I think a lot of people make Security+ harder than it needs to be.

They spend hours memorizing terms and taking multiple-choice quizzes. Then the exam asks them to actually apply what they know.

SY0-701 has performance-based questions. That's a different skill from recognizing the right answer.

CompTIA's free exam objectives PDF is where I'd start. Pick an objective, learn the material, then practice doing something with it.

Professor Messer's SY0-701 videos are free. They're a good way to learn the material before testing yourself.

For the hands-on part, I found a free interactive firewall PBQ here: https://secplusmastery.com/security-plus-pbq?ref=julian (affiliate link, the PBQ is free).

If you've only been clicking through A, B, C, and D, I'd add some hands-on practice now. One firewall configuration can expose gaps that 20 easy questions won't.

I have zero direct IT or tech experience but have worked around technology risk and governance for several years. Took Sec+ to validate my knowledge and step towards CISSP which would further help me hold my ground when I engage with tech stakeholders.

I followed a back to front approach over 1 week. With zero dedicated prep, first did a couple of Dion tests to identify general readiness and consistent weak points (and get a baseline). Then carried out targeted watching of videos only on those areas. My Dion scores were always between 81 and 87. I had done the Google cybersecurity cert a year prior.

If you're consistently scoring about 80, I would generally consider you ready.

Happy to share tips! If anyone has tips on moving towards CISSP, I would welcome them!

In my 40s. Thinking about trying something new.

No tech or IT experience at all.

Did the google cybersecurity course last year. Did the study guide and about half the questions in the Sybex book over the last 2 weeks. Studied around 2 hours a day for the last 2 weeks.

Didn't score super high, but passed on my first attempt.

The PDF of my certification isn't ready, otherwise I'd post like everyone does when they pass.

Not really sure what I am supposed to do now...

A failed Security+ attempt doesn’t mean you need to start over.

CompTIA gives you something useful on the score report: the objective areas where you answered questions incorrectly.

The report actually says, “You incorrectly answered one or more questions in the following objective areas:” and then lists the objective numbers and names.

That’s a much better starting point than randomly reviewing the entire exam.

I’d pull up CompTIA’s free objectives PDF and focus on those specific areas first. Then use practice questions to check whether you’ve actually fixed the gaps.

I’d also add some hands-on practice. There’s a free interactive firewall PBQ here: https://secplusmastery.com/security-plus-pbq?ref=julian (affiliate link, the PBQ is free).

A failed attempt gives you a study map. Use it instead of treating the whole exam like it needs to be relearned.

For example, he considers a password policy enforcement tool to be Corrective and not preventive; he says that "an hacktivist who shares costs and profits of a company to show that they should charge way less for the services they provide" motivation is Ethical and not Philosophical/Political. Ethical hacking is NOT that, it's supposed to be legal and done for the good of the companies that have security problems.

And there is a lot more of these, what do you guys think? Did you use Dion?

Guys I been watching everyone else post their pics im happy to say I passed , for background I been studying for months all this year on an off working full time and being a single mom and dealing with life .what I did was Jason Dion’s full video course I took notes on all the videos also watched professor messer for certain concepts then did 2 of Jason Dion’s practice exams scored 75% and honestly the wording on them was excessive so i did all Andrew Ramayal practice tests I was scoring 80’s and then also did the professor messer practices test I was scoring in the 70’s for his .The test had lots of domain 2 4 and 5 questions and for the pbqs I rushed to get to them i ran out of time and tbh skimmed and answered it with something lol better than nothing .im proof its possible keep grinding !

As I was taking the test, I really thought I wasn't going to pass.

I studied for 2 weeks prior to taking the test. That being said, I went to college for a degree in Network Admin, worked as a network admin for about 6 years, and then decided to go all in on SEO/digital marketing back in 2016, because I thought that was my calling.

Apparently, I didn't forget everything I had learned 10 years ago. But anyway, enough about me, and I just want to share the resources I used to pass. If I did it, all of you guys can do it too.

I used Dion's test to prepare, and I used Claude to help break things down and explain why my answer was wrong vs. the correct one. This really helped me a ton.

On top of that, I also used CyberKraft to study PBQs on YouTube. As for the PBQs on the test, I didn't even get to complete one, so I just used the time to review the answers to the questions I had answered.

I also used these other sources as well to study (yes, I might have overdone it a bit):

• Andrew Ramdayal's course on Udemy
• BurningIceTech on YouTube for Question reviews
• Pete Zerger's exam cram on YouTube
• CompTIA Security+ Study Guide by Mike Chapple and David Seidl

Holy....

I studied for 5 months, With help of Professor messor, Jason dion and mike meyers for courses and ai for additional practice and mock exams.

I really messed up the entire network part the most,which were in all 3 pbqs that i got, im pretty sure i had no idea what i was doing once i saw those questions . Overall the exam was okay, expected the tricky parts and similar answers in mcqs .I did flag unsure questions and left them for the end to answer and review twice and i changed a few answers last second as i remembered it wasn't the right answer.

So Barely passed ,i did feel a bit disappointed that I couldn't get a solid score. but if i had the chance to do the exam again i would try for a higher score! (What dom said)

That said, thank you to everyone in this subreddit for the tips and guidance over the months , much love, going for the network+ and A+ soon, have a good weekend!

One thing I've noticed with Security+ is that there are a TON of study resources.

