It is great to be certified, especially after all the hard work you put into studying the material. It’s no surprise that people are quick to share their successes stories.
Not everyone succeeds on their first attempt. It is rare to hear about people’s failures at achieving a goal. This is a shame. Even though failure is painful, there are many lessons to be learned.
These are the key lessons from my CompTIA Security+ fail — and subsequent redemption. There is hope for those who have recently failed an exam. These lessons can help you prepare for an exam. CompTIA training courses are also available for free.
Why Security+?
CompTIA Network+ certification was enough to convince me to earn CompTIA Security+. CompTIA A+ was also not an option as I have more than 15 years of experience in computer repair and troubleshooting.
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Start trainingI am interested in cybersecurity and Security+ is an entry level certification that makes it a solid starting place. It is also an approved certification by the U.S. DOD, which could open up new career opportunities.
Security+’s entry-level status also means that it made it easier for me to study for IT certification exams. Full confession: It was a while since my last certification exam. Prior to taking Security+ I had taken my Network+ exam in 2007.
My Study Approach
I used a mix of SPOTO videos, my notes and practice exam questions. The Security+ videos were very helpful and became my main source of reference. SPOTO’ Keith Barker, a great teacher, is contagious and a great teacher.
Before I started training, I printed the SPOTO training materials. This shows you which videos cover which exam objectives. These were used in conjunction with CompTIA exam objectives. I checked every domain area I completed and each objective was ticked off when I entered the exam.
I take notes when I study. There are many notes. I completed an entire exercise book, which included shorthand notes for each video. I also drew diagrams, and photos. I also reviewed the recommended IPV4 videos to refresh my memory on subnet calculations and how to convert binary values to binary. There were many notes.
I took some online practice exams after I had completed Keith’s Security+ videos. Although I knew my prospects were not great, I thought that I could “scare” myself with a few failures to help me stay motivated. My first practice exam was a failure. I scored a 58 percent.
I had not yet mastered all of the highlighted areas I made mistakes. I made a few mistakes in basic questions that I should have answered correctly. I knew I had to focus on the next attempt. I continued to study, and I would retake a practice test every time I made progress. Gradually, I improved to 90% to 95%.
At that point, it was clear that I wanted to schedule the Security+ exam.
All That Prep. Still Failed.
My key memory is the fact that I was too focused on the performance-based questions at first. Although they were not difficult, they took me a long time to complete.
After that, I became flustered and made a fatal error. I didn’t fully read the questions.
You must carefully examine every question in any IT certification exam. Questions can appear to have multiple “right answers”. One answer is the right one. To choose the best answers, it is important to fully comprehend what you are being asked.
Slow down and ensure you understand each question. A wrong answer can make the difference between passing or failing.
