Failed GSEC last month

I failed my GSEC exam last month by a couple of points, I plan to retake this month. The practice test was nothing like the real exam. There were too many of the real case scenerios questions. Any other tips or suggestions, besides the ones posted here. I know JDMurray has a great blog on the GSEC exam. Feeling real bumed out since I left that testing center.

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Joshbiz

No I have been too disappointed to post it but I got a 65% I found that everything I studied and even the practice exam wasn't really on the exam but every little thing that I should have read that was in the tiniest fine print is on the exam. lol
Well this is what happened was while I was taking the exam, I was trying to double check my answers, So I would go in the books and read till I saw the exact answer to the question. That took way way too long. I took a break with 2 hours left and I was on question 52. So in the next 2 hours I had 130 questions to go through. I went through them as quickly as I could and got too 179 and ran out of time. I was hoping the exam would let you finish the question you were on but it doesn't.
So I am still studying and reading everything also everything I remember that were on the exam and I am trying to keep everything retained!
I have not scheduled the next exam yet but I think it will be in the next few weeks.
But I am truly disappointed! With all the studying I have done the last two month I am disappointed in myself!
But I will pass this exam as soon as I can! Thanks for following up with me!

JDMurray

Very sorry to hear that. You only didn't answer the last two questions, but having to rush through it caused to you pick poorly. I think you should have more faith in your ability to pick the correct answer without seeing the answer word-for-word in the books. Use your five skips for the really difficult questions that catch you complete by surprise (I had several of those).

The good news is that your chance of passing on your second attempt is very good.

docrice

The GSEC is a good example of an exam that has a lot of variety and covers a lot of ground; it isn't something you can expect to really cram for. If you don't know the material decently, don't expect having the courseware books on-hand to make up for it. Don't rush the study process. The cert itself is just a small prize in the grand scheme of things.

Dtrack

Joshbiz I guarantee you will pass the second time around. Don't rush your study, it took me 5 months until taking it again. Within those five months I read Comptia security + and did 420 practice questions. The key to passing this exam is knowing the concept.

YYZ

Dtrack wrote: »

Thanks, and yes I did write my own index. I dont see the harm of sharing our index and notes. I have SANS course materials 2011, not sure if you have the same year text. I dont mind sharing my index if the material is the same.

Hi there, would you be able to share a few samples of your index. I am researching the best approach to create an index for myself and would appreciate any help. Thanks

catak

Dtrack wrote: »

Joshbiz I guarantee you will pass the second time around. Don't rush your study, it took me 5 months until taking it again. Within those five months I read Comptia security + and did 420 practice questions. The key to passing this exam is knowing the concept.

Did you pay the 4k for the 5 day training class or did you use a different training method? I think they have the on-demand training, but that still is like 3k. Please share your thoughts on what method you used for training, books, index etc. Thanks.

n00bi3

Does the test ____ king Q&A are worth to buy to pass the exam?

LionelTeo

Hello n00bi3,
You will be given two practice test for the GSEC exam, they are the best for you to measure your performance in regards to the real exam. No other practice test is needed. In addition, I don't endorse in any other practice that are non-giac to be able to help you to pass the exam. The best way to pass the exam is to study for it.

Good luck.

n00bi3

i suck big time I failed twice. practice and live exams.. taking the third time soon. need the best preparation .i dont know what to add on my index.

Psyco32

If you failed twice you should have the printouts that show you where your weak areas are (They can also be looked up online under SANS account) . I suggest that you study those areas over and over till you can understand them. The test is not hard. It is just a lot of time management and knowing what you are strong/weak in. How much detail did you put into your index?? If your index is detailed enough, most of the time you won't even have to refer to the books, the answer will be right there.

n00bi3

anyone willing to sell me their the best GSEC index? lol ill paypal :P

docrice

To be blunt, if you've failed the GSEC exam twice, you need to focus more on your understanding of the subjects within the material rather than building a great index. An index is a nice-to-have, but your reliance on it during the exam should be relatively minimal.

JDMurray

Yes, I agree with docrice. The index is only a supplement to help you get a higher score, not the golden ticket for passing the exam. To pass the GSEC exam you need to have a proper factual and conceptual understanding of the subject matter first rather than fast page-flipping skills.

aeoreilly

How hard was the second test? Was their a lot of the same questions on the second one?

yoyo33

I scheduled the GSEC exam next week. I did the 1st practice exam last month and got a 55% closing book and about 4 hours. However, I've been busy since then and have no time to read - I do finished the mp3s and start to listen to it the second round, mostly during long commute. I plan to take the 2nd practice this weekend. I'm wondering what's the chances of passing it if I only listen to the audio and not finish the book? Also, are you allowed to bring all 6 books in with you to the test center during the exam?
Thank you so much!!

Psyco32

Which book did you not read? Your chances of passing are based on your understanding of the material. I would suggest you search the forums here to see what others have done to study/learn (Index books, mp3, etc) and yes you can bring all the books and whatever "paper" reference material to aid you on the exam. Nothing electronic.

cyberguypr

yoyo33 wrote: »

However, I've been busy since then and have no time to I've been busy since then and have no time to read

That right there is a recipe for disaster. Given how expensive this stuff is I'll find the time.

