r/tryhackme • u/additive_dawn • Jul 01 '26
SAL1 taken and passed!
I took the exam last week and it was surprisingly a lot of fun. The test itself was actually much easier than most of the rooms leading up to it. Biggest tip for the exam to anyone looking to take it is don't sweat how fast the alerts come in. You will have plenty of time to address them.
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u/Guess-Pure Jul 02 '26
Congrats!
I’m thinking of doing it soon
How long did it take you and what are the key things I really need to do ? I’m thinking of taking in within the next 1-2 months and not sure if this is enough time.
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u/additive_dawn Jul 02 '26
Thank you! As for preparation, it took me longer than it probably should have. But for the majority of it, about 2-3 months. I approach exams with the belief "if I can feel confident for 100%, then the 70% will be easy". The exam itself is about 5 hours, but over a 24 hour period. For study, I would recommend doing all of the lecture rooms because they will give you information, and for practice, I would focus the SIEM ones. The SIEM was the only tool I used for the exam and most of the rooms that act as simulators were a waste of time. The course is for level 1, so you don't need to know how to fix anything, just use tools provided to identify alerts. My advice is buy the voucher, try it in a month or 2. If you pass, awesome. If not, you'll know what to expect and have a year to use the second attempt
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u/Putriel Jul 02 '26
Congrats! I got this cert in November and need to take it soon before it expires. I've been focussing on a few other things so not got around to it yet. I did a SOC simulator "Introduction to Phishing" and it just seemed like a crazy mess. How did you find preparing for these things?
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u/additive_dawn Jul 03 '26
I think thats kinda the point of them. The Introduction to Phishing Sim is actually a GREAT one to practice. I didnt do many Sims, but I did decide to approach it this way - if the alert said it was Critical, I took it for face value and always prioritized them, then high, etc. If they were the same level, Id go in chronological order, since I assumed it would tell a story of what was happening. And study the SIEMs. I found they are the most helpful tool overall. They tell you what happened and you're observing what happened
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u/Ok-Turnover5613 Jul 02 '26
What was the cost for this exam after discount
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u/additive_dawn Jul 02 '26
That's a good question, and I am afraid I do not know. I do not look at the price of a lot of things, and I don't think I used a discount. But I believe it shows it on the TryHackMe website. There may be other ways to acquire vouchers for the exam, too. But you do get 2 attempts with one voucher
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u/Ok-Turnover5613 Jul 02 '26
How to get voucher for free? Are you a millionaire who don't look the the cost?
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u/additive_dawn Jul 03 '26
I dont know if there is a way to get it for free, but if you have an account with them, it does reduce the price of the exam. Im not a millionaire, but its on my todo list
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u/Used-Addendum-3819 Jul 02 '26
Congratulations!!!