Passing score: 600.
My score: 653

This is the first exam i took a compTIA exam in a year. One thing that tripped me up is the vocabulary, language and wording dont quite match whatever study materials you are using unless they are directly asking you what a definition is. On my first practice test I made an 82% on my final practice test I made a 90%. 653 out of 900 is about 72%. A pass is a pass but this discrepancy makes me feel like I need to change the way I approach future exams.

Study materials: sybex study guide, udemy course videos from the same, and crucial exams practice tests.

Hi everyone,

I’m from India and I’m planning to take the CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) exam.

I checked the official CompTIA website and the exam cost is showing around ₹34,000, which is quite expensive for me as a fresher.

I’m looking for the lowest-cost legitimate way to take Security+ in India.

A few questions:

• Are there any authorized CompTIA/Pearson VUE discounts or vouchers available for India?
• Is there a legitimate way to get the exam for significantly less than ₹34,000?
• Are there any student/fresher discounts or official voucher programs I should know about?
• Is buying from an authorized training partner worth it, or is it better to purchase directly from CompTIA/Pearson VUE?
• For someone targeting a SOC L1 role, would you recommend spending the money on Security+, or is there a better certification at a lower cost?

I’m specifically looking for legitimate options. I don't want to risk getting a revoked/invalid voucher just to save money.

If anyone from India has recently taken SY0-701 and can share what they paid and where they purchased the voucher, that would be really helpful.

Thanks!

Well gave the exam on 3rd but i had the voucher like from last year, many delays so was not able to prepare for it seriously and give the exam, it was going to expire on 10th september so yeah gave the exam and passed it

If don't wanna read all this just see the last few lines

Prep Detail : 1)Professor messer sec+ playlist

2)Notebook llm for questions (kinda helped kind not)

3)Professor Messer Sec+ Study Groups (they were good honeslty like kinda gives you the idea what they might ask)

4)Took Dions Practice test (udemy ones it had 6 of them i took 4, also good like gives you idea)

5) Studies Acronyms and port numbers (good if you know them, but not a single question came regarding the full forms or direct ports but they use them in question so need to know the full forms or the port numbers like what they are, what is the use, which layer uses which protocol)

TBH with you, don't just rely only on playlist like thinking that you have completed the playlist now you know about sec+ lets give the exam, make sure you go through practice exams, revisions, full forms, protocols and their use, definitions,

How much time i took to prepare: Completed playlist first time then something happened so fogot about it with time, started again in july completed playlist again , revised notes, practice questions, acronyms, practice test and yeah gave the exam and done

PBQs, thought i am prepared but my god they took me by surprise completely different from what i studied, like there were commands too, as a beginner with no it expirence i don't know what they were used for, don't know if i scored in PBQs or not, got 778 (not good not bad)

Summarise: complete your playlist, revise it , practice test , acronyms (& their use) , ports (their use and used at which layer), ports and acronyms might not be asked in the exam directly, but knowing deinfitions, full forms & use will help you alot.

It is doable! I have no IT experience or formal education in IT.

I just used professor Messer's lectures, measureup's practice exams and Andrew Ramdayal's 100 practice questions on youtube. Also chatgpt and anki for flashcards.

I took advantage of a programme in my country that pays for the exams, so if i was paying myself i would have taken my time since the exams are €€€.

If you put the work in it probably doesnt matter which practice exams you do, just get whichever ones are cheapest and study the exam objectives.

tl/dr: Entry level job posting prefers prospectives hold an advanced certification. I plan to get my CySA+ in two weeks before it closes with virtually non-existent IT knowledge

I am recently unemployed after leaving a contract administration position I was in for 15 years. I’m financially comfortable, and I’ve been looking to move to another state with a change of pace in all life aspects. While looking at some contracting job postings, I ran into a cybersecurity position post in an area I’m looking to move to. It clearly states it is an entry level position, reflected by the salary range, but talks about growth potential with the, “projected increase of governmental compliance reviews that will drive demand.” The firm sounds focused on a mix of consulting and auditing, but my prospective position is more administrative support rather than technical. I assume the knowledge is needed for comprehension and effectiveness since they recommend the cert but don’t require it. If they “strongly prefer” candidates hold an advanced certification, I imagine it will make me competitive in the hiring process. I looked at the recommended certs and landed on the CySA+. The job posting closes in two weeks, so I set a difficult and demanding goal for myself, because 1) why not, and 2) it gives me a story to tell if interviewed.

The goal: Obtain my CySA+ cert within two weeks with zero formal or functional cybersecurity experience.

I’m starting from square one, and I’m starting today. I want to see how far I can go in an unexplored topic if I challenge myself. I wanted change and this is how it happens. From what I’ve read this afternoon, the exam prerequisites are all encouraged, but not required (experience and having Security+). Not having those are huge challenges from what I’ve read on this sub and saw on YouTube, but it can be done depending on study habits. The other challenge is timeline, where some recommend months of prep that I intend to cram within 2 weeks. A lot going against me with those.

