Passed GCIH today
Prepared for 1 month (29 days, to be exact). I spent the first week going through the book and creating an index. In Week 2, I completed all the labs and then revisited the index. In Week 3, I took the first practice test (without a printed index. I used the Ctrl+F search function instead) and scored 50%. Based on the results, I improved my index and worked on weak areas/labs. In Week 4, I took the second practice test (with printed index), scored 86%, then improved the index one last time and reviewed weak areas again.
It was my first SANS certification and for those in the same shoes, here are a few tips:
- You need to fully understand your index (meaning you should know exactly where the information you’re looking for is located). I repeatedly read through my index from start to finish to get comfortable with it.
- I also created an index for the labs (both the main labs and Lightning Labs), and it helped a lot.
- If you complete both practice tests and finish all the labs in the book, you’ll be prepared for a wide variety of lab scenarios. Based on the CyberLive questions from the practice tests, I created hypothetical scenarios/questions on different topics and practiced them.
Personally, I didn’t have any issues with the CyberLives (if anything, I was overprepared) since I already have red team experience.
Hope this helps others who are preparing.
