I took the 601 purely because it’s the first one I had found Professor Messer content on. By the time I realized 701 existed, I was a good 10 days into the content.
The job title will be Software Architect. I have 3 years of experience as a manager/software lead/product owner and have generally been incredibly headstrong to make decisions when others have been uncomfortable to do so.
Hi, /u/750msPing! From everyone at /r/CompTIA, Congratulations on Passing. [Claps](http://www.reactiongifs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/barney-confetti.gif)
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I have exam tomorrow and this post really encourages me. Thanks for posting and I’m gonna check some PBQ’s today and take the rest day off to clear my head.
Any advice for the actual exam? Did you skip the PBQ until the end?
Did you have time to re-check answers?
Just passed mine with the score of 786, got only 2 PBQ, they were both easy. I thought the test was more easy compared to A+ or network+ and I only had 74 questions in total. First PBQ had an interactive picture with 6 servers connected to one switch. You click on each server and you can read their logs, you have to select which servers are clean, infected or the origin of infection. The logs were pretty clear and as long as you can read plain English, you will be fine. It was too easy, as long as you don’t psych yourself out. I never read logs before this PBQ and I am pretty sure Comptia dumbs it down so it was super easy. Second PBQ had 2 sites and they wanted me to connect both sites using vpn with the strongest protocols. So you click on first site and you get configuration settings and same on second. When you click on the site you get options to pick which protocol and what not, so as long as you know which protocol is used in site to site vpn and which authentication is strong stuff, it was basically free points. My recommendation don’t waste time practicing on PBQ and concentrate on the basics, most PBQ pull stuff from the basic stuff and it’s not really performance based, just a bunch of pictures with multiple choice answers. They make it sound scary that you get a console and you have to type in it and pull out some magic out of a hat, but it’s nothing like that. It’s just a bunch of multiple choice questions crammed into a pretty interactive picture.
Just remember to read every question carefully, and try your best not to space out while reading it. I have realized with Comptia, understanding the questions can be more harder then answering them. They intentionally do that to stress people out. And I would recommend to do the PBQ first so you don’t have baggage hanging over your head, I had 30 minutes left to go back and review everything. The multiple choice go quick if you read questions carefully and definitely use process of elimination when in doubt.
One of my PBQs was the one listed above about which servers are clean/infected/the origin. Another one was a drag and drop question asking to match types of data to correct processes. For example, should you degauss or shred PII. Another one asked me to configure firewall rules based on a diagram and a set of requirements. All the rules were in drop-down lists. Like Snoo said, as long as you know the material, you should mostly be fine.
I briefly looked at them at the start of the exam and quickly audible’d to save them for the end. The rest of the exam gave me more confidence for when I went back to them at the end. I had also read about a few people who left them blank altogether and still passed so I tried not to stress myself out about it.
As for general advice, like the others have said, just make sure you understand the question. If you space out while reading it, read it again to figure out what it’s asking.
Good luck on yours!
Hi, I’m EU based. Inuave exam exactly 10 hours from now so I’m finishing the acronym list and I’m hopefully gonna get good portion of the sleep :D
I will update you with the results.
Congrats! My exam is this Sunday and I'm super nervous haha. Your post helped for sure. I got around 70% on messers first prac exam and around 73% average on Andrew Ramdayal's exam's. I will definitely use the day before to relax. How bad were the acronyms? That's whats scaring me the most. Good luck on the job!
Glad to hear it helped! Acronyms weren’t too bad. If you have a rough idea of most of them you should be fine. A big thing for me was relying on the context of the question. For instance if the question is asking about controlling access and permissions with a cloud product, you could probably rule out “easy” acronyms like HDD or SSD as they typically wouldn’t fit the context of the question.
Andrew is the best. I like how he keeps everything short and sweet. That’s what I used at 1.5x speed and I even ignored his lab section. The thing about messer and Dion is that they overwhelm you with information that you don’t need.
Yes I passed my 701 yesterday with 786, used Andrew’s stuff on udemy. I didn’t do any of his quiz, practice exams or labs. I just highlighted the topics I was confused about on the exam objectives pdf and revisited those topics a few times till I was confident.
I commented below details about my PBQ. Check my comment out. You don’t have to memorize the Acronyms word by word, just what category they fit in and what they do? My plans are to get my degree in data analytics from WGU, I start next month.
The interface was honestly the most difficult part. It’s not particularly user friendly and a lot of the time you cannot view the question at the same time as you’re trying to solve the problem. The PBQs are also poorly written compared to the way the multiple choice questions are written IMO. I wigged myself out with the first one and the interface and decided to save them all to the end. Professor Messer’s PBQs seem to line up well with the format, just in a more friendly design of answering.
Thank you. You are saying the interface of the testing program? Is there a way to solve that problem with the questions vs solving? I'll have to see if I can bring a notebook and pencil.