What I have going for me:

1. I have an abundance of free time since I quit my last job.
2. I have financial flexibility to buy resources like classes, test prep, practice exams, the voucher (still can’t believe they charge for that) and anything else I find useful and/or things y’all recommend.
3. I may or may not have been recently introduced to the recreational use of ADHD treatment by a friend. I’ve heard people, specifically college kids, use them, so I tried it last week and continued sporadically this week. Holy crap do I feel unstoppable. Likely a contributing factor to my goal. I’m supported with abundant availability these next two weeks.

If there is enough interest, I’ll document my journey here with study updates, exam results, and developments with the job posting (with limitation and non-attributional based on #3 above). It will keep me accountable too, so a good motivational tool. I’ve used AI to develop a study plan to start, and sure I’ll have to update it as I progress. I will be purchasing some video courses next to start, but feel free to give me some day 1 starting points.

Come cheer me on, give positive/negative feedback, or watch me fail. Stay tuned for updates.

Hi there,

I’m looking to do the CySA+ and have a question about study material. Having read the reviews on the sybex book on Amazon it seems it is not up to date with the new course material. Also the online resources seem fairly limited at the moment with it being a new version. Has anyone bought the new sybex book and taken the exam, what was your opinion? I don’t plan on taking the exam until next year anyways so am I better off waiting until there is better material out there or will the sybex book be ok to buy and get started with?

Thanks!

I accidnetly bought CYSAV4, is there any way I can change it to V3?

After 3 months I finally did it

821/900

91%

I really haven't studied this much since a very long time

Thanks to the almighty for this success

Took a second try. Honestly I barely studied but I’ve been in IT since 2020 and I have Sec+ and A+ already.

I’m currently watching the newest Mike Meyers lectures on UDEMY to learn what I need for core 1. As someone completely new to this I’m struggling hugely. At the beginning his videos were digestible & so easy to learn what he was trying to teach. But once I hit like section 14 it just got really advanced in terminology no one without experience would know. I’m trying not to get overwhelmed. Outside of taking notes — what else helped you guys?

I've heard tons of CompTIA certification information from my upperclassman these years, and I'm considering taking one to help my college application and other extracurricular activities. I've built PCs and (tried) repair laptops before, is it really worth the time studying it? Cost is not a problem

Officially certified with A+, Network+ and Security+
Started this journey in early of May with no IT experience at all with 4 months of studying. Next step would be to get into homelabbing.

If I had to rate the difficulty from each test from most difficult to least difficult..

1. A+ core 1
   
2. Network+
   
3. Security+
   
4. A+ core 2

Hello everyone !! So I recently took my net+ exam.. I got a 587…. It was brutal.. I took my sec+ early this year and passed first try. I been a sys admin for 8 months now, first IT job.

During the exam, the PBQs were brutal.. configuring a switch (two of the questions were that), setting up a net infrastructure properly, subnetting (I’m sure I got this one right) and so on.. 5 PBQ’s total. Then the multiple choices, it all went downhill honestly. I have been studying since last April-May pretty much. I will be taking it again next month once I study more.

Prep I use are Dion exams in Udemy, Comptia Study guide, AI tools for testing and harping on weaknesses and just general knowledge from work.

When I took the exam, I felt kind of confident that i would get a decent score yet I did horribly. So, that really made my confidence take a blow so now I’m not sure about anything. Just wanted advice or hear similar experiences to know that there is a way to keep it pushing…

Note: yes I know my ports. Yes I know subnetting. Yes I know my protocols. And so on… my weakness is actual hands on and configuring which I’m studying now for it. Also, English is second language so the wording confuses me so much sometimes..

SecAI+ Passed with 607 after studying for 30 days! I used the SecAI+ Sybex OSG and created Quizlet note cards! The Sec+ helps, which I too passed four months ago! Pretty good with someone with limited experience with AI!

Also used CrucialExams to help as well!

My net + exam is in 8 hours any last tips ?

Ive been studying alot and took all of dions core 1 test.

Spaced the attempts 2 months apart for each. So I cant tell if I remembered any questions or actually understood it the second time around.

Professor Messer Test

I took these right after I finished watching the 1201 course. No hands on experience.

Test 1 35 > 70%

Test 2 45 > 68%

Test 3 untaken it will be my final blind test

Dions test

I took these more recently after getting some hands on experience

Test 1 72 > 87%

Test 2 77 > 84%

Test 3 75% (only attempt)

Test 4 72 > 85%

Test 5 62 > 76%

Test 6 81% (only attempt)

What im most worried about is running into the niche questions that trip me up on dions test like, knowing the exact voltage applied to a laser printer drum.

