I'm currently a senior in High School and was looking to earn some big certifications that my Cybersecurity teacher offered. For studying, my teacher had vouchers for Certmaster Practice courses which was primarily what I used to study for both exams.
Core 1 I passed pretty comfortably but when I failed Core 2, it was quite a humbling experience and taught me to not rely solely on Certmaster for studying which I then decided to study for another month with the Professor Messer Core 2 Notes as I find them quite digestible which ended up in me passing my Core 2 Exam!
Although I only have around 6-7 weeks left in my Senior year, I also plan to work towards a Network+ and Security+ certification to come out of high school with a beefy resume while also hopefully being able to get an entry level desk job on the side, wish me luck!

word of advice - don’t wear any wristbands if ur doing online. I got stopped 3 times asking “whAT iS thAT oN yoUr wriSt..? The timer doesn’t pause either :(

I'm just sharing my story but my Security+ certification expired last month.

After I graduated university I remembered studying very hard for it over a month and taking the test in March 2022. It was the first CompTIA certification I attempted. I skipped A+ and Network+. I thought I was already good enough with my fancy degree and Security+ cert because I listened to people telling me so.

Wrong.

I soon found out the hard way that the info sec industry values experience over certifications and degrees. While I had the knowledge, I didn't have the practical experience to back it up. I found it really difficult to get info sec work. I could get myself a few interviews but was always beat out by more experienced people.

After half a year, I finally had to humble myself. So I studied and got the A+ and Network+, did help desk, and started beefing up my resume.

Almost every entry level job was asking for the A+ or Network+. If you're a new grad without experience, never think you're above them.

I found that I liked Networking and for a time I thought I might pursue more advanced Networking roles and in the mean time life also got busy and 3 years passed so quickly. I knew my Security+ expiration date was coming up but I didn't think I would pursue info sec again so I let it expire.

Now suddenly I'm interested in exploring info sec again with my proven experience and I regret letting the certification expire. I did it once and I can do it again but I feel like it would have been easier just to maintain it with Continuing Education credits and such.

Though I think everything happened the way it should have and I'm optimistic about taking the test again!

I couldn’t believe my eyes and it’s just now finally setting in that I really got my first certification! I’m so happy and excited!

Passed my exam!! 🔥🔥

Passed N10-009 with an 831 yesterday. My primary resources were ITcertdoctor's Udemy course (which included both slides and labs for almost every objective) and Andrew Ramdayal's practice tests. I also used Professor Messer's course as a review where I wrote down a brief summary of every single thing in the objectives into a notebook.

I would strongly suggest to anyone who is thinking about taking this exam utilize Cisco's Packet Tracer to lab out the concepts outlined in the objectives in order to actually understand what they are and how they work. You're also going to want to make sure you're really solid at subnetting.

Does Core 2 ( 220-1102 ) and (220 - 1202 ) have same content.

I bought full package at udemy of Jason Dion training and cleared my core-1 ( 220-1101) exam in FEBRUARY.

But with the new syllabus the content of Jason Dion at udemy has automatically changed to (220 - 1202).

Should I just study from that content , if there aren't any major changes. Or should I buy the course again for (220-1102)

Thank you in advance.

Started my new job three weeks ago at LM and they gave me two weeks to take Sec+ without taking off or studying at work. So after my 10 hour workday, I studied every night for hours. Only took practice and acronyms tests, and somehow I passed. Had to reschedule twice, both were minutes away from the start of the exam, because I didn’t have the right software to take the test remotely.

I know Sec+ is one of the most baseline certs for most cyber jobs, but I am proud of myself. If any one knows of “passable” certs that I could take while studying for a few weeks to a month, I would really appreciate that. Thank you.

Well, there it is folks. Just passed my last exam to complete the trifecta, Security+. Passed with a score of 781. Personally, this test was much easier than A+ and Net+. I felt the most secure during the exam (no pun intended) and prepped for it the least. It feels great to finally have these three certs under my belt.

I just took the 1102 today, so I will be officially A+ certified ☺️. Took me awhile but because I was taking long breaks and not being consistent.

I will say for anyone studying now, be consistent as you can. Even if you do a little bit each day! This took me 3 years because of my own inconsistency and procrastination, so learn from my mistake 😭.

I got a 778/900 and honestly crammed all the studying in 7 days.

