r/CompTIA_Security

Hey guys! I’ve been reading posts on here and on the CompTIA subreddit for the past few months while preparing for the exam, and I was honestly SO overwhelmed at first because I had no idea how to approach studying. For reference, I don’t have any professional cybersecurity experience.

I wanted to share what I did because it ended up working really well for me. I didn’t purchase any courses or spend any money.

1. Professor Messer

First, I watched all of Professor Messer’s videos at 1.0x speed and took notes.

Then I rewatched all of the videos at 2.0x speed without taking notes. I just focused on listening and making sure I understood everything.

I also used the video transcripts to make Quizlet flashcards for all of the videos. I would go through these whenever I had free time like in bed, waiting in line, etc.

2. Get Certified Get Ahead

After that, I started taking practice exams and was doing poorly.

I got really discouraged and lost confidence but this textbook really helped.

So I downloaded the Get Certified Get Ahead Security+ textbook and read through it and completed the practice questions.

This was honestly a great resource and helped me fill in a lot of gaps. Some of Professor Messer's videos were too vague and this provided a lot of context and additional information.

3. Practice exams, practice exams, practice exams

After that, I took Professor Messer’s practice exams and still did pretty badly.

At this point I basically started looking for every free practice exam I could find. I used a bunch of textbooks/ebooks and whatever free resources I could get my hands on.

Here are the resources I used:

• CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 Practice Tests & PBQs: Exam SY0-701 by Nikolaos Gorgotsias The questions were easy and somewhat repetitive, but I actually found that useful for drilling the information into my head.
• CompTIA Security+ Practice Tests: Exam SY0-701 by David Seidl Probably the best practice resource I used. The questions were challenging and really required you to understand the material rather than just recognize definitions.
• CompTIA Security+ Study Guide with over 500 Practice Test Questions: Exam SY0-701 by Mike Chapple & David Seidl Also a great resource for getting more practice questions.
• Professor Messer’s Practice Exams I took these three different times because I thought they were so good. These were probably the closest to the actual exam in terms of question style.
• ExamCompass Lots of practice exams. Some of the questions were more detailed than what I saw on the actual exam, but they were still useful.
• CyberKraft PBQ playlist I was REALLY scared about the PBQs, so I spent a lot of time practicing these. IMO, the actual exam PBQs were easier and more straightforward than the CyberKraft ones.

4. What helped me the most

For every question I got wrong, I made a flashcard about the topic.

I kept reviewing these flashcards until I understood why I got the question wrong.

I also had Claude and ChatGPT generate practice tests for me, especially on topics I was struggling with.

My actual exam experience

I was extremely nervous and anxious about the exam, so I probably over-prepared. I memorized a LOT of the little details because I was terrified I would see something I didn't know.

Honestly, I think I studied too much because when I actually took the exam today, I felt like it was... surprisingly easy?

I finished pretty early and was expecting the questions to be much harder based on how nervous I had been.

The PBQs were also much more straightforward than I expected. They were pretty self-explanatory once I understood what they were asking.

Obviously everyone's experience is going to be different, but if you're currently feeling overwhelmed and don't know how to structure your studying, I hope this helps!

Good luck to everyone studying!

https://preview.redd.it/2bh942mj8tth1.png?width=1123&format=png&auto=webp&s=c8fa169b0a18d5893e63835eff20ddaaf44ba8b5

I’ve been reading everyone else’s “I passed” posts, and today I finally get to write my own.

I wanted to share how I studied and how the exam felt, especially for anyone feeling discouraged by their practice scores.

How I studied

I didn’t watch Professor Messer’s videos because I struggle to absorb information through videos. Instead, I used Ian Neil’s and David Seidl’s books with ChatGPT to break the material into smaller sections.

After studying each section, I asked ChatGPT to quiz me. If I did badly, I reviewed the material and tried again. I followed that approach across all the modules, which took me about a week.

Then I attempted Professor Messer’s three practice exams and scored around 69%, 67%, and 68%. Those results helped me identify my weaker topics, so I went back and focused on them.

After that, I worked through roughly a hundred questions per module from the Sybex practice material. I was still getting around 70–74 out of 100. It felt like I’d hit a plateau, so I decided to go ahead with the exam.

The exam experience

I took the exam at home. The verification process was new to me, and it took longer than I expected, which made me nervous before I even started.

Then came the PBQs. They felt completely different from what I’d practised. I did my best with what I knew, and I think I got at least parts of them right.

The multiple-choice questions were challenging too. I’d say around 70% felt application-based. They weren’t simply asking me to recall a definition or recognize a question I’d already seen. I had to understand the situation and work out which answer made the most sense.

Halfway through, I honestly thought I was going to fail. So many questions felt unfamiliar, but I kept going.

After finishing, I went back through my answers. On a second read, I noticed that I’d misunderstood a few questions, so I corrected those answers before submitting.

Even then, I was convinced I hadn’t passed.

When I saw PASS — 759, I actually had tears in my eyes.

There’s a saying about putting in your 99% and leaving the remaining 1% to God. That’s how today felt for me. I know 759 isn’t the highest score, but a pass is a pass, and I’m proud of it.

Wishing everyone preparing for their exam the best. If you’re feeling discouraged, I hope my experience gives you a little encouragement.

I passed on my second attempt with a 791! I have no background in it. 47 years old changing careers again. I've been a aircraft mechanic. I've been in the Air Force. This one was tough for me it didn't come intuitively. I studied a lot. I'm just glad I passed!

Hello everyone…
Next week I’m taking the exam and I wanted to ask how can i be sure that i can pass it ?

I feel like I can …. I did a lot of practice exams and I do

75%-85% on them but even my wrong answers … the answer is the other one that i suspected …

I did professor messer practice and did like 90%

Then did Dion training and got 75%

Are these percentages Good or should I prepare more to it?

I’m doubting myself but I just want to be sure that I can do it..

Sec+ V8 is set to be released in November, should I wait for V8 or stick with V7? After all, I’ve already been studying V7 for a month

Hello I'm a 3rd year in cybersecurity and in the 4th hear of our program we have a mandatory 8-month co-op and I asked some people in more advanced classes what I can do to help my resume since normal school work won't cut it I was advised to get the security+, net+ or ccna then then isc^2cc and i am wondering if this is good advice and if you have anything to add or recommendations to give im all ears.

I also understand that this is the first phase i still need to read so this is second part how wkuld you recommend someone with some knwoeldge in thsi program to prep for these certificates because i plan on writing them by end of 2026

SO I took a vet resource course and they gave me the Sec + cert. I could use a little help on how to prepare for it, it's been about a year since I took a SEC+ course so its been a little but. What should I look for, I didnt even know I had it and I have until december to use it.

Hi I completed dion and professer messers practice test and got these scores for security+

And I think it's low and and I'm lacking in 4 and 5 domain

So I've studied again but now I'm confused if I should re-take the exam or not

As i have taken dion exam in practice mode and not in exam mode if I retake the test I will end up memorizing the questions

What should I do?

Also how much should I score so that I can be sure that I'm ready to take the accrual exam

I have even scheduled it yet cause I think I'm not ready yet

Jason dion practice set 1 (in practice mode)

Test 1 = 65%

Test 2 = 63%

Test 3 = 74%

Test 4 = 77%

Test 5 = 65%

Test 6 = 75%

All in practice mode

Professor messer

57

56

65

Andrew ramdayal

Test 1 = 74%