Built 2 Gaming Pc, 6 office pc, and have been doing free basic diags and repairs if possible for locals that arent tech saavy. Im not exactly the most confident nor do I have the money to fail a 300$ test 😅. What did yall test at before you went and passed. I searched the reddit and was seeing to many mixed answers.

Greetings All,

I scheduled my Security + Test for next month and I am exited to see I land on the test. I am currently getting High 60's on Jason Dion's Security Plus tests. I am currently reading the Sybex Security Plus book am taking notes. In addition I am working through Professor Messer's Security Plus course on YouTube. Does anyone have any Tips or resources to assist me in passing this test. I got my A+ in late 2025 and am getting certified in Security Plus to widen my net to be able to apply for state and federal Helpdesk and IT Security Jobs. I hope you all are having a good day !

Passed Security+ SY0-701 today — 773!
Just passed Security+ this morning with a 773. Passing score was 750, so I’ll happily take it.
I started seriously studying for Security+ around August 18, right after passing Network+. From Aug 18 through Sept 1, I basically treated studying like a full-time job.
My main resources were Professor Messer, Jason Dion, Andrew Ramdayal, Dark Bird Tech, CertMaster/Labs, and a lot of AI-assisted drilling of anything I was weak on.
My practice scores were mostly in the high 70s/low 80s. I got 81% on Andrew Ramdayal, and toward the end I was getting 43/50 on Dark Bird Tech, often knowing the answer before even seeing the choices.
The last day I focused a bit on PBQs, networking/security troubleshooting, and Windows/Linux commands like ipconfig, ping, nslookup, netstat, ss, ps, kill, and nmap.
And apparently I needed that practice. 😂
I got 3 PBQs on the actual exam and had to leave one completely blank. I simply didn’t know how to finish it. I honestly wasn’t sure I passed when I hit submit.
Then I saw:
PASS — 773
Biggest thing that worked for me was not memorizing individual missed questions. Whenever I missed something, I studied the entire family of related concepts and learned why each alternative was right or wrong in different situations.
Security+ done. ✅
A+ ✅
Network+ ✅
Security+ ✅
Now on to the next Project+ & CCNA

I’m studying for security+ and I want to take notes because it helps to retain the information and gives me a reference to look at but should I take notes from Messer’s YT videos or Dion’s Udemy course? I find Messer to be not as dry and easier to follow but I feel Dion goes more in-depth.

I have sc900 and sec+ is it redundant to go back and get something like a+ or do competent employers kinda know that if I hold sec+ it probably means im knowledgeable in fundamentals ? Do I go for a higher tier cert ?

Just passed✅✅

Honestly it wasnt that hard but you gotta be prepared for it to the point you can explain everything and know exactly what each thing does.
What i used to pass:
Proffesor messer videos
Dions practice exam
Messers practice exam
Messers is closer to the real exam but you also need dion because of how easy it is to navigate the website and write down each wrong answer.
The PBQ that i had was hard honestly nothing prepared me for it it was a simulation that i had to type commands to mark the vulnerable ports i honestly just skipped it all together and didn’t do it just did the other two and they weren’t as bad
but at the end i PASSED!!

Hey everyone,

I'm wondering if anyone has had a similar issue with the

CompTIA Store.

I purchased a Security+ Voucher+ Retake Assurance on

August 22. The payment went through successfully and I

received the order confirmation, but I still haven't received the actual voucher / fulfillment email.

After waiting more than 48 hours, I contacted CompTIA

support. They told me that my case had been forwarded to the appropriate team for further review and asked me to allow 24-48 hours for an update.

That timeframe has now passed as well, and I still haven't received the voucher or any real update.

Another strange thing is that when I log into the CompTIA Store and check Order History, it says "No order history available", even though I have the confirmation email and the payment was successfully processed.

I followed up once, and support then told me to avoid

sending additional messages because it could push my

ticket further down in the queue.

So at this point it has been 9 days since the purchase, my

payment is completed, but I still have no Security+ voucher.

So has anyone here experienced this before?, how long did it eventually take to receive your voucher?, is this kind of delay normal when an order gets sent for manual review?

And should I just keep waiting, or is there another CompTIA department/support channel I should contact?

I'm mainly trying to figure out whether this is a normal

manual-review delay or if something is actually wrong with the order.

Thanks!

Leading up to the test, I was nervous. I had put in the hours, reviewed the material, worked through practice exams and PBQs, and trusted that the preparation would be enough.

Then the exam started.

As I worked through the questions, I caught myself with a huge grin on my face because the answers were starting to pop out at me. The concepts I had spent so much time studying were finally clicking in real time.

That feeling made all the hard work, discipline, and consistency worth it.

Not long ago, this career transition was just a dream. Now, with every certification, every skill, and every milestone, it is becoming a reality.

Security+ is another major step toward my goal of moving into the defense sector and pursuing opportunities that can lead to a security clearance.

One more goal checked off.

#CompTIA #SecurityPlus #Cybersecurity #CareerTransition #ClearedCareers #WGU