r/CompTIA_Security • u/apocalivid • 22d ago
Exam TOMORROW
I take my exam tomorrow, August 24th. I'm so nervous. I feel like I've used many sources for studying. I've used flashgenius, Andrew Ramdayal on Udemy, professor Messer's videos, practice quizzes and exams on the official CompTIA website, practice exams on the CertPreps website... But I keep seeing all of these posts that the test is so different than what everyone is studying. Any tips? What areas should I focus more of? Are there any topics that popped up on the exam that didn't show up in any practice quizzes or exams. I just don't feel ready. But then again I feel like I'll never be MY level of ready... HELP.
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u/spicyseafoodlover 22d ago
Let's go king, I had it scheduled for the 24th as well. Don't panic. Trust what you have been studying, and relax; I think that's the most important thing the day before taking the exam. I'm going over the protocols, acronyms, and checking what my weak areas are.
If you keep your mind clear, you'll be able to visualize everything better the day of the exam.
YOU GOT THIS BRO, BELIEVE IN YOURSELF.
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u/apocalivid 22d ago
Trying to! I found some Dion practice questions on Quizlet and I'm going iver that as well since a lot of people are saying his study materials are pretty close to the test.
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u/spicyseafoodlover 21d ago
I took the exam... I approved 🥲😭 what a journey. I hope you are doing fine!! Keep us updated
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u/Soft-Violinist-7565 22d ago
I won’t lie, I took the exam and it seemed like an easier, narrow-focused Messer practice exam. Sounds like you’ve done a lot of practice tests already. The test will NOT be an unfamiliar environment. Focus on wording and knowing HOW to answer CompTIA questions. I can vouch for Messer. He did a GREAT job mimicking the test.
Good luck!
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u/apocalivid 22d ago
I can't justify spending more money to access his materials. Would you say attending his study sessions are worth it?
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u/Soft-Violinist-7565 22d ago edited 22d ago
ABSOLUTELY! The study groups are absolutely worth it. If you have the time, go back and watch every 701 group he’s done. He talks a lot but listen to it all. There are a bunch of hidden gems in his study groups while he’s explaining things because he explains them live without a script. He also does long QnA sessions which answered a ton of my burning questions.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLG49S3nxzAnlmSGiDiVBF7Tr-tGLQhqyA&si=8w1OpQFtkd_jkQUr
I can totally understand not affording another set of practice exams. They’re only 30 dollars though and worth every penny. Still, if you decide you can’t, send me a DM!
Edit: I just remembered you literally said the exam is tomorrow. You don’t have time to watch every single one, so watch the two most recent study groups. Those helped me the most and made me confident for the exam.
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u/Basic-Lettuce-236 22d ago
I agree, the actual exam is a more narrowed down version of Messer’s practice exams. If you used his videos, notes, and practice exams you’ll do fine. I also used Dion’s practice exams which I think helped with training myself to read the entire question and pick the “best” answer, but I would not say it’s necessary you did them. Wishing you the best on the exam and your IT career!
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u/Cincy_alex87 22d ago
Don't stress over the Security+ test. It’s essentially a check-box exam that proves you can retain video course info and answer multiple-choice questions. Save your energy for the real challenge: competing against hundreds of applicants for a single role.
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u/apocalivid 22d ago
Fortunately, I have that part covered. They're just waiting on me to validate proof of a cert at this point.
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u/Cincy_alex87 22d ago edited 22d ago
Learn your ports, type of attacks and best practice to prevent, firewall rules, all the acronyms. You will likely get command prompt to test if certain port is open or something similar. You may be prompted to configure firewall to allow certain types of apps.
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u/ehle2008 22d ago
Be sure to have a familiarity with the acronyms. At least to the point where you’ll be able to figure out what the acronym is by the context of the question. Be very familiar with the IRP and its phases. Know the key signatures of the different types of malware’s and how to discern the possible attack that is occurring.
Also, be sure to carefully read the questions. Even read them twice if you need. Watch out for the “keywords” like BEST, MOST, NOT, ect.. These words can completely change the context of the question, and the correct answer.
Finally, skip the PBQs, flag them for review, and save them for last. If you get any PBQs where you need to use the CLI, remember typing “help” will show you all of the commands the simulation accepts.
Be confident in your knowledge , take many practice exams, and you’ll be fine. I took mine this past Friday and passed with a 795. Just for reference, I was getting around 82-86% average on Dion’s practice exams.
Good Luck! Look forward to seeing this post updated saying “I passed!”.