Sec+ mininum?

yoshiiaki

So I have been reading Darril's book and was writing out notes, and then realized at the end of the chapter there are key topics. If i put all those into flashcards and make it a point to learn those (lets go extreme and say I only use those) would that be sufficient to pass? Obviously I am fully reading the chapters and taking the quizzes, I am even writing additional flash cards on topics not in the key points for subjects I'm not completely confident on. But was just trying to know a good minimum to pass. My goal is as close to perfect as possible, but knowing I have surpassed a potential minimum will relieve a lot of stress and be able to concrete that much more. Thanks Darril.
BTW I bought both the digital and hard cover book. Just wish that the digital version said actual pages so i can quickly relate it to the physical copy. My phone says there's some 14k pages...

psylow

I would say no. Al thought the "remember this" cards are great you would miss quite a bit that is vital to the test. I just passed the sec+ using only his book and I read it several times as well as reviewed the cards and chapter reviews.

nosoup4u

Been covered a few times, after reading Daryl's book and seeing threads around here it's all you need.

DoubleNNs

Essentially, you want to fully read the book but write less notes, am I right?

I thought of doing the same exact thing when I read his book: read the chapters, skip note taking, then just review with the end of the chapter notes.
Personally, I didn't end up doing that. I finished the entire book writing out notes - ended up with *well* over 100 pages of hand written notes, charts, questions etc.. so I can understand the reasoning behind wanting to skip all of this.

Honestly, I think reading the full chapters slowly and carefully and going back to review the end of the chapter notes would work. Specifically for the Sec+, since it actually is a very easy test. And specifically for Darril Gibson's amazingly written book. This is almost def true if you have prior networking experience (or Net+/CCENT/CCNA etc).

But to answer your actual question - no. I don't think reviewing the end of chapter notes ONLY would be enough to pass the exam unless you have a lot of prior Security experience, such as from your job. You'd know most of the overall facts, but you'd miss out on a lot of whys and fully fleshed out explanations.

yoshiiaki

Okay DoubleNNs Thanks. that's exactly what I was looking for. I suppose I could have phrased it better like you did but glad you understood. Well I shall continue with my current path of taking notes throughout the chapter and make sure I have (at the very least) the key highlights at the end of the chapter. I spend most of my time studying devoted to this book, (isn't actually that much time unfortunately) but it is coupled with the LabSim given by WGU. I'm kind of disappointed that it is considered an "easy" test, however what could you expect from CompTIA? As security is the route I wish to take, I'm certainly ingesting everything that I possibly can. knowing it is an easy test, and so far after reading a chapter, waiting 2 days and then taking the test. I currently have 100% on all the end of chapter tests. So I guess there is no reason to be scared.
Thanks everyone

DoubleNNs

I think both the A+ (currently studying) and the Net+ are harder than the Sec+ (so it's not necessarily CompTIA themselves). Both those tests are more technical. A+ also requires more memorization than Sec+ and Net+ requires more analysis and goes more in depth to some of the topics.

It's not really that the Sec+ is an easy test, but a lot of the topics are easy to figure out simply by the name. A Disaster Recovery Plan is.. well a plan on how to recover after a disaster. Role Based Access Control are... access controls based on roles. Whereas simply knowing the name of the topic might not be enough to pass the exam, simply reading 2-3 sentences on each of the more common sensical (sure I could find a better term) topics is enough to propel you through the test. And a large bulk of Sec+'s technical side was covered in Net+. And I can see some parts in the A+ as well (i.e. RAID).

So, once again, if you've already passed the A+ and the Net+/Cisco Exams, you could easily get away with simply doing a 1-time read then going back to only look at the end of the chapter review. And if this is true, don't fret about how "Easy" it is. Just realize that your previous experience is what took out a lot of the difficulty level for you. However, w/o at least some kind of foundation, you'll need to devote a bit more effort to passing the test.

How far are you into the book?
If you're not very far and already thinking about fast-tracking your progress, I'd suggest skipping the LabSim. Go through the book, take all the tests, and if you do exceptionally well on the practice questions, you're ready. You might only need the LabSim if you find your knowledge lacking in certain topics when you get to the end.

charlemagne

Daril's book is an excellent source. Read it, though, I am not taking the exam. Your study plan seems a good one. I'm living proof that given a good reference book and a few days, I will pass many standardized tests. Everyone is different. If you understand the objectives, then all one should think about is doing the best you can. Usually, that's more than enough. I bet, given your study plan, you'll do fine. Good luck!

yoshiiaki

Hmm... well I guess you got a point. It's my previous experience helping me out. Seem to forget that one lol. Well yea I passed A+ without much difficulty, though there was some. And I took a full course on CCNA but never got around to getting the cert. Going for a refresher after i pass this test and getting it officially in Jan/Feb. I guess what i can do is take all the tests and study what I do poorly in. Read the chapter, and retake the test. If i still do bad then whip out the labsim.

Thanks again DoubleNNs. Will really help narrow my studying and i'll be able to start off the year on a great note. As I won't have time to take the test, but i'll keep on studying throughout the end of year holidays.

DoubleNNs

Good luck in your studies. Let us know if you read any obstacles.

itsgonnahappen

Having just recently passed the Security+ exam... I'd recommend you read through Darril's book (end to end) at least once and use Professor Messer as a supplemental source to brush up on anything that's not clicking.