If you pass the Sec+ help out

juvenileslilbrotha · July 2012

Where as I congratulate all who have passed this exam, I frankly don't see what's the benefit of posting you passed and not relaying to those of us who have yet to take the test, what sort of things you came across on the exam.
What's the point in having a tech site that's supposed to help us all achieve the same objective if it's just full of a hundred posts saying I passed with a 8?? score?

paulgswanson · July 2012

Well most of them do actually say what they use to pass, even if its not immediatly. A good example being:
http://www.techexams.net/forums/security/78405-passed-security.html

Sometimes ya just gotta dig down a lil bit. That initial post is usually just the relieved gratification of "Sweet I did it!"

Im taking it tomorrow myself, I'll definitly keep your post in mind when I lay out my results.

DarthVader · July 2012

juvenileslilbrotha wrote: »

Where as I congratulate all who have passed this exam, I frankly don't see what's the benefit of posting you passed and not relaying to those of us who have yet to take the test, what sort of things you came across on the exam.
What's the point in having a tech site that's supposed to help us all achieve the same objective if it's just full of a hundred posts saying I passed with a 8?? score?

It's because people are happy and want to tell someone/everyone.

I passed a few months ago. Wanna know what I came accross?........Everything in the ciriculum, study it and you'll be fine. It really isn't rocket science!

KenC · July 2012

There are enough sample questions and resources on this site and elsewhere online. Don't expect people to tell you exactly what came up in the exam, as I'm pretty sure it is not allowed. If you are unclear about any topics, post your issues here - people are very good at helping out.

I contacted the site administrator about something along these lines a few months back but I don't remember receiving a reply (perhaps the lack of response was the reply!). My suggestion was to create a seperate forum (and sub-forums) exclusively for those who want to post that they are taking the exam soon and/or what the outcome was. Personally, I got fed up of looking through all the posts for actual technical questions and issues (the CompTIA exams in particular).

juvenileslilbrotha · July 2012

Ken, it's not about how many examples of questions online as they may relate to the exam. It's about building a sense of comradery at the sametime lending one's personal experiences on what they ran into during the actual test. You have heard the saying, there is nothing like one's personal experiences. It also has little to do with providing us with actual test questions are how easy or hard the test is, if this is what you got out of my initial question... you missed the point, but I digress. Thanks everyone for your insight.

kanecain · July 2012

juvenileslilbrotha wrote: »

Ken, it's not about how many examples of questions online as they may relate to the exam. It's about building a sense of comradery at the sametime lending one's personal experiences on what they ran into during the actual test. You have heard the saying, there is nothing like one's personal experiences. It also has little to do with providing us with actual test questions are how easy or hard the test is, if this is what you got out of my initial question... you missed the point, but I digress. Thanks everyone for your insight.

I thought talking about questions on a cert test was frowned upon with most companies?

bigdogz · July 2012

@Kanecain,
I don't think he is looking for the questions as much as the experience and resources used to pass the exam.

@juve
I think others may have posted their findings and resources.
I passed the SY0-201 exam with 900.
Resources:
Darril Gibson Security + Study Guide
CompTia Security + Review Guide
Professor Messer Security + videos

In short I only needed the Darril Gibson book to pass the exam. The CompTia book was OK but I felt gained more from Mr Gibson book and it was an easier read. The material was presented in a smooth and understandable fashion which made it easier to comprehend. I also practiced with the questions in the back of the books.
I have a great deal of experience in IT and InfoSec and deal with it everyday. I actually was a little ticked that I did not get a higher score but it is better than failing!!!
You need to know your ports UDP and TCP in addition to the OSI layer. I also had some wireless questions. YMMV

Good Luck!!!

KenC · July 2012

I don't think the point in your first post (or rephrased in second post) was missed. As DartVader mentioned, all the objectives will be covered in the exam, so know them all. If anything is unclear post it here, then people can draw on their personal experiences (real world scenarios) to make it clearer.

