Is it bad that..

.. I'm so worried about sitting this exam? I've done my Network+ and got 840/900 on it, I was a little nervous going in but I was confident that I knew everything I needed to. For Security+, however, I can't seem to get a decent pass on the practice exams, I either just miss the mark or scrape a pass and it's making me really worried about sitting the exam.

I started reading Darril's 201 guide before New Year, thinking that the exam wasn't being retired until later this year, but when I discovered that I would have to sit the 301, I got the CompTIA Security+ Study Guide; Emmett Dulaney. Nothing seems to be sticking and I'm struggling to remember things from Cryptography and PKI specifically. Can anyone recommend an effective method of learning these two topics?

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Bokeh

Darril does have his 301 guide out for the Kindle, 9.99. You might want to pick that up and download the free Kindle reader for PC, Mac, iOS, or Android.

ChrisRice

Sorry, I've not been being ignorant, I've been juggling work and revision!

I would have bought that but I hate reading off small screens (I don't have a tablet), I prefer having a book in front of me. I think I've cracked it now, I've just made notes and flashcards from the book and it seems to be working. I don't know why, but it just started to click suddenly!

I would still probably say that Cryptography/PKI is my weakest area compared to others, but I do feel alot better about the exam now..

Darril

Glad to hear that things are starting to click for you. Cryptography and PKI are a challenge for most people with this exam so don't feel alone, mostly because it isn't a topic that many people have been exposed to before the Security+ exam. The emphasis is a little reduced in the SY0-301. It was 15% of the exam in the SY0-201 exam, but is reduced to 11% in the SY0-301 exam. But even though it is reduced, you still need a good understanding of the topoics to be able to answer the questions.

Good luck.

Darril Gibson

ChrisRice

Thanks Darril! I completely agree with it being due to lack of exposure. Quite a few of the topics I had come across before, such as Wireless and Mobile security, but Cryptography, PKI and Certificates are all relatively new. Regardless, I find them the most interesting topics to read about, by far.. Out of all of the topics I'd say I've found the Risk Assessment/Management ones the easiest to grasp as it's just following procedure like with anything.