My tip in the order of studying:

1. Watch professor messer videos once taking notes
2. Use ChatGPT to clarify concepts side by side
3. Take a practice exams (I did messer, Dion and CompTIA app) every 2 days to keep your testing sharp. And review EVERY SINGLE answer and why it’s right/wrong. This is so key.
4. Flash card every single acronym.
5. Watch Messer’s videos again AFTER you studied and feel confident (this really locks it all down).
6. Save the 3rd practice exam from Messer for the very end.

It’ll test you on similar technologies that do the same thing for different sides like LDAP vs PKI. Or HSM vs RADIUS. So really get those down.

And don’t be discouraged with practice exams, I got 67%, 70%, 73% on messer’s. Dion’s was 72%, 74%, 84% (I felt Dion’s was easier counter to what everyone else says).

Good luck yall!!

So I'm thinking to rather go for new test to give myself a good amount of time to study for both tests, but today I realized my book is for the old tests, is this info still useful? Can I still use the practice tests included in the book or is it going to affect how I'm prepared for the new test?

I can do the conversion from binary to decimal, and finding the usable host range with mental math alone.

I haven't taken a CompTIA test in over a year, so I don't exactly have a good grasp of time management on tests.

I have been studying for 701 about 3 weeks now. I have started giving practice tests. I gave 5 Andrew Ramdayal tests. One of them I scored 86% but the other four, I have been constantly getting 80% i.e.72/90 Not sure if I am ready for the exam or not. Can someone please guide? I have left Messer’s exam for the last.

Here is the link to the 2025 AWS, Comptia, Azure, Google Cloud, and Nvidia certification bundle:

https://www.humblebundle.com/software/2025-aws-comptia-azuregoogle-cloud-and-nvidia-certification-bundle-software?mcID=102:67e4685826fdf822310d9fb5:ot:56e751bb733462ca898effe1:1&linkID=67e46a34e3dbfa57fe084bd1&utm_source=Humble+Bundle+Newsletter&utm_content=cta_button&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20250328_2025aws_soundsforadventure_reminder

Any thoughts on the included content? Has anyone used this material for studying and getting any certs? Seems like a potential deal for only $25 for all 42 items.

i’ve been studying my ass off for a little over 2 months straight now 🫠

Got the exam scheduled for tomorrow, I've done 5 separate practice tests so far, low of 78 high of 83... seems like most of the screw ups are dumb comprehension mistakes...am I boned for tomorrow?

EDIT

Passed with an 803!!!

So I've been studying for my Net+ exam since June of last year using CertMaster with some Professor Messor intertwined as well. However, as I've gone on and started looking at other materials, I feel that CertMaster is just confusing me more than helping me at this point. I feel bad because my work is paying for the certification, and I asked them to buy CertMaster because I thought it would be beneficial, but I feel like now it's just a pain to study.

Does anyone else feel this way about CertMaster products in general? Or am I just overthinking things.

Hey! I’m studying for security+ 701 and I have been practicing on CertMaster and got 68% and 72%. Their exam questions were tough from what I looked at this subreddit.

My question is that should I purchase professor messers practice exams which will help me to prepare for actual security exam ? Any suggestions or thoughts would be appreciated!

I passed the A+ Core 1 220-1101 test in november 2024, and I'm studying for the core 2 still. With 1201 and 1202 out now, do I have to retake the core 1 test to be A+ certified, or can I study for and pass the 1202 core 2 with the 1101 core 1 already done?

So I’m taking the Network Plus test on Friday. Honestly it’s going fine but i just flat out do not get CIDR notation. Everytime i do deep dives on it, it just gets worse. Just when I think I get it the practice tests tell me I’m still wrong.

Curious how much of the test actually goes into CIDR notation???? This is a massive pit of despair for me. I also asked the network engineers i work with and they told me it’s a. Complete waste of time anyways and it’s all just automated now when doing anything.

Hi, I was wondering if the vouchers are the current/'old' exam or for the 12-series? The page doesn't really say and plan on taking it in a few weeks, so I'd rather rely on the current standard (11-series).

Thank you in advanced.

I used Dion Training on Udemy (got like 80% off the course ~only reason I snagged it). I took the exam yesterday and passed. I thought it was fun honestly, and a solid exam for what I studied. My next goal is to pursue Linux certifications.

SecurityX is the new CASP. I already did Security+

I was gonna take my core 1 today but my license was mangled by my dog (fun...) so I couldn't use it. I'm planning on going to the DMV tomorrow for a replacement but it takes them 3-4 weeks to mail a physical card. Will a temporary drivers license work?