LionelTeo

I always told my colleagues and friends that to finish studying the whole book(s) is the minimum to passing it. Thats how i pass my exam, my minimum benchmark is to study at least the book once. Additional time, you can go through the book with a highlighter to pick up the point you have missed. Highlight keywords, this is essential for future revision, if you want to read through the books again in the future you will know what each section is talking simply by reading the highlighted words. Its easy to revise a book in a day once you accomplish this. Finally to book the index, there is two ways to build it, one is using a spreadsheet or paper and list like table of contents or the other way is to use post it stickers to label the book. Either way is fine, some even do both. What I recommend is to look out for key pages, like **** sheet or command lines, help sheet, program arguement, packet headers. For you weak section you should label them more and strong section you can label them less. For example, if exploitation is your weak area, you may want to consider to have a label for stack smashing, another for format string exploit and another for defence. Yet another candidate who has a stronger knowledge in the same area could simply label it as buffer overflow, as it is unlikely he will have to refer to it.

yoyo33

Thank you all for the advice!

docrice

yoyo33 wrote: »

I did the 1st practice exam last month and got a 55% closing book and about 4 hours. However, I've been busy since then and have no time to read - I do finished the mp3s and start to listen to it the second round, mostly during long commute. I plan to take the 2nd practice this weekend. I'm wondering what's the chances of passing it if I only listen to the audio and not finish the book? Also, are you allowed to bring all 6 books in with you to the test center during the exam?

You must have a good grasp of the material. There's no way around it. It's a rather long test even for seasoned professionals who may have some IT security experience under their belt. While you can take all the books and paper material you want into the exam room with you (as long as it fits within a backpack of reasonable size), the breadth of material and ground covered is enough to ensure that the examinee can't simply look up the answers in the books for most of the exam.

The amount of time referencing your paper material should be minimal. Unless your mental stamina is extremely strong, you'll eventually tire. The GSEC isn't the hardest test in the world (not by a long shot), but it's enough that if you're getting 55% taking it straight, I'd recommend spending more time absorbing the material so it's a bit more natural to you. It'll pay off in your career in the long run.

shufflah

Am I daft or is this exam $999 for the first try? Is it really worth that much in the Job market? I want to make my next cert a security one but that kinda price tag would definitely make me think a few times..

JDMurray

The GIAC exams are priced less for people who take the formal SANS training. The exam prices are targeted at organizations needing to train their security people and not at individuals looking for a job and resume candy.

LionelTeo

shufflah wrote: »

Am I daft or is this exam $999 for the first try? Is it really worth that much in the Job market? I want to make my next cert a security one but that kinda price tag would definitely make me think a few times..

If the organization is looking for professionals with GIAC certs, then your chance of entry is pretty high, afterall, the only other good market value cert that does not required work experience came from Offensive Security. That means holding GIAC is a good ticket to a Security Position that required less than 4 years experience.

In terms of market value for security certification that does not required work experience; I rank GIAC highest, follow by Offensive Security in second, CEH and Security+. CCNA and CCNP be used to compete for Security positions came in somewhere around CEH. Other top market value security certs like CISSP, CISM and CISA required work experience.

In terms of level of difficulty for Security Certifications without the work experience. I rank Offensive Security the highest, follow by GIAC, CEH and Security+. CCNA and CCNP came in somewhere between CEH and GIAC. CISSP is just about one level higher than GIAC certs, but still won't require an individual to put in as much effort as required for Offensive Security.

Therefore, in terms of difficulty and examination process, resulted in GIAC market is pretty good if you intended to seek for jobs with less than 4 years experience. I personally shown up with two of them to interview for my current job and got in immediately. I have CEH along with the two GIAC certs but most interviewer never really take the CEH into consideration much after seeing the GIACs.

I have not taken OSCP, Security+ or networking certs before so others may have a differ view on this.

yoyo33

I want to ask people who took the exam - did all of you have good experience with the testing center?
I went to took my exam last week and failed - because the computers in testing center kept frozen and delay while the clock still running, I have got to switched to 3 different machines and still the same, so the clerk said there is nothing they can do about it but to let it go like that. So the whole 6 hours (yeah, took that long back & forth) later, I couldn't really take or complete the test. The GIAC exam confirmed with the test center regarding the technical difficulties and let me to retake it at other test center. I'm just worried that if this will happen again - so want to see if any of you experienced this.

docrice

I've used several different testing centers in my area and I've never had a problem. I do hear about issues on a rare occasion from others (around the world) and GIAC is apparently very good at getting these resolved. However, your situation might have been indicative of the testing center itself.

EngRob

I had some technical issues at the testing site I sat the GSEC. Their whole system crashed about an hour in and if I recall correctly it took them about 20-30 minutes to bring it back up. My exam reconnected just fine but I lost that time, which fortunately I did not need.

ohioguy1

I was devastated by failed for the second time in December. I have created an index of 53 pages but I was wondering if someone has an index that they would be willing to share or sell. I really need to pass since I only have one more shot on passing. Is anyone willing to compare indexes?

docrice

It sounds like you're relying too much on an index to get a passing score and instead should focus on your weak areas. At the end of the exam you should've gotten a ranked list of all the areas you were strong/weak in, and this should also be in your SANS portal dashboard. Which areas do you need to brush up on?

ohioguy1

The results show I need more in NIDS, Steganography just to name a few. What's funny is that I got 5 stars on the first exam in Crypto Concepts and the second exam I got zero stars. It just doesn't make sense. I can use all the help I can get.

docrice

I suggest reviewing any area that you got zero to two stars on either exam. You may want to draw upon other resources outside of the SEC401 courseware such as CISSP and Security+ study guides as it may help clarify concepts which you need practice in. I find having them explained by different authors sometimes help them click in my head.

Crypto can be a tricky subject, especially trying to differentiate between symmetric and asymmetric crypto and hashing functions and how they fit together to provide digital signatures.