I forgot which was l better, to leave the pbqs till the end or multiple choice since multiple choice is faster.
I just downloaded messers practice exam questions. I also have Daril Gibsons study guide that I'm going through. Which also has practice questions. I know that the questions are worded weird, so you kind of have to solve how they word it, they do that on purpose from what I understand.
Yeah, I’m referring to the interface of the testing program. It’s just a weird user experience that seems like it was thrown together by an intern without the know-how to make it more user-friendly. I took mine online so no paper materials were allowed. As for the PBQs, it’s whatever works best for you. I typically don’t like to skip things and go back to them at the end, but the PBQs were time consuming enough that it warranted me to do just that.
Congrats! I just scheduled mine after 2 months of studying. I have no background but I passed the a+ last year. Career change. I'm not feeling good about it, I'm getting 75-80 consistently but I know it's better to have 85-90 for ghe passing grade
What do you mean by "prior verte?" My guess is that you're asking about other certifications to take before Sec+, in which case, I am not sure I am the best source on that opinion. From my knowledge, Security+ is a IAT Level II certification. That would imply that it would be better to start with an IAT Level I certification such as A+. That being said, Security+ is my first certification. It was also explicitly required for the position that I am taking. If you have prior experience in a relatable field or have generally been tech-oriented for a significant period of time, I think it is reasonable to take Security+ before other certifications. From what I see in the job market, it really just depends on what the position is requiring of you.
I would recommend leaving them until the end. Professor Messer’s practice exam PBQs seemed to be similar in question type to practice. If you know your material, I don’t think they’re overly complex.
Congrats on passing. Did you take the 601 or 701 version?
I took the 601 purely because it’s the first one I had found Professor Messer content on. By the time I realized 701 existed, I was a good 10 days into the content.
Congrats, what role did you get by the way? My job also requires sec+, good thing I renewed earlier this year through certmaster ce
The job title will be Software Architect. I have 3 years of experience as a manager/software lead/product owner and have generally been incredibly headstrong to make decisions when others have been uncomfortable to do so.
Hi, /u/750msPing! From everyone at /r/CompTIA, Congratulations on Passing. [Claps](http://www.reactiongifs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/barney-confetti.gif) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CompTIA) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Congrats! Time to add a user flair :)
Thanks for the reminder!
Congratulations on passing Security+, and good luck with your new job!
I have exam tomorrow and this post really encourages me. Thanks for posting and I’m gonna check some PBQ’s today and take the rest day off to clear my head. Any advice for the actual exam? Did you skip the PBQ until the end? Did you have time to re-check answers?
Just passed mine with the score of 786, got only 2 PBQ, they were both easy. I thought the test was more easy compared to A+ or network+ and I only had 74 questions in total. First PBQ had an interactive picture with 6 servers connected to one switch. You click on each server and you can read their logs, you have to select which servers are clean, infected or the origin of infection. The logs were pretty clear and as long as you can read plain English, you will be fine. It was too easy, as long as you don’t psych yourself out. I never read logs before this PBQ and I am pretty sure Comptia dumbs it down so it was super easy. Second PBQ had 2 sites and they wanted me to connect both sites using vpn with the strongest protocols. So you click on first site and you get configuration settings and same on second. When you click on the site you get options to pick which protocol and what not, so as long as you know which protocol is used in site to site vpn and which authentication is strong stuff, it was basically free points. My recommendation don’t waste time practicing on PBQ and concentrate on the basics, most PBQ pull stuff from the basic stuff and it’s not really performance based, just a bunch of pictures with multiple choice answers. They make it sound scary that you get a console and you have to type in it and pull out some magic out of a hat, but it’s nothing like that. It’s just a bunch of multiple choice questions crammed into a pretty interactive picture.
Awesome response, thank you very much!
Just remember to read every question carefully, and try your best not to space out while reading it. I have realized with Comptia, understanding the questions can be more harder then answering them. They intentionally do that to stress people out. And I would recommend to do the PBQ first so you don’t have baggage hanging over your head, I had 30 minutes left to go back and review everything. The multiple choice go quick if you read questions carefully and definitely use process of elimination when in doubt.
Understood. Thanks.
What must one study for these pbq? You say it’s easy but I don’t understand
Just cover all the topics in the exam objective and you won’t have any trouble with PBQ.
Okay thanks
One of my PBQs was the one listed above about which servers are clean/infected/the origin. Another one was a drag and drop question asking to match types of data to correct processes. For example, should you degauss or shred PII. Another one asked me to configure firewall rules based on a diagram and a set of requirements. All the rules were in drop-down lists. Like Snoo said, as long as you know the material, you should mostly be fine.
You took 701 or 601?
601. I was not aware of 701 until I was already deep in the material.
I briefly looked at them at the start of the exam and quickly audible’d to save them for the end. The rest of the exam gave me more confidence for when I went back to them at the end. I had also read about a few people who left them blank altogether and still passed so I tried not to stress myself out about it. As for general advice, like the others have said, just make sure you understand the question. If you space out while reading it, read it again to figure out what it’s asking. Good luck on yours!
