r/GIAC

Hello everyone, I have my GCIA exam coming up in a few days and just took my 2nd practice test. I scored a 72% on the first and 84% on the second. Do you think the second test score is good or should I buy more practice exams? How similar are the practice to the actual exam?

Hi everyone,

I’m applying for a training program and hoping to get accepted. One of the admission requirements is passing the SEC275 exam. I haven’t taken the SEC275 course, so I’m trying to prepare on my own.

I already have Security+, eJPT, and eCIR certifications.

If I get accepted into the program, I’ll receive the following courses: SEC275, SEC401, SEC504, SEC402, and SEC403.

What should I study to pass the SEC275 exam and get accepted? Any resources, study guides, or advice would really help me get in.

For those who have been selected for the SANS Work-Study Program, what would you recommend to increase the chances of being selected?

I am very interested in attending SANS training, but I do not have much training budget available. I would really appreciate any advice on how to make the application stand out.

I’m considering purchasing the GIAC Security Operations Manager (GSOM) exam voucher and would really appreciate advice from anyone who has taken the exam.
How long did you study/prep for the exam?
How many times did you review the material before taking it?
If you prepared without attending the official SANS training, what study materials did you use?
Any recommended books, practice tests, notes, or other resources?
How close were your practice-test results to your actual exam experience?
I have a strong background in cybersecurity/SOC operations, but I’d like to understand the realistic preparation effort before purchasing the voucher.
Thanks in advance for sharing your experience!

Taking the GSEC soon for the BACS program. Wondering if it’s worth it to head up to Vegas for $1600 for lodging, parking, gas, etc?

Really wanting to go to network and participate in NetWars events and SANS@Night but not sure if ROI is there.

Can anybody with experience offer some guidance on what you’d recommend if you were in my position?

Whoop whoop

Practice test give away. DM me why you want it.

I'm in the GCIH/SEC504 on demand course and I can't find links to lab videos (only see lightning lab stuff). For the GSEC/SEC401 I used the lab video links in the workbook but there doesn't seem to be any for the GCIH.

Does anyone have any insights?

Was a bit nervous going in...got 90s on my 2 practice exams...and finished with an hour to hour and a half left on clock...actual exam got 94 but had 5 minutes left on clock...last cyber live question took me about 10 minutes to suss out

I keep seeing everyone talk about workbook and the actual text books which is book 1-3 I’m confused because Sans only shipped me 3 books for GSEC, can someone clarify where this workbook thing is and what does it entail?

Sorry for the confusion I was referring to Sec275*

So I have unsuccessfully attempted GCFA three times and am missing passing by like 6 points. I need the last little push to get there, but really struggling with the fact that the labs have questions that aren’t in the books which is what has gotten me on the exam. Any tips to help me get those last few points are greatly appreciated!

I passed GNFA with a 87% I really liked the course and learned a lot.

My recommendation for this course is a really good lab index this course has 11 cyber live questions and it’s really paramount that you get these right.

I’d watched the OnDemand videos like 3+ times in sections I wasn’t really understanding and thanks Phil for having some cool stories in the videos it made the dryer material more interesting.

Hello All

I'm currently working through the Graduate Cert Program in Cyber Defense Ops.

Starting with GMON, it will be my first GIAC cert.

I'm planning on taking my first practice test this weekend and have thus far:

Read all 5 books

Listened to all the lectures

Watched and completed all the On demand content, except the capstone so far.

My index included the provided one as well as one using the 5 quizzes as a starting point plus the 'Pancake' method.

I've printed out a few of the SANS provided cheat sheets and I'm going to compile some helpful Cmdlet examples.

I've taken bigger tests before like the PMP and CISM but I worry about my technical skills so I'm mostly dedicating time to redoing the labs now. I'll repost/edit after the first practice test and go from there.

Any recommendations are welcome!

I passed the GCFE some time ago and finally making a post about it. I thought it was a tough exam, although I think all the GIAC certifications have been hard. My index was over 1000 lines, which helped but was the largest index I’ve used. My last two tests I’ve tabbed the index with letters to find a term quicker. I also tab all my books when I find a term I think will be used frequently on the test.

I took two practice tests; one I took the week before the actual cert. I think that was very helpful getting me in the mindset and allowing me a few days to make additions to my index.

This was my 9th exam and I was notified that my previous certifications would now expire the date of this last one, so that is nice. I wasn’t exactly sure how that would work.

I’m interested in attempting an applied knowledge certification, but looks like it would involve a lot more studying. I would be paying out of pocket too so not sure what the ROI would be for one.

Hi everyone,

I’ve started preparing for GICSP and I’m planning to take the exam in around 3 months. I come from an information security background with around 10 years of experience, but OT/ICS is relatively new to me.

I’m preparing on my own without taking the SANS ICS410 course. Currently I’m reading Practical Industrial Cybersecurity and trying to cover the GICSP domains one by one. I’ve also started ICS/Modbus labs on TryHackMe, as CyberLive is one area I really want to prepare well for.

For anyone who has passed GICSP, especially through self-study, I’d really appreciate some advice. What resources helped you most? Any good places for practice questions or flashcards? And what would you recommend for CyberLive practice and online labs?

Also, are there any topics you underestimated or wish you had focused on more?

Not looking for dumps or exam questions, just some guidance on preparing the right way. 🙂

Thanks in advance!

Does anyone know if SANS will have an AI Security Grad Certificate option soon? Also can you do a grad cert by picking 4 classes or does do you have to pick a specific concentration?

I'm currently pivoting to tech/security with the goal of going into cloud security.

I'm starting my journey as a datacenter tech.
There is a way to move up the ladder internally at my current company. I could also move up externally.

This is why I'm considering enrolling into the SANS BACS program with cloud security focused electives.

For my extracurricular activities, I'm working on personal scalable cloud projects as well as contributing to open source projects and writing blogs.

Which is weighed more in the hiring process? my personal projects or the SANS BACS program/certificates? Can I get by with just personal projects/blogs?

What positions should I be targeting after datacenter tech? cloud support positions?

I won't discuss any details of the final assignment because they explicitly request we don't do so, but I would like to solicit other's experience.

This is my 6th SANS course and it was fantastic just like the rest. However, this final project had significantly less guidance, if any at all, then previous courses, particularly the sister course FOR500.

I have a solid grasp of DFIR principles but this felt like a monolithic undertaking compared to the more traditional CTF events.

Anyone else who's taken the course care to share their perspective?

Due to some circumstances, I’m down to just one month before my GCIH exam. Do you think it’s still possible to make it, or should I consider getting an extension?

What do you guys think?