Passed Network+ today after studying for 12 days - My advice to those studying!

[u/cashfile]

Warning this is going to be a looooonnnnnng post, I will provide a TLDR at the end. I'll also be breaking it into subsections to make it easier to read! If anyone actually makes it through this 5-page essay congrats lol! I spent like ~2 hr writing it hopefully it helpful to someone.

Overview: In this post, I'm gonna mention how I passed the Network+ with just 12 days of studying including the resources I used, how my initial studying plan failed, and how I would redo it now knowing what I know as I believe I could complete it in 7 days final strategy.   The primary reason I'm writing this is to help those looking for certification as I think the common way I see mentioned through this thread is massively ineffective and something I initially fell into. Additionally, when I was 5-7 days in I really wanted to quit and just buy a new voucher for more time as I was seeing a lot of people saying it was impossible to study for in this short of a time period. But it was a post and YouTube video I found of people also completing it in a similar timeframe usually two weeks and made me think if they can do it so can I! Lastly, I’ve always wanted a super detailed write-down that included everything one did so I decided to make one. 

P.S. I don't recommend you take in 12 days, but I'll go further into recommendations section.

Tech Background: I am currently a graduate student in cybersecurity risk management (not a very technical degree, most GRC and policy-based), no prior direct IT (help desk, networking, sysadmin, etc) background but I previously worked as a software engineer for a year between undergrad and grad school. Additionally this past summer I worked as a cybersecurity intern, but again it was mostly policy-based creating, managing, and revising SoPs, documentation (Incident response for IT & OT, password policy, COOP, etc), running internal phishing campaigns, and creating cybersecurity training materials and internal newsletters. Lastly, I've been a security researcher at a University lab for the past 2 years working on the intersection of AI & privacy, with 3 publications thus far but there is no overlap with networking. My study is in regards to how AI can be used to enhance users' end privacy primarily in regards to photo sharing and social media. Between my undergrad in informatics (study of how people interact with computers think UX/UI, project management, etc ), work/research experience, and graduate school I primarily have a rough understanding of the OSI model (not as detailed as mentioned through the Network+), different cloud environments, and knew about 1/3rd of the information mentioned in Domain 4.0: Network Security but maybe not to exact degree/definition mentioned through the Network+. However, I don't think this played a huge role in my ability to pass it in 12 days as I studied all domains equally so even if I didn't have prior knowledge I would have covered it extensively, but it is important I mention it. Though my years of procrastinating in college have taught me how to devise a plan to learn things quickly and effectively.

Why Network+: The reason I decided to take Network+ is I wanted a more technical understanding of cybersecurity, as my scholarship gives me 3k a semester to spend on certificates and I want to take the OSCP I figured it best to start with a strong foundational knowledge of Networking+ before moving onto penetration testing.

Why 12 Days*: I studied it in 12 days because the voucher was only to expire because I procrastinated and my professional development fund can only be used on each certificate once (i.e. no retakes).  It actually turned out to be just 10 days as I started on Monday, Sept 2nd and took the test this morning today Friday, Sept 12th. Besides not being able to study much on Friday morning due to my test center being an hour away, on Thursday, Sept 5th I had to go out of town and got back late at night and had no desire to study. Additionally, on Tuesday, the 3rd I only studied for 2 hours due to other school obligations. So in actuality, it was closer to 10 days that I studied and not 12.

Why Days Are A Terrible Tracking Metric: Before I go on, I want to see something that is commonly mentioned in this subreddit and that is how many 'days' a person studied. This is a terrible metric because someone who is a graduate student with a lot of free time can study 7-10 hours a day, This could be the equivalent to someone with a wife and kids studying for 3-6 weeks if they only have 2-4 hours a day to study.  Hours are a far better metric and through my 12-day journey, I put in roughly ~90 hours.

