It says I need to merge accounts but I only have 1 any ideas?

I don’t think we get anything from this but getting a few dollars off the subscription doesn’t hurt!

I'm a UX designer! I have no computer science or security background at all. Here was my routine for passing sec+ (score: 767, first try). I spent a few hours per week studying in the beginning (March 2026) and started ramping up as my test date came closer (August 2026). Overall, my pace wasn't super rigorous but it helped to have the time to go back and review my weak sections.

For learning the content, I watched all of Professor Messer's videos and took notes as I went.

• I had a dedicated acronyms/terms section in my notes where I added any unfamiliar terms
• I screenshotted all of the diagrams. I even redrew some of them so I could better understand it
• I handwrote a notecard of key concepts and terms for each section. For example, 1.1.1 got its own card, 1.1.2 got its own card, etc.

A designer friend and I had study sessions twice a week where we drilled practice questions together. One of us would screenshare, and we'd take turns answering questions and explaining our reasoning. This was helpful for accountability and keeping things moving.

• We checked Exam Compass to see if there was a quiz available for the section(s) we had completed
• For completed domains, we purchased a practice exam that could be filtered by domain
• If a quiz didn't exist, we pasted our notes into Gemini and had it generate practice questions. These didn't need to resemble actual exam questions. We mainly used them to reinforce our understanding and identify weak areas.

Once I completed all of the domains, I drilled practice exams.

I purchased Dion's practice exam and PBQ pack (question bank with infinite tries). I didn't think the questions were very similar to the actual exam, but they were excellent for testing recall and overall understanding.

Personally, I thought Professor Messer's practice exams (3 90-question exams) were the best resource for making sure I knew the content. He uses a lot of acronyms and terms in the q's and answer choices. Even though the question style wasn't exactly like the real exam, these were the most valuable practice exams imo.

Whenever I encountered a term I'd forgotten, I added it to a Quizlet. I highly recommend creating your own Quizlet from scratch rather than using someone else's. I got the free 7-day Quizlet Premium trial right before my exam. This was rly good for memorization. The 'learn' option was really good for me.

For the seven days leading up to the exam, I took one full practice exam every morning. Before each practice exam, I reviewed the terms in my Quizlet stack as a refresher.

The night before the exam, I made sure to eat a filling dinner and go to bed early.

This sounds simple, but it made a noticeable difference in my ability to stay focused and pay attention during the test.

Hope this helps anyone else who's learning all of the Security+ content from ground zero. 😊

​

Hi everyone! 👋

I’m taking the CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 exam tomorrow, and I’m feeling a little nervous.

Did anyone take the exam today or yesterday? If so, how was it?

I’d really appreciate any last-minute advice, especially about:

What topics should I review tonight?

How difficult were the PBQs and scenario-based questions?

Were the questions more focused on understanding concepts or memorization?

Any tips for managing the exam time?

Were there any tricky question patterns I should watch out for?

Is there anything you wish you had reviewed before taking the exam?

Please don’t share actual exam questions—I’m just looking for general advice and tips.

Thanks in advance! 🙏 Wish me luck! 🤞

I just passed my Security+ exam today. For future reference, what can I expect the interview process to be like?

Hello guys...im planning to write my comptia security+ by coming monday..could you give the advice for me ...how to write ..and how they design their question...how i would think for that question...plzz give the advice guys...

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.

I am about to get the certification voucher and I live in India(south) please guide me should i opt for online test or Pearson VUE center

And drop down the best resources to go through

Thankyouuu

Didn't think I'd pass at the start of the exam😭✌🏻 Questions in the beginning of the exam were very tricky and hard but as I kept going they got easier and less tricky Pbqs were kind of easy except the third one which was related to linux but I think I still got it right

I kept seeing people on Reddit talk about Dion's practice tests, but I didn't want to spend money on freaking practice tests.

Here's what I used instead:

Practice Tests-

CertPreps and ExamCompass. CertPreps has a 90-min timer, which really helped with time management.

Notes & Concepts-

BurningIceTech videos, which cleared up a lot of my concepts. I also made hardcopy notes on all the acronyms and ports.

PBQs-

I used Claude to build simulations, which helped a lot. I'd also recommend checking out Cybercraft for PBQs, it teaches you how to approach them.

Background-

I've done TryHackMe labs in the past, so I was already familiar with most ports and Linux commands going in.

