SANS Exam Challenge?

TechTester

Has anyone ever challenged for taking a SANS exam? I have a few classes from my current employer, and don't really have interest in paying for the On Demand or Live training. If you challenge an exam, what is cost? Do they send you the books? If I show up with non official books (eg. a photocopy of the physical copy from my employer or PDF printed) will I be questioned? Are the practice tests still included when you challenge?

Any info would be great.

thx

JDMurray

The cost to challenge a GIAC exam is $999. You get two practice exams, but no books or lecture recordings. You can take any paper into the exam itself.

al3kt.R***

Dear JD,

couldn't help asking you, after noticing you are GSEC certified, if you could share some of your personal experience in terms of this certification's ROI, prestige and educational value. Do you think it's worth the challenge and effort???

Thanx for any of your insight

^{"Tigranes: Good heavens! Mardonius, what kind of men have brought us to fight against? Men who do not compete for possessions, but for honour."--- Herodotus, The Histories
"Nipson anomemata me monan opsin"--- Gregory of Nazianzus
"Bruce Schneier's secure handshake is so strong, you won't be able to exchange keys with anyone else for days."--- Bruce Schneier Facts}

JDMurray

al3kt.R***, if you are looking at a GIAC cert to give you a better shot at getting InfoSec employment, the GSEC is one of the more recognized GIAC certs. How popular it is with hiring managers can be discovered by searching on Dice, Monster, etc.

As for me, I just got the GSEC, so other than the immediate "geek cred" I received at work from getting it, I've not had time to see a practical return from becoming GIAC-certified. I think the real value come from the knowledge you gain in the SANS training and not so much from having the paper. The paper without the training is pretty much just paper.

al3kt.R***

Thank you for your opinion JD, I appreciate it .
Nice to learn it's an open book exam, reminds me of my university years ; I suppose one can expect a really rough examination experience though, right?
Anyway I agree with you that missing out on the (quite expensive yet SANS) training and just shooting on the cert itself may become "a lost cause after all", so I'll just pass for now. SSCP and eventually CISSP & CISA seem to me as more feasible and rewarding next-cert-goals to forge and reinforce personal experience and skills.

Cheers