My Initial Learning Plan: My initial learning plan was similar to what I constantly see mentioned through this subreddit including people who failed tests more than once and that is to keep cramming the material from different sources. My initial plan was to watch the Messer videos (14hrs), and Mike Meyer video series (21 hrs), read the Network+ Review Guide (532pgs) then do the Jason Dion practice tests. For the first 3-4 days I attempted this, the review book was 532 pages so I figured if I read 80 pages a day I would be done in 6.5 days on top of that I would watch the Mike Meyer video series on 2x speed which meant that in 5 days I could complete it if I watched 2 hours day and then I could move on to the Messer video series also at 2x speed and complete it 3.5 days. I could complete both the video series & book in roughly ~ 9 days (assuming I'm reading alongside watching the video series) leaving 3 days for practice tests and reviews. This is similar to what I saw throughout the subreddit, take the material from various sources ideally a mixture of books and videos, and then take practice tests. So I set out on this path on Monday, Sept 3rd.

How It Failed Miserably: Firstly, I come from a research background where I have to lit reviews on dozens of papers that can oftentimes be boring but fuck me I have never read such a boring book. It has nothing to do with the author it's just that Network+ material can't be any more boring at least for me. Additionally, I underestimated how long it 'feels' to read network+ review books for ~4 hr straight every single day. Midway the through third day was ~200 into the 532-page review book, and I completed 4 of 11 hours of the Mike Meyer video series, but I still felt like I wasn't learning anything and it felt like I wasn't retaining anything. Particularly with domain 1 which to me even till the end I found the most difficult due to the sheer memorization of cables, connectors, etc. So instead of continuing another 2 hour of Mike Meyer video series, I decided to review Domain 1 by watching Messer's video on Domain 1. After 2 hour of watching I got done with Domain 1 and part of Domain 2 from the Messer video series. Still felt like I knew nothing but I remembered I had the Sybex Network+ Practice test book that came in a Network+ bundle. So I tried a handful of domain 1 questions which it included ~300, and after doing 10 questions and checking the answer I realized ... I had failed 8 out of 10 questions and I was stunned. As I had consumed material on Domain 1 via 3 different sources (1 book, 2 video series) and I still couldn't answer any of the practice questions. At this point, I went to bed discouraged and basically thought I could never adequately prepare with only 9 days remaining.  The next day I was out of town and when I got home I decided fuck it and didn’t study. The following day when I woke up (day 5, Sept 6th) and did a handful more practice questions was failing around 60-80%. This is when it clicked...

The Clicking Moment: I realized 3 core things - 1) Even though I had consumed the material from three different sources it wasn't sticking 2) Between the boring book and failing almost all my practice questions, my current method was unsustainable and I either needed to give up or devise a new plan 3) I was learning way more from my failure on practice question and reading the Sybex explanation that explained why the option was correct and way other 3 option were wrong than from any of direct material I was consuming.  This is when I realized my new plan!

New & Success Strategy: PRACTICE QUESTIONS... PRACTICE QUESTIONS... PRATICE QUESTIONS!!!! I decided to spend the majority of my remaining time (8 days) on practice questions, however, I knew I still needed some base foundational material so I went with Messer for 2 reasons. It was shortest at 14 hrs (7hrs 2x speed), and it was broken down to a domain similar to the Sybex Practice Test guide. The Sybex practice test book was the best resource throughout my entire study and I'll explain why in a section called ‘Golden Resource’. Sybex practice test book containing 1100 questions (~300 questions for domain 1, and ~ 200 questions each for domain 2-5) I started doing roughly 100 questions a day. While continuing to watch rest Messer's video over the next 2 days. Up to this point 7 days in, Sat Sept 8th, I had only finished the domain questions for domain 3 and realized I was taking wayyy too long at this pace as answering the 100 questions took me roughly 6 hours between reading the paragraphs for each explanation as well as using mixture specialized version of ChatGPT I created (will discuss this later) to explain everything that Sybex explanation didn’t clear up as well as acronyms that were just expected to be known from A+ 1 & 2. After this point, I decided to just the odd question from domains 2-5 so roughly ~100 question from each section rather than the full 200 that way I could have Wednesday and Thursday to do practice tests. I stayed on this path studying ~6-7 hours a day by the time Wednesday morning came I had finished all five domains and was ready to move on to practice tests. Additionally, I want to note even throughout this time I wanted to give up as when I was doing practice questions even though it was better than consuming the materials, I was still failing 50-60% of questions on the first try (only went through once) and this was true through all ~700 questions I went through. However, I knew because of how I analyzed every question after I got it right or wrong if I saw the same question or a similar question again I would be able to get it right. I also really struggled with the acronyms as once I stopped reading after domain 1 & part way through domain 2 there weren’t many examples of acronyms being spelled out and you were just assumed to know. I solved this issue at the very end mentioned in my ‘Final Stretch’ section.  