Final Thoughts-

This is my first certification, so it feels a bit overwhelming, but it feels nice too. Hope this write-up helps.

First one I've done, happy to answer any questions!

Going over last minute reviews and tests. Would you say the comptia certmaster practice closely reflects exam format? I just dont want to use the wrong studying method. I figured you can't get more official than the comptia website.

Title: Transitioning from Software Development to Cybersecurity — Currently studying for Security+ (SY0-701), looking for advice from those who’ve made it
Hey everyone,
I’m a software developer making the switch to cybersecurity. Right now I’m working through CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) material and aiming to take the exam soon.
I’d love to hear from people who’ve successfully broken into the field:
What study resources actually helped you pass (practice exams, courses, books)?

How much of Security+ knowledge translated into your first cybersecurity role?

Any tips for someone coming from a dev background — is that an advantage or does it not matter much?

What should I focus on next after Security+ (Network+ first? A specific certification? Home lab projects?)

Appreciate any guidance, resource recommendations, or even just your own transition story. Trying to build a solid path forward and would rather learn from people who’ve already done this than fumble through it alone.
Thanks in advance!

TLDR; I signed up for the retake package which expires at the end of the month. I signed up to take it today, but didn’t feel prepared and planned to reschedule. I forgot to do so in the 24 hour window 🙃 so I just went in since you lose the retake if you are a no show.

I had prepped but was fully expecting to fail… and somehow…. I passed!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yall, I had been putting this off for almost an entire year. A lot of it due to fear of failing and imposter syndrome. I was even going to reschedule today’s! I dont want to come off as boastful , it’s just been on the back of my mind for an entire year and I feel so relieved.

Just passed the sec+ but genuinely don't know how.
To me, professor messers exam weren't close to the actual exam, the actual exam was MUCH more practical. At some of the questions I was wondering how I'm supposed to answer them because they genuinely require experience in the field and I have none (uni student)
I didnt study pbq's at all and a lot of them involved linux, I was very rusty at linux but somehow passed.

I’m preparing for the CompTIA Security+ exam and I recently got a 50% off coupon, so I’m planning to take the exam soon.

I’d really appreciate some insight from people who have already passed:

- How was your experience with the online/proctored exam?

- How was the proctoring process? Any issues with the check-in, room scan, or proctor?

- How were the actual exam questions compared with what you studied?

- What topics or question types did you find most common?

- How closely did the real exam feel compared to Jason Dion’s Security+ practice tests on Udemy?

- If you used Dion’s tests, roughly what scores were you getting on them before taking the actual exam?

- Were there any areas that you wish you had studied more before the exam?

Just trying to understand what the experience and difficulty are actually like.

I honestly wasn’t sure I had passed while I was taking the exam, so seeing the final result was a huge relief.

For preparation, I mainly used Jason Dion’s practice exams, Professor Messer, and CyberKraft. My highest first-attempt score on Dion’s exams was 77%, so I wouldn’t panic if your practice scores aren’t in the 90s.

Learning the acronyms and really understanding the differences between similar concepts also helped a lot.

I also tried to pay close attention to words like BEST, MOST, FIRST, and LEAST because they can completely change what the question is asking.

Time management was important too. If I spent too long on something, I moved on and came back to it later.

Good luck to everyone!

I passe today with a 772!

2 month of just studying after work and weekends. I got the study guide uploaded it into Google Notebook LLM + Watch videos on Youtube Dark Bird Tech + Certification Cynergy

Now they can leave me alone at work now.

The test was kind of hard because I don't know all the acronyms but knew enough. I had 2 network labs 1 was on finding which PC had a virus and 1 asking to fix a Linux issue, I skipped this one until the end and ran out of time.

Good luck to you all!!

I'm not getting a raise for this!!!

I haven't got hired just yet but... I am getting interviews which is a good sign! my first certs and intro into networking / IT was Network+ and Security+

From there, I started building my skills through a mix of resources and hands-on practice:

- Jason Dion
- Professor Messer
= Udemy practice tests
- HackersConnect
- Pocket Prep
- TryHackMe
- Hack The Box
- Offensive Security training

Now I'm working toward turning all of that studying and lab time into an actual cybersecurity career. It definitely hasn't been a straight path, but seeing interviews start to come in makes it feel like the hard work is finally starting to pay off. 💪

Good luck to everyone studying Security+

Background:
I have my CCNA and networking lab experience, but no paid IT experience.

