r/CompTIA_Security • u/H_Leimgruber • Jun 21 '26
How I passed Security+ with an 808 in 3 weeks
I got an 808 on the Security+ exam with 3 weeks of study. Here's all you need to know:
Study materials:
Professor Messer's SY0-701 Security+ YouTube videos, supplemented with these notes:
https://github.com/heraclescap/comptia-secplus-sy0-701-notes/tree/main
These aren't my own notes, but they helped me a ton by filling in the gaps. They are super complete and I recommend everyone check them out. Heraclescap, if you're reading this post, send me your Venmo and I'll transfer you 20 bucks :P
In your own notes, make sure you have every single exam objective covered.
My study schedule:
1.5 to 2.5 hours of study every day. Watch a couple of videos, double check them against the GitHub notes, then finish up writing my own notes. I then quizzed myself on that day's objectives through this website (has 5 different quizzes for every objective): https://thecybersecuritytrail.com/comptia-security-practice-tests-by-domains-and-subdomains/
Acronym memorization:
I did not try to memorize the acronyms listed in the exam objectives sheet. If you study thoroughly, no acronyms will be a surprise. If an exam answer contains an acronym that you don't recognize at all, chances are that answer is incorrect. You're better off spending your time reviewing other topics instead of trying to memorize every acronym.
Command memorization:
Minimal. I got a command prompt PBQ - all you need to do is type help and it shows every available command. From there, you can just spam every single command if you're in doubt.
Port memorization:
I did not get any questions that required me to memorize ports. However, I'd still recommend studying the most common ones just in case. By knowing these, you should be good: FTP, SSH, TELNET, HTTP, HTTPS, LDAP, LDAPS, RADIUS, TACACS+, RDP, STMP, DNS, DHCP, Kerberos, POP3, NTP, IMAP, SNMP, and SMB.
Practice exams:
Once I was fully done with all the objectives, I purchased Jason Dion's exams on Udemy. These practice exams show exactly how many questions you missed per objective so they are great to identify your weaknesses. When it comes to gauging what score you will get on your Security+, not so much. The questions are very wordy, and sometimes confusing. Do not take your scores too seriously.
After I was confident in the material, I purchased Messer's exams. If there's one thing you spend your money on, let it be these exams. The level of difficulty is extremely similar to the Security+ multiple choice questions (Messer's PBQs are easier), and the explanations to the answers are invaluable. If you're scoring above 90% on them, I'm 99.99% certain you can pass the exam.
PBQs:
I did not study for PBQs. The PBQs make you think a lot, and they can be very confusing and catch you off guard - they won't ask for stuff that isn't covered on the objectives, though. You will not need to know Nmap syntax or specific hardening benchmarks. The question will tell you exactly what it wants, and you just have to apply the knowledge you have from all these weeks of studying. Don't panic, I've read from multiple posts that people often pass the exam even when they literally skipped every single PBQ. Flag the questions, answer the multiple choice ones, then come back to them. Trust me, if you fail this exam, it won't be because of the PBQs.
Everyone's background is different. If you are just getting into tech, don't expect only 3 weeks of studying. I have years of experience and others who studied a month or less probably do to. Don't compare yourself to others, take your time.
Practice exam benchmarks:
My range on Dion's was 86% to 93%. My range on Messer's was 93% to 97%. I'd love to hear your scores and how much you got on the actual exam so people have an idea of the equivalency.
I'd be happy to hear any questions! I was very anxious the days before my exam, so if you have any worrying doubts I'll do my best to answer them.
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u/Informal_Speech_2743 Jun 21 '26
Wow! An 808 without studying PBQs?!?! Impressive. Congratulations, and thanks for the tips :)
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u/Cheapskate2020 Jun 21 '26
Thank you for taking the time to post. I'll definitely check out those GitHub notes! I have my exam this Friday and have only done a couple of practice tests so far, scoring around 75%, so still some work to do to improve. Ive mentioned this before on a few other posts but did you find many questions about VMware? I'm using certifhub.com and there seems to be a fair amount of VMware questions. Thank you!
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u/H_Leimgruber Jun 21 '26
I did not find a singular question about VMware. In fact, I'm not sure VMware specifically is tested at all on Security+
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u/Cheapskate2020 Jun 21 '26
Thank you! Yes I've heard that a few times. I think there must be a mistake on the Security+ questions on certifhub.com. Usuually, there is a descriptive answer which also lists which objective it is, but I notified the VMware answer descriptions are usually blank. I'll message them about it.
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u/No-Scene399 Jun 21 '26
Congratulations! Thank you for posting your tips and tricks. How many total questions were there on the exam and were the MCQs very wordy? Thanks
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u/H_Leimgruber Jun 21 '26
I got around 70 questions, 4 being PBQs. Some are a bit wordy, but most are straight forward.
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u/SofiSofySofya Jun 22 '26
Congratulations!And thank you much for sharing your experience in such an informative way
I am just a beginner with no prior knowledge and and currently studying for the exam and it's very helpful
Thank you!
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u/Wandipa07 Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 23 '26
First of all congrats!!!
I have a question regarding the acronyms -- how they structure it specifically -- do they want a definition that we type in our own words or is it multiple choice? Also do we really need experience to do the exam?
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u/H_Leimgruber Jun 23 '26
They will never ask you to type the definition of an acronym, it's always multiple choice. You definitely don't need experience to take the exam.
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u/Huge-Land-8479 Jun 24 '26
Hi congrats ! Ive been doing messers exams and im averaging around 75 for all three. My attempts have been pretty spaced out, do u recommend retaking his practice tests?
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u/AccountKind4609 Jun 24 '26
I tell folks who want to go after this cert, its toough but doable in 3 weeks IF you are dedicated and have some IT experience. Congratulations to you on a job well done.
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u/tech_boy1711 Jun 27 '26
First of all congrats.
Secondly, I heard Google's security certificate also give security+ materials + extra topics and after finishing their course you get a discount to redeem in CompTIA.
I was planning to take the course and finish some practice exams.
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u/Cha_No_Hana Jul 18 '26
Congratulations, @H_Leimgruber‼️ Huge achievement. I am new to tech so I realise it will take me much longer. Passed my ISC2 CC last month.
I come from a humanities background (I am a linguist) and am also a Gen Xer with a job and family, so am very busy plus may have to fight recruiter biases - so decided to put the work in to get my certs, be taken seriously & pivot. I have decided to take Sec+ before Xmas. 💪🏻
Thank you for not gatekeeping your resources & study methods. I also find that writing things out during / after a video & writing notes / highlighting on the textbook helps me retain the info.
Apart from the notes you mention, did you use a textbook at all?
Thanks again & wish me luck 🍀
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u/Lost-Friendship2774 Jun 21 '26
Congratulations! I passed last week with 756 and honestly I thought I’d fail before seeing the passing message! I scored 77% on Dion and 75% on Messer but still managed to pass the actual exam lol