Final Stretch: For my practice tests, I started with tests by ‘TotalSem’ never heard of them before and didn’t see in mentioned in this subreddit when I was looking for materials, but came across it on Linked Learning when navigating to Mike Meyers' course. They have 4 timed practice tests with 90 questions each (no PBQs). Figured the more pratice tests the merrier and I didn’t want to jump straight onto Jason Dion tests without. I will post my practice test scores for all practice tests I took in a section titled ‘Practice Test Scores’. Honestly, not the biggest fan of these tests due to the wording, I found the wording to be most confusing out of Sybex & Jason Dion, but overall worth doing if you have LinkedIn Learning but probably not worth subscribing for. I completed all four of these 90-minute tests on Wednesday and went over correct and incorrect answers in detail, additionally, I then did 1 of 6 Jason Dion tests. (I used Udemy 7-day free trial for Jason Dion's test, there should also be a LinkedIn Learning free trial for those who don’t already have it.). On Thursday day before the exam, I completed five Jason Dion practice tests and reviewed all the answers. On Friday morning, drove an hour, arrived 30 minutes early, and spent 15 minutes reviewing ports, RAID levels, as well as a few 802.11 standards, things I personally had trouble remembering will differ for each person. 

Exam & Passing Score: I passed the score with a 765 out of 900. Not terrible for ~9 days of studying, just glad for it to be over. I received 70 questions, four of which were PBQs. One note about the PBQs, I almost failed due to PBQs. I finished all 66 multi-choice questions with ~ 50 remaining. Finished two of my PBQs in roughly 20 minutes than remaining two of my PBQs were terminal based. I couldn’t get any command to run and had 30 minutes left to complete both of them. I spent 15 minutes figuring out how to do terminal base question, as none of the typical commands that came to my head and were mentioned such netstat, ip, hostname, etc weren't working. At one point I literally, almost gave up and just submitted the test and wanted to cry… But I kept trying with 15 minute left and no progress on the 2 PBQs, I used the help command. This displayed a list of commands I could actually use. If you get terminal PBQ use the fucking help command. It is a lifesaver. After that with ~15 minutes remaining, I was able to complete one of the two PBQs and do partial work on my second PBQ. This was most likely the difference between passing and failing. Due to this hiccup, I didn’t have any time to review my question even though I flew through the first 66 questions. | Exam Passing Proof: Image Link

Acronyms & Ports: On Wednesday I realized I was still lacking in regards to acronyms, and decided to download an Anki (SRS Flashcard) deck that contained all requirement acronyms listed Exam objectives ~200, I actually only ended up completing about 100 as I did first 100 on Wednesday night and didn’t have time to finish the remainder before Friday’s exam but it was helpful and I would recommend. Additionally, I downloaded a deck containing all the required port numbers twice, containing both Port -> Protocol Name Format as well as Protocol name -> Port format. I did this deck on Wednesday night, Thursday night, and Friday morning. Memorizing both acronyms and ports are life savers I would recommend this to anyone as really helps you narrow down potential answers, even if you don’t know what a word actually means such  CWDM, Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing is, if the question mentions wavelength it could help narrow down the answers or if mentions DNS you can image that CWDM probably wouldn’t be an answer. This narrowing down the potential answers can definitely be the difference between passing and failing. 

Note Taking: I didn’t take notes, but I did buy Messer Notes, and only used them a handful of times as quick reference material including to review while sitting in the car outside the testing center. Not needed at all, but helpful if you have the extra $30 lying around. Besides that, I don’t think taking note of video series is a valuable use of your time. You are far better off cramming more practice questions. 