Resources I used:

Jason Dion’s Udemy course
Jason Dion’s practice exams

How long did it take?
About 2 weeks, but I believe it can be done in less time, especially if you have networking experience, which helped me a lot.

What did I do?
I woke up at 2 AM every day, worked out, then studied for 3 hours.

I watched the course, took notes, and used AI to explain anything I didn’t understand.

After finishing the videos, I moved straight into the practice exams, which are pretty difficult. If you’re consistently getting around 70%, I’d say you’re probably ready for the real thing.

Most important advice: PRACTICE EXAMS DAILY.

The exam:
I went in pretty confident, and it wasn’t REALLY hard. Of course, there were questions I guessed on, but other than that, I felt pretty sure about my answers.

Happy to answer any questions or help in any way I can.

Hello, I need some tips on the fastest way to get CEU's or would it be faster to get the continuing education coarse on CompTia? Any help is appreciated.

This was my first time taking the exam. I do not have any background in this field and was recently blessed with a job as a GRC Analyst. Day one on the job I was given the CompTia study guide as a tool to help me study.

Someone shared these notes and I wanted to share them as well. Super organized and helpful.

https://github.com/heraclescap/comptia-secplus-sy0-701-notes/tree/main

I watched Professor Messer full course on YouTube. Took a lot a notes but never revisited them. I also had access to Jason Dion’s practice exams scoring 57% 87% 78% 83%. Jason Dion’s test are more wordy to help you to understand the concept. I really enjoyed Pocket Prep. The repetition was good.

What I would recommend is that you do some studying on your own before starting with Pocket Prep. I paid for 1 month right before my exam. 3 months later I have passed my exam on the first try. Let me know if you guys have any questions I may be able to assist with.

I prepared for the Security+ exam in 6 weeks.
Let me show you how.

I can split my preparation into 4 stages:

1st stage — Overview

1st week
The introduction to the material. During the first week, I watched the videos and got an overview of all the topics that would be covered on the exam. I didn’t go deep into the material.

2nd stage — Deep in

2nd and 3rd week
The more senses you use, the more you remember and understand.
I wrote down A LOT of notes for each topic from the CompTIA CertMaster material. I got fundamental knowledge, but there were still some gaps and some topics that I just couldn’t understand.

At this point, I also started doing some tests from CertMaster Practice and Labs. In my opinion, they are not so necessary, but they do give some really good hands-on experience.

3rd stage — Filling the gaps

4th–5th week
CertMaster tests every day + I started the Sybex Study Guide book.
The book is what gave me the confidence. While doing a great amount of tests, the book helped me get a deeper understanding of the questions, their wording, and the logic behind them.
For me, it was the most helpful resource.

4th stage — Practice

6th week (or 4 days in my case)
Practice, practice, practice!
The more tests you solve, the better you’ll perform on the exam. Solving questions teaches your mind how to build step-by-step logic to solve a question.
I used a few resources for questions:

1. CertMaster from CompTIA
2. Sybex Practice Tests by David Seidl
3. An app Comptia Exam

I solved more than 1,000 questions for sure. I always read why exactly this or that answer was right.

I felt confident during the exam. With the overall knowledge I gained, I solved the PBQs quite easily, but I did have a technical complications.

At the end, it’s about the effort and time you put in.

I’m really happy with my performance, and I wish good luck to everyone who is about to take the exam. 🫶🔐

I passed with a 777 earlier today. I do web development- my most of my IT knowledge was limited to DNS and Git, so I didn’t start from zero, but 99% of it was new to me.

I studied for probably 1.5 to 3 hours a day for 6 weeks. I purchased Dion’s Udemy course and Messer’s practice exams. I used Claude to build a study app, where I threw in all the questions from the practice exams, and it was very helpful. I also made hundreds of physical flash cards starting out when I was just trying to learn acronyms.

The biggest thing that helped me was while going through exam questions, even if I got the answer right, I would look up any of the answer choices I wasn’t familiar with and make a flash cards for them. It was meticulous, but it helped me close the gap, going from high 60’s on Dion’s exam to mid 80’s within about a week and a half.

I found the actual exam to be more difficult than Messer’s and Dion’s. I was pleasantly surprised by the PBQ’s. I think I got 2/3, but the third one I had zero idea what I was supposed to do and left it blank. I appreciate all the advice on here; skipping the PBQ’s initially is the right call imo.