Security+ is a baseline certification offered by CompTIA and it has become an industry-standard certification that is also approved by the DoD 8570 mandate, and it covers several foundational cybersecurity topics. Many organizations and corporations are actively searching for certified cybersecurity professionals and the average salary of someone with a Security+ certification is $72,000 a year according to PayScale.
1. Know the Exam
Before starting to study for the SYO-501 exam you must become familiar with the exam and know what to expect before taking it. The current exam for Security+ is performance-based and has a maximum of 90 questions, and the full duration of the exam is 90 minutes, so you must pace yourself accordingly. This exam does contain performance-based questions or BBQs which will test your ability to solve problems in a simulated environment. These questions will take longer than the regular multiple-choice questions and CompTIA gives you the chance to try a practice one on their website. The passing score for the SYO-501 exam is 750 points out of 900 points and will cover several different topics such as risk mitigation, risk management, and intrusion detection.
Practice PBQ Question - https://certification.comptia.org/testing/about-testing/performance-based-questions-explained
2. Study the Domains
The Security+ exam covers six different domains and each domain is weighted differently. The six domains are as followed:
- Domain 1 - Threats, Attacks, and Vulnerabilities 21%
- Domain 2 – Technologies and Tools 22%
- Domain 3 – Architecture and Design 15%
- Domain 4 – Identity and Access Management 16%
- Domain 5 – Risk Management 14%
- Domain 6 – Cryptography and PKI 12%
The best way to cover all of these domains is to study and find out which ones you are confident about and work on those which you may need some more help. Some of the domains will overlap so it will speed up the study process but be sure to be confident and master a domain before moving to the next one.
3. Take a Practice Test
The best way to see if you are ready to take the exam is by taking a practice test or quiz, and CompTIA will give you a free set of practice questions if you visit their website and fill out a quick form. These questions will give you a good example of what to expect on the real exam and gauge your body of knowledge.
4. Rest Well and Stay Focused!
This is probably really simple advice that everyone has heard before a big exam, but it works. Being well-rested and eating a light breakfast will help greatly while testing. Studies have shown that stretching, taking deep breaths, and drinking water help with focus while test-taking and generates better results.
Bottom Line
I hope you found this blog post helpful. I tried to give you the information that you would find useful if you are going to use self-study as your primary method to prepare for the Security+ exam, but not everyone learns the same and some prefer a classroom-based session. SecureNinja is here to help and with our Security+ Certification boot camp, you can be certified in less than 5 days.
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SecureNinja is an award-winning training and certification school, and SecureNinja has a proven track record of assisting Fortune 100, Government, and Military organizations. For more information on how SecureNinja can benefit you or your organization fill out the form to the right of this post or call 703 – 535 – 8600 today!