once through, do some practice quizzes and then score really high. Could it be that they just received a lucky easy test bank or they just geniuses? Or is the exam really just that easy?

None of the above in my opinion. I am no genius and it took me two weeks to prepare for this test but I've been regularly exposed to many of the concepts covered so only a tiny bit of the topics were new to me. No two people are alike and everybody learns/retain info in a different way. YMMV.

ptilsen

If you have two years of professional experience, you should have no problem. The CompTIA trio of A+, Net+, and Security+ are all fairly easy and can be attained on the first try with a few weeks of studying. I put in 10 or 15 hours on Security+ thinking it would be hard, and passed by a pretty big margin.

Read through the book, do practice exams, and re-read any weak areas or even sections where you miss a simple question. I'm sure you'll bring back a pass for the new year.

ZzBloopzZ

Thanks for the support guys. The practice exams I have been taking at end of each chapter I have been getting near 100% so far. Guess the ones I do bad, I will re-read those chapters next week. Going to go for the 16th for my exam then!

Thanks everyone for the motivation/support. I really needed it!

universalfrost

darril's book is great!

read it thoroughly, do the exam at the end, whatever you scored poor on (i.e. not perfect) then go back and re read. I also redid the pre exam and each end of chapter exam to make sure I understood everything. if i scored low on something then I would re read it.... worked fine and I almost aced the exam... you will do fine!

mrvl13

I was in the same boat, but i some prior knowledge of the subject. I try the reverse learning process.
I use about 3-4 different sources for the for test questions and everyday the first thing i do is answer 50 question (different ones), take note of what i missed. Continue with two chapters. take a break answer another 50. Next day another two chapters, another 100 questions. Answering questions first will stimulate thinking and memory. i had over 800 questions including my own personal flash cards i made from missed questions. 100 questions a day for week will speed things up and get you in the mindset for the exam.

Darril

People are giving you a lot of great advice here. The one thing that I'd add is related to the practice test questions. I'd encourage you to read the explanations. The goal is for you to be able to look at any question in the book and know why the correct answer is correct and why the incorrect answer is incorrect. If you can do that, it doesn't matter how they word the question, you'll be able to answer it correctly.

Good luck.

Darril Gibson
Security+ blog
Security+ Tip Of Day

ZzBloopzZ

Thanks everyone for the support. I ended up passing the exam last week (on the 22nd) and received a score of 856! I only read Darril's book and took the practice exams at the end of the chapters and the two big ones in the beginning and ending of it. I did not look at any other material due to lack of time. His book is really all you need!

My strategy at first was to spend 3 hours after work each day, but that did not work out too well as sometimes I would be too tired and even though I spent 3 hours, I was not that productive. Thus I changed my goal to 2 chapters a night. Some nights I left at 10-11PM at work as I would not leave work until the chapters were done. It worked out in the end!

Thank you everyone once again! Now to figure out what cert to do next. Perhaps the MCITP.

Turgon

ZzBloopzZ wrote: »

Hello,

Long story short, I had originally planned to take the exam the day before Thanksgiving but my new job has been very demanding. So I had to push it back due to long work hours. Now I must go on a business trip from Dec 9 - Dec 11, so I won't have time to do a cram session that I had originally planned to do.

I am currently on chapter 3 on Darril's book for SY-201. I was thinking of doing 2 chapters a day so that by Thursday late night I will have finished the book.

Then if I review/focus on the areas I had difficulty with next week. Think I can take the exam Dec 16... or am I being too aggressive? I have been in IT for 2 years but have been tinkering with networks/computers for well over 10 years and understand everything I have read so far in the book. However, I feel nervous as I have never gotten a certification before. I would like to pass the exam ASAP so that I can actually enjoy my Christmas, as I have been doing 10-12 hour shifts for past month or so. I am so stressed out lately, this exam is the last big thing that is left on my shoulders.

I want to understand the full concepts, so that I can create a strong foundation for myself. However, are there any particular areas/chapters that I need to fully memorize? I plan to print out that chart with the the services/ports and fully memorize that on the plane this weekend.

Appreciate any feedback!

P.S. I have heard of people reading the book once through, do some practice quizzes and then score really high. Could it be that they just received a lucky easy test bank or they just geniuses? Or is the exam really just that easy?

I do not understand the rush to pass this exam. Please explain.

ZzBloopzZ

Turgon wrote: »

I do not understand the rush to pass this exam. Please explain.

The SY201 expires on Dec 31, 2011, and since I studied for the SY201 I had to pass it in time. :c)

Happy New Years all!