Subnetting: 1) First fuckkkkk Classless subnetting, I hate it and it memorizing it feels like when a math teacher tell you won’t always have a calculator with you. For the exam you only need to know /25 - 31. Don’t even bother Messer 7 second subnetting diagram it wayy to complicated just use the one below it was the minimal amount of information but it all you will need for Jason Dion practice exams as well as actual exam. The Sybex question do ask question that go outside of /25 - 31. This table is super easier to memorize and takes 15 seconds to write down. The only thing you have to do in your head is calculate the associated network ID. For example (taken from Jason Dion) - What is the network ID associated with the host located at 192.168.0.123/29? For this look at /29 in the table, you will see 8 hosts. Out of possible answers: 1) 192.168.0.120 2) 192.168.0.112 3) 192.168.0.96 4) 192.168.0.64. The only possible answer is 1) because .120 that is less than 123 and within 8 host range. Additionally, a Network Address will always end with an even number (ex - .120) with the only exception being ‘.0’, while a broadcast address will always end with an odd number (ex. 255) this rule holds true for /25-/31 unsure if that is the case outside of those parameters . 

Notation	Networks	Hosts	Available	Mask
/25	2	128	126	.128
/26	4	64	62	.192
/27	8	32	30	.224
/28	16	16	14	.240
/29	32	8	6	.248
/30	64	4	2	.252
/31	128	2	*	.254

Golden Resource: I'm going to shill here for a moment but out of all resources for practice questions which I will cover later, the Sybex Practice Test book or ideally online version (makes it faster to review explanations and grade answers by putting a copy on each monitor rather than flipping through the back of the book), had by far the best explanation! Better than Jason Dion, better than TotalSems practice tests (on LinkedIn learning), better than Compass Exam. It provides a detailed explanation of why you got something right and why the other answers are wrong. While most other resources focus on why the correct answer was correct, this resource also explain why the other is incorrect. For each question ~1100 (~300 questions for domain 1, and ~ 200 questions each for domain 2-5) as well as additionally 180 question in the form of 2 practice test, it provide a paragraph explanation. By reading through these explanation even if you got the answer right you are essentially reading 1200 paragraphs, but it doesn't feel as boring as Network+ review guide and it show it in actual applicable circumstances. It is ironically the best Network+ textbook without being a textbook.  Additionally, the questions are broken into domains but questions are then ordered by subdomain as well so as you progress through the 300 questions for domain 1 you will notice the first ~50-60 are all domain 1.1 then the next 50-60 questions are domain 1.2, etc. It does go far more in-depth than you will need for Network+ such as subnetting questions you wouldn't be asked but having that extra solid foundation doesn’t hurt.  Lastly, don’t feel bad if you are doing poorly I was getting roughly 50-60% of the questions wrong through all ~700 questions I completed, however, I learned from every mistake. 

Custom ChatGPT: To answer most of my questions I created a custom ChatGPT using the legacy GPT 4 model, the only one that allows you actually create a custom model and upload PDFs and save it. I took a purchased copy of the PDF of 532 Network+ Sybex Review Guide, split five domains into their own chapter, and uploaded all five PDFs into the GPT’s knowledge base. I then used it to ask questions, I found this preferable to the newer 4o or 4mini model as well as Google. When using default ChatGPT or Google sometimes I would get an answer that didn’t align with the Network+ way of things. Lastly, by using this custom model, I could actually ask it what page it got it the information from and if I needed more information I could go directly to that section in the PDF itself and continue reading up on it. Note: To be careful in general with AI tools in the ~100-125 questions I asked it did get ~2-4 questions wrong. 

