Hey 👋. I just recently passed my Sec+ exam (as I promised I would many moons ago) and just wanted to post an update as well as share the steps I took to study, my thoughts on the test, and what I would recommend others do differently if they are soon to take it themselves
For reference I am speaking on the most recent version of the exam as of publishing, the SY0-701.
How Did I Do? 🤔
I scored about a 820 out of a possible 900 where you needed 750 to pass and scores began at 100. What does this mean practically? Essentially I got around a 90%. Not too bad. 👍️
How I Studied 🔍️
I used 3 different resources for this exam 📚️
- The Pocket Prep App – ~$20/Month (I only did the one)
- Professor Messer’s Video Lectures – Free
- Get Certified Get Ahead Book – Free (via local library)
Of the 3 I used Pocket Prep the most. Essentially I would do quick quizzes and whenever I came across a topic or acronym that I didn’t fully understand I would reference the corresponding Professor Messer video. I repeated this until I chewed through the question bank and then did the same with Pocket Prep’s mock exams and any practice assessments I could find in the book or online just to diversify my sources. I was comfortable taking my exam once my scoring range on new practice tests was ~87%+.
My Thoughts 🧠
I’m not going to lie, I was stressed like crazy during this exam despite scoring rather high. 😵💫 This is mostly because I fronted the entire full price of the exam which is a lot of money for someone who isn’t employed and can’t take advantage of the student discount anymore. I felt kind of blindsided by some of the questions; especially so when it came to the PBQ’s which I don’t feel my study method prepared me for.
That being said the felicity I felt after double checking all my answers submitting to see a passing score made me dizzy with dopamine. I felt pretty confident going in to the exam, less so during, but it worked out in the end. Looks like I was correct to be confident after all.
Is Pocket Prep Worth It? 💰️
I would say so. So long as you only take a month or two to study, you get access to a pretty clean learning experience. I learn best with quizzes, and really like the fact that I could slash through a couple questions in between sets at the gym or fill otherwise idle time.
Advice ❤️
If you are studying similarly, here’s what I would change.
- Find and study some practice PBQ’s
- Find someone else to pay for the exam (I.E. your boss) or get a discount
- There’s a student store that gives you around 40% off which I used for previous exams
- You can also get a deep discount on your voucher if you buy it through google’s course program. About 40% from what I have seen, but you need to complete their course
- Don’t stress out during the exam
That’s all I have for today. Until next time!