Yes! I passed the CompTIA Security+ SY0-501 exam!
Passing this exam was something I had on my list of things to do in 2020 and as usual, I waited until the final month of 2020 to mark it off my list. But it’s off my list and that’s the most important thing, at least for me. While I do have some experience in IT, I’m really glad I decided to go after this certification. I will not get into the degree versus certification discussion as I think everyone has their own opinion and we’ll leave it at that. One thing I am a firm believer in, is the ability to take whatever path you choose but make sure you can understand the basics before attempting higher level knowledge. You don’t have to go after things like CCIE or OSCP starting out but having basic networking and security knowledge is a great help when it comes to troubleshooting and making decisions around configuring systems or architectural designs.
My reasoning for taking the Security+ exam was to ensure that I do have a solid foundation of security concepts but also I plan to move into the Information/Cyber Security job space permanently (hopefully in 2021). Having the Security+ certification also helps if you are planning to work in the government sector as they follow DoD Directive 8570 so make sure to check that out if you are looking to move toward that space.
Since the exam doesn’t expire until July 2021 and there aren’t as many resources available for the new SY0-601 exam, I opted for the SY0-501. I also wanted to achieve the certification before 2021, so I gave myself about 30 days to study which is fairly aggressive but I did not feel like I needed to study every subject area thoroughly as I did with Cryptography. I also followed my usual study method of watching videos, reading the book, and taking practice tests. Doing those three things has always helped me when studying for a certification. I’ll go through each and give a review on the tools I used so hope this is helpful.
Books
I always use books as my main source of study aid when I’m looking to chase a certification or learn a new thing. For the Security+, I used the CompTIA Security+ Get Certified Get Ahead by Darril Gibson. Books tend to have so much more information and detail that really helps drive home some concepts that might be tough to consume. This book, in particular, has a pre-assessment test in the beginning and practice questions after each chapter. By purchasing the book, I believe there are some other study tools that come with it but I didn’t use them. For the book itself, this one was really good and easy to understand. The book isn’t too expensive but if you’re into reading on a Kindle, there is a Kindle version for $10.
Videos
Videos are really nice to give an overview on a topic but it’s not going to give you the detail and understanding you need in 10 5-minute videos. However, it does partner well with a book and that’s how I tend to use them. I usually watch the videos first, then read the corresponding section to really drive it home. I opted to use Mike Meyers videos on Udemy which were really good and he’s a bit animated so that helps keep my attention as you know, sitting and watching an hour’s worth of videos on security foundations might not be the most interesting thing to do. Since I had a shortened timeline for this certification, I only focused on certain videos and topics such as Cryptography or Wireless since I felt those were really important to understand the detail.
Practice Tests
In my opinion, practice tests are a must and vital to getting in that testing mindset. For this, Udemy had 3 practice tests by Mike Meyers. I took all three during the last week leading up until the test but I did take them multiple times so I really could understand why I wasn’t answering some correctly. One method I have always used with these tests, is to make sure you can explain or understand why a provided option of a multiple-choice question is the wrong answer more so than finding the right answer. If you can do this fairly well, you should have a better chance on questions you might not know the answer to on the actual exam. These practice tests on Udemy actually grades the test and provides the answers. You can filter by ones that you answered incorrectly, correctly, or just by all the questions. They do provide a bit of detail for each option on a question and why they are correct/incorrect. So this does help you study and see where you need more work.
Additional Online Material
Some additional online material that helped me came from Professor Messer. He has a few various tools that are really beneficial and most importantly, they are FREE! I’ve listed these below but in short, he has a monthly study group where he goes over practice questions, posts sample questions on his Instagram page, and offers some sample questions on his website. I used these as fillers when I didn’t feel like reading or watching a video. The study group on YouTube is something you can just listen while you do other things. I really enjoyed them.
I’m sure this is a lot of information and a lengthy post but my hope is that someone finds this helpful as they try to study for the Security+. One thing to remember though…there is no one right way to do it and you should always understand that sometimes the most direct path isn’t the most rewarding one.
Thank you for reading and Good Luck!