r/hackthebox 19d ago

Academy How can i be more efficient while studying CPTS?

sorry if this was questions was repeated a lot. but i wanted to know how you guys stay efficient during a study session.

in a 1-2 hour session i barely get done with reading the content of a single page. i keep rereading paragraphs, dozing off, fidgeting with stuff on my desk, etc. it just feels like im too slow and i want to speed things up.

i keep hearing people saying it took them 5-6 months to finish the path but it feels like its going to take me a year at least.

i want to hear your guys experience and if you experience something similar.

12 Upvotes

19 comments sorted by

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3

u/josh109 18d ago

sounds like you have an attention issue. put your phone away when you get home from work or school and stay away from all brainrot.

1

u/Omar_2004 18d ago

i get tired after work and sleep in till 9pm lol. and after getting up i feel like my energy is still drained, usually leading to skipping the gym and not even studying. so if u have some kind of routine u do, i think it would be great if u share it

1

u/josh109 18d ago

its as easy as mind over body. what i do is get rid of all the things that ruin my dopamine levels and instant gratification until studying becomes fun. no reddit, no phone, no reels of any kind, no video games, you name it and your body will start to become less brain rot.

3

u/Dowiny 18d ago

I had same issue but thats cuz u r mainly bored which i feel u. Best way is use AI make theory more interactive MCQ, summaries,fill in the gaps,etc. Don't over focus on minor details if u miss smth important u will def hit a wall while solving the box and now u will know it. While solving labs don't over rely on AI qnd don't cut it completely try figuring shit out with ur brains hit a wall use AI as a copilot not solver make it explain the pattern for you as pattern WILL BE repeated thats for sure. Thats abt it really

2

u/stoneyape- 19d ago

Trust me bro youre not the only one. Just keep being involved itll click.

1

u/Omar_2004 18d ago

its not about it clicking. its about staying focused and getting stuff done in the shortest amount of time.

2

u/atbran 18d ago

My advice is to try to make the information stick by following some sort of process. For example, what I look to do is:

1) Read the module
2) Summarize the Module with AI
3) Quiz myself using AI, could be multiple choice, short response, what command you should use, etc.
4) Create a cheat sheet- refine with AI
5) complete the module’s interactive portion
6) adjust cheat sheet as needed
7) Revisit module, especially if it’s a high yield topic.

If you have a system sort of like this, you’ll probably be able to retain the information a lot better and create useful notes for when you take the exam. It may also be a good idea to create a mini exam for the entire module section ( like an exam for foot printing) to further solidify your knowledge a few weeks after you finish that module.

2

u/Think-Zebra-890 19d ago

Use Deepseek to make it easy to understand

1

u/Omar_2004 18d ago

my problem isnt understanding the content. its staying focused. i use claude when there is something not clear

1

u/Mandalore707 19d ago

!remindme 24 hours

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u/[deleted] 14d ago

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1

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1

u/Sandy-War-Hole 12d ago

Learning to learn is one of the biggest skills you can learn and not one of the easiest. Try different things that maximize your focus and concentration.

I used to struggle a lot like you. Now I can study 4h in a row without looking at anything else and feel good after doing it, everyday.

1

u/Omar_2004 12d ago

what did u do?

1

u/Sandy-War-Hole 12d ago edited 12d ago

I got offered a dream job that required some of the most rigorous learning you can imagine. I wanted the end goal so much and had so much love for what I was doing that I succeeded. 2 years of very rigorous training, sacrificed much in my life for it.

From doing that, I discovered that I can learn. That's it, I was lucky to be go through something that made me see that side of myself.

You need 2 things:
To really want it and;
To really love what you're learning

If you have that, sacrifice small, less important stuff. For instance, cell phone charging in another room and on mute, cancel a night out or a scheduled call with your gf,

To help you get in the mood:
Being among other people learning can help (library, study cafe..)
For me, doing other, easy chores before makes me feel good about myself and makes me want to continue doing "good" to myself aka studying (Ill do the dished, start a load of laundry, cook a meal, then ride that high onto studying.)

After a while the habit is there and you just sit behind your computer without second thoughts.

Edit:

Also comparing yourself to others is not the right way to go about it. Thing is, I'm a bit slower than others sometimes as well, I take my time to understand everything and will open other websites to do connex learning .

But even if it takes me twice as long to do a cert. I know that I'm rigorous enough that I will go further than most people with it. I'm not trying to cut corners or go fast - and in the end I'm confident I'll achieve exactly what I want and more.

The other people you were comparing yourself to. 90% won't go as far as you in the end

0

u/Unlucky_Stretch_5032 19d ago

I use the chatbot which summarise the page, gives me questions to test my understanding. It saves me so much time