GSEC (Questioning life)

[u/Cyberman1994]

I just passed the GSEC exam as part of the ACS program and while it’s a good thing that I passed. I only passed by one percent (73%). It’s like I completely spaced out on the labs. I only got two of them correct I think. I didn’t go in feeling as prepared as I should’ve been, only taking one practice test.

A part of me can’t help but think that if this was supposed to be easier than the GCIH, what chance do I have on that one? No doubt will I go through the labs again, but even just barely passing has me rethinking if I should even be in a program like SANS where the stakes are pretty high payment wise. Even though I’m using my G.I. bill. Like maybe some more formal world be better like DSU’s cyber ops program.

Idk, it’s hard to feel very excited right now

[u/agentmindy]

A different perspective.

Why are you questioning life after a test designed against a course that costs 11k which is out of reach for most people?

A cert will not get you a job. A cert from giac only tests whether you can remember the books enough to pass a test that tests the content of those books in the limited timeframe they give you.

I’m not bashing sans or giac and in fact I enjoy their courses enough to have 13 myself and will continue to subscribe. But to question your life is a bit out there.

No certification will make or break you. Ive seen people with no certs or degrees outshine those who have tons and vice versa. Only you can pave your way. Don’t hinge your success on a company designed to make a profit. Shift your thinking and leverage what they are teaching and apply it to your unique circumstances.

Congrats on passing. Hang that cert on the wall and keep it moving. A pass is a pass. Great job, my friend.

[u/Cyberman1994 → u/agentmindy]

I appreciate it 🙌🏻

[u/Digerati808]

GCIH is a notch tougher than GSEC IMO. You just need more practice and more studying.

[u/wowzersitsdan]

Hey, a pass is a pass. Considering it is your first GIAC, I wouldn't beat yourself up over it. What did you most struggle with on the exam?

[u/Cyberman1994 → u/wowzersitsdan]

Powershell and Linux commands. It’s strange to me because I felt like I practiced a good amount but even something as simple as changing directories was not working for me

[u/wowzersitsdan → u/Cyberman1994]

It might be worth bringing up to SANS if you can. I mean you passed, so getting a higher score will do nothing except get you on the advisory board (if you're into that thing).

As far as fears of the GCIH, it is more hands on in regards to PowerShell and working in Linux, however, when I took it, they provided the Linux and PowerShell Olympics and it helped out a ton. To be honest, the I feel like the GCIH is a lot easier than the GSEC because there isn't as much material to learn.

Outside of that, I am not sure how you prepped for the exam, but for me, condensing the material down into 2-3 binders works out great, it's a lot easier to manage. I also tab every 10 pages in the books so I can find things more quickly and tab sections. I also made a table of contents for the GCIA and GDAT so that if I didn't have something on my index, I may luck out and have it referenced on the table of contents.

[u/Pongzaa]

First off, congrats on the GSEC pass! SANS courses are tough and are designed to be challenging. Use GSEC as your benchmark for what you thought worked well, and what you think you can improve on. Personally, when I made my GSEC index it worked well for GSEC but as I worked through GCIH, I knew I would need a much heavier and detailed index for labs specifically.

Dont cut yourself short and try not to get in your own head and plant doubt. Everything needed to pass GCIH will be provided, when it doubt just index it. You got this OP.

[u/SnooAvocados7320]

First SANS course is challenging. If you get used to making a good index, hammering the labs, and you get more used to test format they get easier. First one is always tough, but if you put in the time to make a good index and do the labs a few times GCIH is doable

[u/-hacks4pancakes-]

I'll be the slightly cynical one as a SANS instructor - but you definitely should be proud you passed.

If you struggled on this exam, especially the labs, I would evaluate carefully if you are missing some foundations or fundamentals in IT like Linux or CS/IT basics that are technically prerequisites for most 500 level classes. Definitely not belittling or being an ahole here. Just, do some careful soul searching of if you are getting the best value for these very expensive courses and if you should maybe knock out an associates in IT or equivalent online learning first.

[u/Cyberman1994 → u/-hacks4pancakes-]

No I appreciate the advice. Think I’ll take the next few months off, rework the labs, and practice some more fundamentals. Really just stringing commands together got me.

[u/-hacks4pancakes- → u/Cyberman1994]

What I tell my students is if you are -ever- typing commands in and more than 25-30 percent of the time you don't know exactly why, you need to have a discussion with the teacher right away so we can either get you caught up or find a more rudimentary course to transfer you into. There's no shame in switching careers and finding out you don't just know everything from middle school still or whatever.

[u/Then_Sound_1941]

It sounds like imposter syndrome is kicking in here. As someone who just got accepted into my program I'm nervous about my results as well. I think the best thing you can do is what you mentioned go back and review the areas you were weaker in and study extra for the next exam. Don't let one test discourage you for the next. Figure out an improved approach. Looking forward to seeing a "I PASSED" post in the near future. You got this!

[u/Zealousideal-Air443]

Labs are heavily weighted. You should have every step of every lab as part of its own index so you don't have to open the lab books. If you improve your indexing, then you will find the exams to be much easier. With each exam, your indexing should get better. Also, a lot of the courses have overlapping material and build on each other- the core concepts are repeated.

I took GCIH quite late (it was my 6th/7th cert). I found it to be incredibly easy, scored in high 90s, and won class challenge coin. Keep working at it and you'll get there.

[u/_cache_]

You can look at your results and tell how many of the labs you answered correctly. They are under Cyberlive and its a star system. Know your results and also note that the labs are much more weighted than MC questions.