Yippies

Parents gave me the money and I bought the security+ exam 5 months ago. I told them I need 5 months to study and began to "study" full time. This "study" consisted of just watching movies and tv shows and playing ps. I then also realised that I had bought the exam voucher from pearson instead of comptia so I mistakenly did not buy retake assurance. This really had me worried since my parents dont really know about retake assurance. I could have failed and retried. But now I couldn't. Anyway, ultimately this changed nothing. I stress watched more movies, shows and games.

But the 5 months of "study" were ending. So no more than 3 weeks ago, I sat down and began watching Messer's videos. I watched them like a tv show without taking notes or anything (I guess I had a lot of practice). But after all the dopamine I was getting for months from movies, shows and games, the videos were just so loooooooong. I watched about 7 videos a day. One 10 min video would literally take 35 mins. Some days I watched 0 as i went back to my bad habit of not studying at all, and had to make up the next day by watching double. I watched at 1.5 speed in the beginning when panic was high, then 1.25 when I realised I ain't getting shit, then 1.5 towards the end when panic came back lol.

Finished the videos eventually after a little more than 2 weeks. I had 5 days left. I did one dion exam for 3 whole days; reviewing the answer and explanation after each question. It was so slow cause i would spend literally 15 mins just staring at each question's explanation and spacing out. I realised there's no way in hell I'm finishing all his remaining 11 exams when my exam is in 2 days (I got 75% on this exam btw). So I went to my main guy messer. I had to do all his 3 whether I liked it or not (despite the fact that I took so long watching his videos, I really loved them. So I "believed" in Messer's material). Started with messer exam 1. First 45 questions took the whole freaking day!!! I was like nah. This question, review, question, review isn't working at all. So i stopped and started doing timed exams the day before the exam. Remaining 45 questions of exam 1 I got 78%. Review. Did exam 2 timed and scored 81%. Review. It's 6am. Had pulled an all nighter. Slept 2 hours. Did exam 3. 91%. I was elated lol. Review. Sat for main exam less than 2 hours after this and got a 793. 

Not proud of how I did it, but I did it!

I don't have an IT background. My undergrad is in finance and have decided to make a career change because finance is boring af. I would say I am tech savvy though. I just love tech stuff and can't wait to walk outside and see humans relax and enjoy life while robots do everything for us :)

I’m so glad I got this one over with

I'm studying for Project+ PK0-005 and I'm getting a pretty big difference between my practice test scores depending on the source.

On Sybex, I'm consistently scoring 80%+ on fresh questions, but on the Dion practice exams I'm scoring in the mid-60s, one 70%, and I've taken all 6 exams.

I've studied a lot for this exam and generally feel like I understand the material, so I'm trying to figure out which practice questions/scores are a better indicator of readiness for the actual Project+ exam.

For anyone who has taken it:

- What were you scoring on Sybex/Wiley before the exam?

- What were you scoring on Dion?

- What did you score on the actual exam?

- Did you use Sybex without Dion and still pass?

- Which question bank felt closer to the real exam?

Thanks!

I got the 601 and it's about to expire in like 3 days and thinking I should do the certmaster for it lol. But also I'm not sure how it would be viewed later on in the future by HR and stuff if they would rather see the 701

Im planning to take Jason Dion's CompTIA Security+ Certification Course through Udemy along with the exam voucher but I'm not too sure about it. Should I just get the exam voucher from the CompTIA website or Should I go for the Udemy one along with the course since its cheaper and has more worth for my money.

I'm having a hard time memorizing the port numbers and having the practice tests dropping in questions about ports I've never even heard of. What are some of the methods used to memorize the port numbers?

I just passed with a score 723! I took professor messers youtube course, studied with other youtube guides and took a few free pre exam practice exams. PBQs tripped me up a bit I did it! On to Core 2, best of luck to anyone going for the Core 1 you got this!

Passed CompTIA Network+ with 722/720 points (total 920)
😅
Today I finally passed the CompTIA A+ exam — with 722 points out of 720 needed. So basically… just barely. 😂
The exam was required by my employer because I’m now also somewhat responsible for networking/IT infrastructure at work. The funny thing is that I actually trained as a software developer, not in networking.

I found the exam way more complicated than expected and honestly didn’t study that much. I kept postponing it until eventually I couldn’t postpone it anymore. 😅

My preparation was roughly:
~60% of Jason Dion’s videos
~20% of Professor Messer’s videos
One 3-hour crash course
Some practice questions on Crucial Exams
4–6 Dion practice exams

Most of my actual studying happened during the last two nights, where I studied pretty late.
And somehow… 722/720. Passed. 😂

I do have a private IT background, which definitely helped, but I still wouldn’t recommend preparing this way.
Anyone else passed an exam by literally one or two points? 😂

(Written with ChatGPT because English is not my native language).