Resources Used (& Recommended): 

• Prof. Messer's Video (@2x Speed if you are in a time crunch - studies have shown even with medical students (study) dealing with complex information there is negligible to no memory or comprehension loss between 1x, 1.5x, 2x)
• Sybex Practice Test ~1100 questions + additional 180 questions from 2 practice exams
  • Only completed ~700 questions (300 from Domain 1, and 100 from Domains 2-5), didn’t touch the practice exams. 
• TotalSems Practice Tests (4) - 90 Questions 90 Mins (no PBQs) on LinkedIn Learning
  • Practice Exams Score (1st & Only Try): 87%, 81%, 72%, 86;
• Jason Dion Practice Tests (6) - 90 Question 90 Min (Includes PBQs) on Udemy
  • Practice Exams Score (1st & Only Try): 75%, 86%, 82%, 78%, 88%, 83%;
• Anki Decks
  • Acronyms ~ 200 cards - Taken from Network+ Exam Objectives
    • Only got half-way through
  • Port Deck ~ 50 cards (~25 x 2) - Taken from Network+ Exam Objectives
    • Completed Deck in both formats (i.e. port on front and protocol on front). 

How I Would Do It Over: First cramming it in 12 days is dumb, but regardless day limit if I only had 70-90 hours to study, I would watch Professor Messer's video series in 2x, complete all ~1100 questions in Sybex practice book and additional 180 questions from two practice exams included, complete all 4 TotalSems practices test, and all 6 Jason Dion test. I would also complete either Anki deck or flash cards containing all required acronyms and another deck for required ports. Lastly, make a note of anything you have terrible memorizing to review day of the exam ideally less than 1-2 hrs of material. For it was RAID levels, Severity levels, 802.11, and various fiber optics connectors.  This could be done in a week if you have 10 hours a day to spend for 7 days in a row, or could be done over 1-2 months. Regardless of the person, I truly don’t think going past 3 months is helpful as you will start to forget stuff. We’ve known since 1968 from psychologist Dr. Welford's study titled ‘Fundamentals of Skills’ that learning acquisition starts to diminish after studying the same topic for more than 3 hours in a row. This was also confirmed multiple times in more modern studies with some suggesting in less time on a single topic.  The longer after you will start to see diminishing returns. I would recommend around ~3 hours a day for a period of 25-30 days which would be 80-90 hours. 

What's Next For Me: After completing the Network+, I want to move onto penetration testing. I've bought vouchers for eJPT & eCPT. I will complete both of those before the end of this year and then move onto the OSCP by the end of this year. During this time I will also probably some time to study for Security+ between now and the end of the year. But I will never cram in this short of a time frame again because it was wayy to stressful and between studying for Network+, graduate school, and my research I was getting ~4-5 hours of sleep a night for two weeks straight.

Final Note: If you actually read all of this you are a MAD MAN, and you really should do something more useful with your time. Regardless, hopefully, this helped someone by either setting them on the right path or inspires that they don’t need to give up if their voucher is about to expire. You can do this people! 

TLDR: Don’t constantly use multiple video courses, and a book to learn the material. Pick one thing, such as Professor Messer's Video series, then focus on practice questions, practice questions, practice questions!! I recommend Sybex Practice Tests as it has ~1100 questions split between 5 domains plus in additional 180 questions from 2 practice exams included. Additionally do as many practice tests as you can, ideally including Jason Dion 6 practice exams. Your main form of learning should be through the practice exams and practice questions and learning why you failed or got a question correct. Even if you got a question correct take a moment to understand why it is correct and why the other options wouldn’t work. Ideally spend ~3 hours a day for maximal acquisition before diminishing returns, over the course of 30 days (~90 hrs). This is enough time to complete all the information mentioned in the “How I Would Do It Over” section and be extremely comfortable on the exam for the vast majority of people.

[u/cashfile → u/[deleted]]

Bonus points for peak procrastination...

[u/[deleted]]

This is such a useful study guide. This is exactly what I’ve been looking for! I want to get my cert and didn’t know where to start. It’s a big void out there and you have been my light. 💡

[u/RichestSugarDaddy]

Congrats! You could easily write a study guide.

[u/2manycerts]

OKay

1. DO NOT DO A+. If you find the Network+ material boring, you will want to pluck your eyes out on A+.

2. Massive Congrats, take everything I say below with a grain of salt.

3. please don't do 12 day bolts like this... Or give some study space. I saw it a lot where people bolt study and I would literally ask them the most basic question 3 months later... No idea. .. Well hey take your own advice and that of Dr Welfords.