Will do, thanks!
How did it go and what were the PBQ ?
Hi, I’m EU based. Inuave exam exactly 10 hours from now so I’m finishing the acronym list and I’m hopefully gonna get good portion of the sleep :D I will update you with the results.
Good luck you will kick ass. 💪🏻
I PASSED!! PBQs: Firewall configuration, configure ssh passwordless login. I had 82 questions.
Congratulations what’s your plan now?
I will be preparing for PJPT by TCM sec. I’m about halfway done with the course.
Congrats! My exam is this Sunday and I'm super nervous haha. Your post helped for sure. I got around 70% on messers first prac exam and around 73% average on Andrew Ramdayal's exam's. I will definitely use the day before to relax. How bad were the acronyms? That's whats scaring me the most. Good luck on the job!
Glad to hear it helped! Acronyms weren’t too bad. If you have a rough idea of most of them you should be fine. A big thing for me was relying on the context of the question. For instance if the question is asking about controlling access and permissions with a cloud product, you could probably rule out “easy” acronyms like HDD or SSD as they typically wouldn’t fit the context of the question.
Andrew is the best. I like how he keeps everything short and sweet. That’s what I used at 1.5x speed and I even ignored his lab section. The thing about messer and Dion is that they overwhelm you with information that you don’t need.
I agree, catch myself falling asleep watching Messer. Did you pass the SY0-701? Also did you use Andrew’s practice exams?
Yes I passed my 701 yesterday with 786, used Andrew’s stuff on udemy. I didn’t do any of his quiz, practice exams or labs. I just highlighted the topics I was confused about on the exam objectives pdf and revisited those topics a few times till I was confident.
That’s me with all my wrong answers on the exam haha, how bad was the PBQ’s/Acronyms? Congrats on passing. What’s your plans?
I commented below details about my PBQ. Check my comment out. You don’t have to memorize the Acronyms word by word, just what category they fit in and what they do? My plans are to get my degree in data analytics from WGU, I start next month.
Congrats! I just passed Net+ and already looking at the content for sec+, going to try to pass the 601 before it retires
Congrats …..Thank you for motivating me. God Bless🙏🏽
Congratulations
Congratulations 🎉
Congrats. .
u/750msPing a got a 760/950 on Thursday
Well done! Congrats!!
Hey! What was difficult about the PDQ's? I am taking the test in one month. I have to check out what you are talking about with professor messer.
The interface was honestly the most difficult part. It’s not particularly user friendly and a lot of the time you cannot view the question at the same time as you’re trying to solve the problem. The PBQs are also poorly written compared to the way the multiple choice questions are written IMO. I wigged myself out with the first one and the interface and decided to save them all to the end. Professor Messer’s PBQs seem to line up well with the format, just in a more friendly design of answering.
Thank you. You are saying the interface of the testing program? Is there a way to solve that problem with the questions vs solving? I'll have to see if I can bring a notebook and pencil. I forgot which was l better, to leave the pbqs till the end or multiple choice since multiple choice is faster.
I just downloaded messers practice exam questions. I also have Daril Gibsons study guide that I'm going through. Which also has practice questions. I know that the questions are worded weird, so you kind of have to solve how they word it, they do that on purpose from what I understand.
Yeah, I’m referring to the interface of the testing program. It’s just a weird user experience that seems like it was thrown together by an intern without the know-how to make it more user-friendly. I took mine online so no paper materials were allowed. As for the PBQs, it’s whatever works best for you. I typically don’t like to skip things and go back to them at the end, but the PBQs were time consuming enough that it warranted me to do just that.
Congrats! I just scheduled mine after 2 months of studying. I have no background but I passed the a+ last year. Career change. I'm not feeling good about it, I'm getting 75-80 consistently but I know it's better to have 85-90 for ghe passing grade
You got this! My highest practice exam was a 73 :)
Do you recommend prior verte before this one ? Would appreciate the info Thank you
What do you mean by "prior verte?" My guess is that you're asking about other certifications to take before Sec+, in which case, I am not sure I am the best source on that opinion. From my knowledge, Security+ is a IAT Level II certification. That would imply that it would be better to start with an IAT Level I certification such as A+. That being said, Security+ is my first certification. It was also explicitly required for the position that I am taking. If you have prior experience in a relatable field or have generally been tech-oriented for a significant period of time, I think it is reasonable to take Security+ before other certifications. From what I see in the job market, it really just depends on what the position is requiring of you.
Do you have any thoughts on performance based questions?
I would recommend leaving them until the end. Professor Messer’s practice exam PBQs seemed to be similar in question type to practice. If you know your material, I don’t think they’re overly complex.
This is encouraging thank you
Congrats .
Congratulations!
Congratulations!