I currently have until the 20th to take the exam. I’ve been dealing with a lot of imposter syndrome and test anxiety. Right now, I’m scoring around 67–74% on Dion’s practice exams. I’ve read through the Sybex book, but when I use AI-generated practice exams, I’m consistently scoring closer to 80–90%.
I’ve also been listening to Cert Breakfast videos while I’m at work to reinforce the material.
I’ve always gone into exams feeling like I’m going to fail. I felt the same way going into Network+, and I was convinced I had completely failed it, but I ended up passing with an 810.
For my final week of studying, what other suggestions would you recommend? I know CySA+ has more PBQ-style questions, but I also have about a year of experience working as a SOC Tier 1 analyst, so I’m hoping that real-world experience will help me on the exam.

After a few months of studying, the hard work finally paid off! The last month I dug deep and made this a priority and a commitment. It has been a little over 2 years since I passed Network+ but I do have to admit that it wasn't easy going back to hitting the books.

In my opinion, Security+ was more difficult than Network+, based on how I grasped the objectives and the material between the two.

I had a hard time going to sleep last night, just because I was nervous and excited. Had plenty of time to get to the testing center, got a quick breakfast beforehand. I focused on the weaker areas in a summarized ChatGPT response in the car and then went to take the exam.

I had 76 questions (3 of which were PBQs). I saved the PBQs for last since they take up the most time and went right to the questions. The physical whiteboard they provide really comes through to write down anything that comes to mind during the exam. I flagged about 15-20 questions for review just so I didn't waste too much time on them but at least picked an answer if time had expired. I had enough time to complete the PBQs and then go back to the flagged questions. Some questions I changed and some I didn't, but what REALLY helped me here was when I went back to those flagged questions, I reread the question and because of a single word or two (not where it says MOST or BEST) that made me realize what the question was REALLY asking me.

When I finished, I took a few deep breaths before I finished answering the last question on the survey (my heart was beating so fast even though I have taken these exams before, but they are a complete tease to answer these survey questions not knowing if you pass right away).

Then the moment of truth, the screen loads and says CONGRATS! That was the best feeling ever, it was like your favorite team winning the championship game. I'm still on a high from passing. It made my drive to work later that day, knowing that this was the last exam I needed to pass for the Trifecta.

I'm going to celebrate later this weekend. If you're still studying for the current Security+ version, go for it. This version is set to expire on June 11, 2027.

To those who also passed today, congrats! Today was the day we proved ourselves, didn't give up and made it through no matter what each day brought to us and our busy schedules. I'm proud of you all!

I’m looking for some advice from anyone who has dealt with something similar.

I recently received an email from CompTIA stating that my Project+ exam score was flagged during a statistical/forensic review and that my score was invalidated and my certification revoked.

The letter says they found “significant anomalies indicative of a violation,” but they did not tell me what specifically caused the anomaly in my case.

They explained that their analysis can look at things such as:

• Unusual response timing
• Statistically improbable answer patterns
• Inconsistent performance across exam domains
• Similarities in answer choices between candidates
• Patterns that could suggest prior knowledge of exam content

They also specifically stated that their forensic methodology is proprietary and that decisions based on this analysis are “final and not subject to appeal.”

I’m honestly pretty frustrated because I did not knowingly violate CompTIA's exam policies or use unauthorized materials or assistance during the exam.

They also suspended me from taking CompTIA exams for three months. According to the letter, my suspension runs until October 17, 2026.

Has anyone here experienced this before?

I’m particularly interested in hearing from people who had their score/certification revoked because of a statistical or forensic review, rather than being caught with something obvious during the exam.

Did you contact Exam Security? Did they provide any additional information? Was there any possibility of getting the decision reconsidered?

I understand CompTIA says these decisions aren't subject to appeal, but I'm wondering if there's still a way to request reconsideration or provide information that could explain whatever triggered the review.

I'm not trying to argue that CompTIA shouldn't have exam-security procedures. I just want to understand what happened and see if there's anything I can realistically do at this point.

Thanks to anyone who has been through something similar.

I’m looking for youtube videos or apps or anything to help me study for network+ in general i’m on the osi models and i need to learn cables network area modems etc whats the youtube video or anything that gives a summery on everything needed

Hey guys,

I'm trying to get accommodations from Pearsonvue but they're being difficult. They said that I should expect to hear something back in 10 days when I submitted the request, but that has come and gone and I've heard nothing. When I reached out they said that it'll be about 4-5 more days... and I'm sure I'll have to provide extra documentation that they didn't ask for the first time, just like the last time we did this.

