Passed Security+ Successfully!

dpsmooth15

First and foremost, Thank God. Secondly, I am going to be brutally honest. The only resource I used was by Mr. Daniel Gibson, because of this forum. I also purchased the practice questions at the site with the sample simulations. Now time for the brutal part….The practice questions in the book and on the site are EASY A lot of my (exam) questions were 3 and 4 sentences. Not a one-liner.You scoring high on (easy)practice exams means absolutely nothing. The book is Great!… But just learn the content and understand the subjects and SKIP the practice questions in the book and the site… I would suggest paying the 19.99 on the site only for the Practice Sims. I had 7 sims, all 7 were "common sense" but the site helped with a "a few" People suggest tech exams practice test… not sure why…..maybe they are getting paid under the table lol. Techexams practice tests are outdated slightly and has questions that are in NO relation to the Security+ outline. Moral of the Story… Buy the book Mr. Gibson has skip the questions and buy the package on the site and you will do fine!
P.S. If you buy the book and memorize less than >15 ports/proto (easy) and know if a few are TCP/UDP/Both you can pass this test and just knowing what TCP/UDP is… will bring the "common sense" back…. all this "Networking" and suggested experience is hog-wash. This test is not hard, I read the questions 3, 4, and 5 times. I literally had 1 min and a few seconds to review. Would you rather make sure the answers are right….or rush and they are wrong?
FINAL THOUGHT:
Reading and comprehending are different. If you read a chapter and do not understand the concepts….read it again.

JaneDoe

I'm studying for the exam now, mostly by memorizing the acronym list at the back of the book. Everything else seems like common sense. Is the windows command line something we need to know for the exam? I've seen some sources say we need that knowledge and others make no reference to it.

dpsmooth15

No Sir/Ma'am, Knowing Acronyms would be a great start because nothing is written out, no need for windows command line. This is not like Network+/A+ do not worry. Its straight to the point. Here:
1. Ports/Protocols/TCP/UDP..or both
2. Acronyms
3. I highly highly highly suggest.. paying 20 bucks for the practice sims on the site by Mr. Gibson
4. Understand the topics in fine detail. Ch 10 in the book…can test that "common sense" on the test significantly..

bub9001

@dpsmooth15 - Congrads on the pass, and yes thanks be to God. I haven't taken the new version of the Security+. But I used more then just Gibson's book and had no issue with the exam. Scored higher on Security+ then I did A+, Network+, or Project+ for that matter. You obviously took the time and learned the material, and went the extra step and made sure you got the concepts.

What's up next for you?

@JaneDoe - I don't want to make it sound like your already there. but having your CCNA, Security+ will seem like a walk in the park. I suggest purchasing Gibson's book, read it from front to back. Don't forget about Gibson's additional Public/Private Key youtube videos (explain the hole key stuff pretty well). Then you know the rest since you have studied for your CCNA.

I went from taking my Network+ on a Friday afternoon to 4 weeks later testing Security+ and blowing it out of the water. There is your usual bleed over with Ports and network what not's. I could have rolled right into Security+ in 2-3 weeks easy. But I wanted to really learn the stuff, rather then just pass an exam.

Good luck to you both

dpsmooth15

bub9001,

Thank You, Personally, I am venturing off from over-priced (CompTIA) certifications. They went up even more in 2014. I am considering Windows 8 not sure yet.. No time to waste, the IT Field is competitive.. and I try to always "one up" the next guy/gal lol. Time for the gym, I wish everyone the best

JaneDoe

Ports and protocols I have down, I needed that for my CCNA. PKI I understand as well. Hell, I've taught people PKI who had no idea what difference between a mouse and monitor is. The only thing I don't seem to know is the acronyms, and many of them I know as long as they are spelled out. Honestly the exam is so easy I wonder if I should a more advanced exam instead, like the CEH or something.

dpsmooth15

The exam is not hard, I will say that. Depending on what direction you are taking the career… the Security+ "might" be needed, then again it "might not". But it is nice to have that 3 year window just in case you decide to take the career in another direction per say.. where it is mandated. Just glanced at the certs. and from the experience.. I would say that would be a "easy pass" of you, but I am sure you will make the best decision in relation to the future…….

PCSPreston

Congratz.

dpsmooth15

Thanks PCSPreston

shyguyIT

Congrats!

bull313

dpsmooth:

Of course you passed successfully. If you hadn't passed, it wouldn't have been successful!

Seriously, way to go! I have to bang out A+ and Net+ first before attempting this one.

dpsmooth15

Thanks shyguyIT

Mr. Bull313,
I know different people will tell you different things, but anyone can pass the Security+ exam, and you do not need A+ to do it, nothing on my exam had anything to do with A+. Know Order of Volatility (Objectives 2.3) Ok thats all you should know regarding the A+ Memorize a few ports, ok thats all you need in reference to Network+ thats about 1hour worth of studying for A+/Network+ But if you want to take Network+/A+ I support that, but you do not have to go in that order.

bull313

Thanks for the advice dpsmooth. Unfortunately the position I'm trying to get requires A+ and Net+. Plus TOO MUCH knowledge never hurt anyone

Darril

@dpsmooth15, Congratulations on the pass. Good to hear the book and resources helped you. Good luck with your next adventure.

JaneDoe wrote: »

Honestly the exam is so easy I wonder if I should a more advanced exam instead, like the CEH or something.

While this exam can be easy for some people with relevant knowledge, experience, and study skills, it can be quite challenging for others. Thinking it's easy and taking it for granted is how many people ended up taking it twice. I occasionally see posts elsewhere (such as in LinkedIn forums where people find the exam extremely challenging).

One of the good things about the Security+ exam is that employers and hiring managers recognize a need for people with security knowledge and a cert named "Security+" is clear to them even if they don't know a lot about certifications. In contrast, something like CEH isn't always clear to them. Good luck whatever you decide.

@bull313, Good luck on your path. Many people value the A+, Network+, Security+ trio and it certainly helps build a solid IT foundation.