How anybody can infer from your posts that you are looking for the resources used to pass the exam is beyond me. All of this is available in this site, you just need to look more. One of my points was that it seems like one has to go through a lot of posts about who passed or failed the exam in order to get that information.

The sense of camaraderie that you mention is very evident on this site, imo there is no better site for that.

flt0nujr · July 2012

I used the following to pass:

1) Daril Gibson AIO book

2) Transcender---Security+ 301

3) Labsim--Security+ 301

Passed with a score of 869, I think. Its been a few months.

paulgswanson · July 2012

All I used to pass was darril's book and i wrote flash cards. Thas'it and I got a 795

onesaint · July 2012

I'd have to go with KenC on this one and wonder what it is that you're after, juvenileslilbrotha. If it is resources and experiences that you're looking for (and not a **** as it seems), why not just ask? I honestly don't think it will help your search to posting comments about how people don't understand and how people aren't posting what you want them to.

And that sense of comradery you speak of, TE has definitely got it. It comes when you post congratulations to those that passed, and engage in a discussion about their experience.

bigdogz · July 2012

@juve:
If you would like help I think posting your work experience and other certifications that you have. At times, others who post do not post all of their credentials for their own reasons.
In regards to your request for exam experience the NDA for exam from the certification body forbids it.
For the most part the exams are in a quiet area in a cube. YMMV. If there is some noise then make your complaint. It may make the difference of passing the exam. There are different exams so if you have to retake it there is a good chance that you will not see the same one or hit one particular topic as hard.

Brain **** are just that, brain ****. More **** than brain. Just let those circle the drain for various ethical reasons and because you are depending on someone to come up with the right answer. As others have stated just having the cert does not give you the job. If you do not know the subject material someone else may just smoke you in the interview or take your job because you took the shortcut and didn't know how to do x and your boss can choose from a pool of others that can perform the job.

This is what I can tell you:
The exam is Pearson VUE. 90 minutes for 100 questions with a passing score of 750 (700 - 900). My range was 1000 at the time I took the exam. Multiple guess and True/False questioning is the layout.

Comradery is a 2 way street. We cannot read your mind and I did not renew my license for my crystal ball but may try to prod you with more questions in order to help you. That is what we are trying to do in this case. The ball is in your court.

juvenileslilbrotha · July 2012

Onesaint, it was just an observation. I think that a person would gain more from an informational based site if they actually shared information that was pertinent to the experience we are all sharing, which is passing the Sec+ exam. Me coming here and saying I passed the test today is not really helping anyone and is rather self-centered in my opinion. It is however my opinion and observation and you know what thewy say... we all have one

.
I take the test next week. I'll be sure to join the crowd and post here... I PASSED! YAAAYYYY!

Thanks for the feedback.

juvenileslilbrotha · July 2012

Bigdogz, I appreciate the information, it is exactly the sort of indepth info I think would be more helpful to new comers of this site. As far as brain ****, I have no idea where you got that information, I never mentioned anything about a brain ****. If I wanted to get a brain **** for the test I don't need to advertise it here, it's easy enough to find. As far as you reading my mind... You're taking this wayyyy to seriously. The comment was a suggestion, you can either agree with the suggestion or not. I'm free to make comments regarding what I think would make the site more informative and you're free to agree or disagree... it's really not anything to get angry over.

bigdogz · July 2012

@juve,
I did not sugguest you were using brain **** but the actaul result of using them and any shortcuts.
I am not angry in any way, just sarcastic

. Before taking the exam most would search this site or in this case CompTia and get some information.
If this is your first using Pearson Vue exam centers it would be nice to know. Most of the exam information is in the book and the Security + Study Guide or other books covering this exam.

Your post could start by saying something to the effect:
"I am a newbie here and I do not have any certifications nor have I taken any exams for cetifications. This is my work experience.....
How long should I study for this exam?
What type of exam is the Sec+?
What resourses should I used that are best to pass the exam?"

If you then have a question on a topic that you may not understand one person here may explain it better than another.

Good Luck!!!

If you pass the Sec+ help out

Comments