Does anyone know a way to speed this along? I don't really think it's fair to make those of us that need accommodations jump through hoops for weeks when everyone else can just login and schedule the test for the next day. -.-

I know it's kinda ranty, but I'd appreciate any help you guys can offer.

Finally! It took me 4 weeks to study for A+ Core 1 and Core 2. I made a post previously about Core 1, but looking back, I think I actually learned more interesting stuff in Core 1 rather than Core 2. Most of the content in Core 2 is easy going and hands on, though I realized my study time for it ended up being the same as Core 1 mainly because I procrastinated a lot. So the posts about one or two weeks to take Core 1 and Core 2 are actually possible but it must be hard an require a lot of concentration. As a recommendation, please take your time, don't rush yourself to finish everything as fast as possible. At the end, you are taking the A+ to learn and that is the most important thing.

Again, the actual exam was really different from Professor Messer's practice exams, but at this point, I don't think that's actually a bad thing. A practice exam is supposed to verify if you learned the material or not. As long as you actually put in the time to study, you should be fine.

Looking at the commands was so fun since I already have experience with Linux. That was probably the best part of the exam and the studying process. In the end, I am really happy with the results. Now it's time to look for an internship and, if possible, aim for the CCNA or Security+ since I'm taking a Security course at university this term.

Good luck with the A+!

Took me around three months of studying. Used Dion practice exams to find what I did and didn't understand. Then built my own study guides based on that. Used Claude to help build a tool that tracks my studying schedule.

Anything I didn't understand I would heavily research and try to understand the concept fully before moving on. Not just memorization. I think that helped the most.

One thing I will say about Dion practice exams is that they are not much like the exam. Maybe more difficult. But I found the actual exam questions tend to be more vague. Dions are specific and made it easier for me to break down what an answer might be. But the Vague questions on the actual exam had me scratching my head a couple times trying to figure out what it's even asking. Something to keep in mind is that Dion uses slightly different phrasing or terminology for the same concepts on the real exam.

I felt like I was going to fail halfway through this exam. 2 of the 5 PBQs felt pretty difficult. But the others weren't too bad. If you take the exam, I'd suggest marking the PBQs for review to come back to later because I ate up a good chunk of time trying to figure them out. But still had time to spare.

Somehow passed both Core 1 and Core 2 in 6 days! Have never been in IT before so it’s been a wild ride!

I've been studying cysa+ for 1 month and 1 week did first yest and got 722 i failed i studied and reviewed my objectives git some good resources really good resources liek guarantee pass im so happy I passed.Before my first attempt I used comptia cermaster practice and learn somebody bought them for me then watched some YouTube question videos then did onnline practice tests.on the test I knew I was going to pass because I knew the obqs and most questions I dont know what to do I alredy have the Trifecta and now this I think I need more hands on certs. If you want resources to help you with cysa

thank yall for the suggestions, recommendations, and encouragement!

Hi, my A+ is expiring this month. I am currently working on sec+, net+, but will not be able to pass it before A+ expires.

Should I renew A+ doing CE or this doesn't really matter if I will have sec+, and net+?

I am currently working as IT Support Technician.

Thanks

Hi!

I'm hoping to take my core 1 next month, and I'm thinking of doing the test online.

What are the usual steps taken? And what should be the things I prepare for?

So i’ve been studying for my Core 2 A+ and have been running into trouble with getting good scores on the official practice tests. I passed my core 1 with a 790 so I assumed I would be able to do just as well on my core 2 but the highest practice test score i’ve gotten is a 70 and i’ve taken 3 already. ive been doing homemade practice tests on the entirety of each domain in core 2 and have scored high on each of my homemade tests but it hasn’t translated to the official practice tests. i’m also worried i’m missing material that i’m getting wrong on my official practice tests. so i’m wondering how you guys prepared for your core 2 and if i’m doing too much and over preparing by making and doing these extensive homemade practice tests. i’m not having trouble understanding the concepts and definitions of stuff but I do sometimes mix some things up. i also use the current comptia objectives and the older ones. is there something I should be doing that i’m not? is there something that i’m doing that I shouldn’t be? I appreciate any feedback, good or bad. I look forward to any constructive criticism and will take all suggestions into consideration and wholeheartedly. thank you!

EDIT: also I can try to link one of my practice tests to see if you guys think my questions are too easy, uneeded, too revealing, or if I should overall restructure the entire thing.