I passed the CompTIA Security+ test today. I have never been big on certifications but it is a requirement to work on a client’s servers.

I studied about 15 hours and exclusively used “CompTIA Security+: Get Certified Get Ahead: SY0-201 Study Guide“. My employer already had a Security+ preparation book (I won’t name it) and after skimming the first few chapters I was not impressed. I had them order “CompTIA Security+: Get Certified Get Ahead: SY0-201 Study Guide” and I am glad I did.

Initially I read/skimmed through the book in about 7-8 hours. For a certification book it is extremely concise and is actually interesting at times! Certainly the most readable certification book I have ever seen. Next I took all of the end of chapter quizzes and sample tests and made a study sheet consisting of all of the end of chapter review information as well as notes I took from questions I missed (another 7-8 hours). My final score was an 848 out of 900 (750 is passing).

My impressions of the test were – well – it is silly. I am certain you could pass the test and not really know much. It just doesn’t make much sense to me why employers/agencies require these silly certifications. Several of the questions were worded extremely poorly, and most of the questions tested memorization – not actual knowledge. Oh well. I actually did learn a few things from the book (which of course were not tested) and I am glad it is over!