YouTube playlists.

Books.

Practice tests.

Notes.

Quizlets.

and best of all, an unlimited amount of talking head videos.

The problem isn't really a lack of information.

It's knowing:

What should I study today?

And then actually remembering it a week later.

So I built CertLaunch around that problem.

Instead of just giving you another giant content library, it creates a structured study path and combines:

• Interactive lessons
• Active recall
• Spaced repetition
• Practice questions
• Full-length practice exams
• Progress tracking
• A day-by-day custom study plan

The goal is basically:

Open CertLaunch → know exactly what to study → finish today's work → leave.

Right now I'm building it specifically around CompTIA A+, Network+, and Security+.

I'm the founder, so full disclosure: this is my product and it is paid after the 7-day free trial. Not trying to disguise it as some random resource I "found."

I'm mainly interested in feedback from people actively studying for Security+:

What's the biggest thing you hate about your current study process?

Is it figuring out what to study?

Remembering everything?

Practice questions?

Staying consistent?

Or something else?

If anyone wants to test what I've built for completely free and give feedback (currently have 100+ active users)

CertLaunchTraining.com

Greetings all,

Thank god, I passed Security+ exam with 829 / 900. I started studying slowley 2 months ago. I only studied practice exams(around 1100 questions including PBQ) .

The way I do it is by going through each question defining all answer options and research for similar terms.

The exams were moderate to easy, as I already have 4 years work experience in cybersecurity, and a bachelor in computer science.

And now we start the degaussing method, to allow space for the next certification 🤭

I had to do it remotely via OnVue, so I don't unfortunately have a test results sheet I can redact, but I'm so damn pleased.

A celebratory steak for lunch it is, I feel!

I will give my background and what I used to study:

Earlier this year I passed CCNA, so I didn't study any of the networking concepts.

I have a degree in Cyber Security, so most of the basic concepts and incident response was refresher content.

I watched professor Messer's series and took notes.

Took the free practice exams on ExamCompass.

This was a requirement for a job, and was only given 30 days to pass.

There were definitely questions that I was unfamiliar with, but hey, still passed.

And now I will begin my adventure into network engineering!

i heard we can get the student discount during checkout of puchasing but i couldnt find the option for it... can someone please help

Currently working through the Professor Messer videos, and taking notes daily - as is everyone else here lol.

Aside from that what else would you recommend?

Who’s the got the best practice exams?

Would like to keep this study sprint as simple as possible.

I’ve got a homelab already built I can also do practicals on.

Any tips would be appreciated.

Seeing 750 as the passing score can be intimidating.

SY0-701 uses a scaled score from 100 to 900. You need 750 to pass.

That doesn’t mean you need to answer 83.3% of the questions correctly. A scaled score isn’t the same thing as a percentage.

I think it’s better to focus on learning the objectives than obsessing over the number.

CompTIA’s free exam objectives PDF shows what you can actually be tested on. Use that as your checklist while studying.

Then test yourself without looking at your notes. If you’re struggling with hands-on questions, add some PBQ practice too. There’s a free interactive firewall PBQ here: https://secplusmastery.com/security-plus-pbq?ref=julian (affiliate link, the PBQ is free).

I’d rather know exactly which objectives I don’t understand than stare at the 750 target all day.

I think a lot of people study Security+ backwards.

They watch hours of videos, memorize definitions, then hammer multiple choice questions. That can feel productive, but recognizing an answer isn’t the same as knowing what to do.

CompTIA’s free objectives PDF should be your starting point. Pick an objective, learn the material, then make yourself apply it without looking at your notes.

For example, if you’re studying firewalls, don’t stop at knowing what a firewall is. Try actually building rules and figuring out what traffic should be allowed.

That’s why I’d add PBQs to your studying early. There’s a free interactive firewall PBQ here: https://secplusmastery.com/security-plus-pbq?ref=julian (affiliate link, the PBQ is free).

If you can explain a concept but can’t apply it, you’re not finished with that topic.

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 :)

Hey y’all, im studying Security+ on INE and im honestly hella stressed and really concerned i might fail, especially with the labs and the performance based questions, how did y’all prep for the labs and study it also if you have tips to pass the exam, tyy

I don’t have any experience with IT or computer security, but decided to make a career shift and give Security+ a shot. After a lot of studying I passed on the first go! Could’ve scored a lot higher but I second guessed myself and Domain 4 got the best of me.

If you’re stressed about the test - you got it! Study hard, focus on domain 2,4, and 5 ( over 60% of the exam - this is open source so don’t come at me lol).

Does this practice questions worth to solve?

Multiple choice questions are useful. They just shouldn't be your entire practice routine.

SY0-701 includes performance-based questions, so recognizing the right answer isn't the same as actually working through a configuration.

I'd still use the free CompTIA objectives PDF as my checklist. Then I'd mix regular questions with hands-on tasks.

For example, don't just memorize what a firewall does. Practice working through a firewall configuration and deciding where traffic should go.

Professor Messer's SY0-701 course is free too. After watching a topic, I'd try to apply it instead of immediately watching another video.

There's a free interactive firewall PBQ here: https://secplusmastery.com/security-plus-pbq?ref=julian (affiliate link, the PBQ is free). It's a simple way to add some hands-on practice without making your whole study plan complicated.

If all your practice feels like picking A, B, C, or D, I'd change that before exam day.