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CEH v8 Passed - 88% - Feedback/Study Approach

lsimon305lsimon305 Member Posts: 8 ■□□□□□□□□□
in CEH
Don't really post on here but sure do read a lot so wanted to share my approach with everyone thinking of taking the CEH.I took it today after self-studying for about 1.5 months after getting approved by EC Council.

I've read the recent posts on others feedback on the more recent tests and the one word of advice I have is to use more then one resource for studying, I used about 5, here is the break down:

Books I've read:

CEH: Certified Ethical Hacker Version 8 Study Guide
CEH: Certified Ethical Hacker Version 8 Study Guide: Sean-Philip Oriyano: 9781118647677: Amazon.com: Books

CEH Certified Ethical Hacker Bundle, Second Edition (All-in-One)
CEH Certified Ethical Hacker Bundle, Second Edition (All-in-One): Matt Walker: 9780071835572: Amazon.com: Books

The Basics of Hacking and Penetration Testing, Second Edition: Ethical Hacking and Penetration Testing Made Easy

The Basics of Hacking and Penetration Testing, Second Edition: Ethical Hacking and Penetration Testing Made Easy: Patrick Engebretson: 9780124116443: Amazon.com: Books

Practice Tests I Used:
  • Boson (375 questions)
  • CCCURE.Training (462 questions)
  • AIO Test Taker (300)
  • AIO Test Taker Practice tests (400)
I read all 3 books cover to cover then I dove into the practice test. I kept track of each chunk of questions I took then reviewed them as well as the answers. I took the ones I got wrong and entered the explanation into notepad and/or a free site called quizlet.com which allows you to create flash cards and create different types of tests with the material, VERY COOL and highly recommend.

I added up all of the practice tests I took and it came to about 3,000 questions I ran through in about a few weeks.What I believe also helped me is I took the CISSP and passed July 17, 2015 and a good amount of it I still remember.I self studied for both CISSP and CEH and even though it was a lot of work it surely paid off.

I used the same approach for the CISSP (new CBK) where I read several different books (over 3,000 pages) and took well over 5,000 practice questions.So again, use more then 1 resource when you study. I'm happy to say on the test I took today there wasn't a question I didn't understand or was thrown off guard and I believe that is because I used so many resources.

If you have any questions on study material or approach please feel free to message me. I'm happy to help!Next up CCSA and CCSE for me as my job requires it.Happy studying everyone and good luck!
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    ivandavidsivandavids Member Posts: 50 ■■□□□□□□□□
    congrats on the pass and thanks for the post! I was thinking about taking the CEH exam but after reading some posts on this forum I think I will wait one more month for V9 to be released.
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    DAVIS NGUYENDAVIS NGUYEN Member Posts: 1,472 ■■■□□□□□□□
    Congrats!
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    OctalDumpOctalDump Member Posts: 1,722
    I also passed recently, with similar approach.

    I had read a Sybex book for CEH v6 a while ago. Read the Matt Walker book twice - once slowly, then again quickly. Did all the Boson tests. I did some of the Matt Walker AIO questions. I've also read a few security books, and have a reasonable grasp on some of the material. I think with the breadth of CEH, having more security knowledge is useful.

    The Boson test exam was useful, because it included some stuff that wasn't in the Matt Walker book. Some of the compliance stuff like PCI, SOX, HIPPA etc (I am not from US, so this stuff is not always relevant), and methodologies and what not. Stuff that didn't occur to me to look at. I am guessing that the CISSP would cover this material also.

    I also had a look through the nmap book - Nmap 6: Network Exploration and Security Auditing CookBook, but still managed to get an nmap question wrong :-/

    I think I read here recently a quote from some people working in Pen Testing about what they thought of certifications. The only one they though was vaguely useful were the Offensive Security ones. They said that CEH is sometimes required by clients, but it's no big deal since they can just go and do the exam. I think that it is the broad experience that someone working would have that allows them to pass, so a study method that goes broad (and deep) seems to be the ticket.

    So, I endorse your approach :)
    2017 Goals - Something Cisco, Something Linux, Agile PM
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    lsimon305lsimon305 Member Posts: 8 ■□□□□□□□□□
    Thanks OctalDump, good update!
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    fuz1onfuz1on Member Posts: 961 ■■■■□□□□□□
    Congrats lsimon305 and OctalDump! icon_thumright.gificon_cool.gif
    timku.com(puter) | ProHacker.Co(nsultant) | ITaaS.Co(nstultant) | ThePenTester.net | @fuz1on
    Transmosis | http://transmosis.com | LinkedIn | https://linkedin.com/in/t1mku
    If evil be spoken of you and it be true, correct yourself, if it be a lie, laugh at it. - Epictetus
    The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows. - Buddha
    If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you. - Unknown
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