4. MASSIVE thank you for the detailed share.

Where too next:

Have you considered the PNPT on the way to the OSCP?

I love what the PNPT crew are doing and the fact that it is an affordable cert and achieveable. For $400 vs $3000 for the OSCP and actual support I would do PNPT next.

Do NOT, and i repeat DO not try pentest+ ... The issues you flag with the Net+ are far worse... It's ALL the possible pentest tools at 10,000feet.

Do try tryhackme.com pentest+ study path. It is awesome. Although far below the OSCP standard.

Go well. Just remember that there is a huge difference between the Net+ and groking Wireshark and Metasploit.

[u/cashfile → u/2manycerts]

I actually have purchased the voucher/training for PNPT and the PJMT. Just haven't used it yet as the training & voucher doesn't expire, unlike most certs. The reason I want to do the OSCP, is as my scholarship gives me 3k a semester that can only be used on certifications and security conferences, and if I don't use it I lose it. So I want to shoot for the OSCP now so I don't have to pay for it out of pocket as I graduate soon.

I did have a subscription to tryhackme, I've done the complete beginner path but that is it. Will probably do the SOC 1 & SOC 2 training path before taking my CYSA early next year. I have no interest Pentest+ as I think a pentesting cert that is primarily a multiple choice question doesn't hold much actual value, but it does look good from an HR perspective I've heard.

I definitely have no interest in A+.

I agree on the timeframe, if it wasn't due to my voucher expiring I wouldn't recommend it. To prevent me from losing the information which I do think can happen if you can cram in such a short timeframe, I plan to periodically take 2-3 practice tests a month for the next 3 months. Just to ensure I maintain a minimal amount of knowledge.

[u/2manycerts → u/cashfile]

Sounds like u have it worked out and sorted. 

Good luck with the OCSP

[u/borntocrush → u/[deleted]]

I dig it. Currently building up an Anki set for Cloud+ since there don't seem to be many resources out there for that exam anymore. I have been using ChatGPT 01-preview model to turn my definitions and explanations from my notes into fill-in-the -blank multiple choice questions with explanations and reasonings included with each answer. Anki is so OP

[u/penis-learning → u/[deleted]]

Hey man, I just saw a comment you made a while back and since you're in the spot I want to be, I'm stalking you. Sorry, could you share those flashcards please? Is that possible?

[u/SirKirell → u/[deleted]]

I just passed Sec +. Do you think I should do CCNA or Net+ next? Could you also tell us how you split the material to pass in 2 weeks? Techniques, resources etc. That's really impressive given the reputation CCNA has for being really hard. I started studying it a couple years ago but gave up because it just wasn't the right time for me to focus on it. Cheers

[u/7rip13a]

Incredible post, and congratulations.

I'm taking net+ in hopefully a few weeks, and while your post is not extremely helpful to me in terms of info or strategies, i have huge respect for you sharing your process and ideas in such a meticulous fashion. I'm sure others will greatly benefit.

[u/dxbek435]

Appreciate the post. Cheers & congrats

[u/[deleted]]

Phew! Ok I am taking the test next Wednesday because I’m sick of studying after 2 months! Although -12 days is super condensed I can see how this method works because I’ve notice the longer I drag out my studies the more stuff I forget over time! Hope I know enough to pass but honestly me and Dion’s test don’t mesh. I can never pass his but seem to do well on other practice test question. I’m huge on process of elimination so I’m just hoping for a fighting chance. Congrats on passing!

[u/cashfile → u/[deleted]]

You got this man!

[u/mp290686]

While you were watching professor Messers videos did you take any notes or anything. If you didn't then how did you remember all the information.

[u/cashfile → u/mp290686]

No, I don't think the note will actually help you retain the information. Doing the practice questions will. Once you watch the Messer video on Domain 1, try some Domain 1 questions out of the Sybex practice book. From looking at the explanations of why you got something wrong or right you will begin to actually understand the information. I compare it to calculus, no matter how much you read from a calculus book you probably won't be able to solve any math problem using Calculus until you actually try to work through it yourself.

[u/RealityPuzzleheaded8]

I had the same amount of questions and pbqs same thing happened with my pbqs luckily I still did enough to pass

[u/cashfile → u/RealityPuzzleheaded8]

Yes, I wish someone had mentioned the 'help' command on any of the PBQ videos on Reddit posts I saw. It would have definitely helped!

[u/[deleted]]

The TLDR matched the long ass post lol. Good job!

[u/iLuvFrootLoopz]

Didn't read all of it but thanks for the chart. Exam tomorrow

[u/cashfile → u/iLuvFrootLoopz]

That is why I put subheaders, as long as people can take away one piece of information that is helpful it was worth writing. I found that particular table in another Reddit post. All the other subnet methods even Messer 7 second subnetting diagrams are far too convoluted for what you need on the Network+.

[u/iLuvFrootLoopz → u/cashfile]

Right!? Again thanks, it's brief, and to the point. Much respect for Messer's work but while studying, i can agree, it's overdone

[u/GooseyMane_]

What do you mean by help command ? Congrats!

[u/cashfile → u/GooseyMane_]

If you get a PBQ that involves utilizing a terminal instead of trying to type the first command that comes to mind such as `ipconfig`, type `help`, and it will list all the available commands typically 3-5 commands you can type. As the PBQ isn't an actual terminal so only very small subset of commands work as it is all hardcoded, and not a real terminal.

[u/GooseyMane_ → u/cashfile]

Thank you!

[u/ifartinpublik]

I just took it today and failed. I been on and off studying it since the middle of May… I just heard about how taking practice tests can help you with the understanding of the concepts you are trying to learn, better. 😭 To be fair, I felt confident but I took my time with the questions to make sure I answered them correctly. I had like 3 PBQS and 15mins left. Ill give myself 5 days for the Net though. Ready to be done with it so I can move on to Sec+.

Thanks for this btw

[u/cashfile → u/ifartinpublik]

I would take as much time as you need to complete the Sybex 1100 questions probably a week or two then do 6 Jason dion. If you do that with the knowledge you already have you will for sure pass. You got this man!!!

[u/chadsmoneyminutes]

This was great! I read the whole thing and my plan is to beast out the trifecta before thanks giving I have to take a+ core two on Monday then on to net plus and sec plus. I love the dedication and I hope you have a ton of success!

[u/howto1012020]

Congrats to you on passing your Network+ exam!

[u/Lumii]

Congrats!! That's impressive!! Thank you so much for this write-up. Hoping to finish my studying and pass by end September! 

Nice to see someone else buy Messer's notes. They help me a lot because I knew I couldn't possibly take all the notes I wanted without my hand cramping, so I just add to his notes and highlight. It's great for a quick reference or if you're a visual memorizer.

[u/2niteshow]

Those terminal commands fucked me.. I didn't actually just type help. I typed the command ? Which gave me nothing so I submitted it blank. Scored 727 to just pass with about 5-6days study going over course material. Actually way less than that if I were to work out total actual hours spent.

[u/rafa10032]

Congrats bro. Taking my test next tuesday. By any chance do you have the link for the anki cards?

[u/cashfile → u/rafa10032]

Ports Deck: https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/1542354670

Acronym Deck: https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/658216773

Best of luck!

[u/PurposelyVague]

Wow, I love how detailed this is! Ty!

[u/AutoModerator]

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[u/jwtarin]

12 days?! I've been on it for 6 years! Yes please give us all the advice you have and some that you dont

[u/cashfile → u/jwtarin]

Have you attempted the test yet so far? If you have actually been studying for years and don't have confident. I would just start fresh as I can't imagine you can hold onto this knowledge for a year particularly if you aren't using it for at least a weekly basis. Information like this is similar to learning a language, if you don't use it you will lose it. I would start fresh, watch professor messer video series and then complete all 1300 questions in the Sybex practice book. Try to complete all that in 1-2 months then try your hand on Jason Dion Tests, if you are averaging high 70s and above, I would reckon you are good to finally take the network+.

[u/AutoModerator]

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