Great resource to practice taking the exam ... needs updating
INTRO:
I passed the Security+ exam with 825 (March 2008) as my first CompTIA certification. I bought this book back in 2003, and read it from cover to cover, but only now have I decided to take the exam. This is a well respected introductory/fundamentals to IT Security (InfoSec) certification AND one of the most difficult from CompTIA to pass (highest percentage - 85% - 764 out of 900 total points). It is well-worth it for anyone working in the IT industry.
CONTENT:
The strengths of this book is its easy layout, its focus on questions, and good explanations. It is not recommended as a reference resource.
The weakness, is that it is mainly focused on getting you ready for the exam, by practicing answering questions and is not truly a reference book. Also, there is word that CompTIA will update the Security+ objectives in the Fall of 2008. This book was published way before the current exam objectives of
EXAM:
The current exam code is SY0 - 101 and the last time the exam objectives were updated were in 2007. There is talk that CompTIA is planning on upgrading the objectives and pool of questions in the Fall of 2008.
For passing the exam, I would recommend the following:
* print out the Exam Objectives (thus guaranteeing you are going to study all the material covered on the new exam)
* use at least two (2) study materials (Sybex, All-In-One) and exam-questions prep book (like this one)
* participate in onine-forums (such as techexams dot net) and use their resouces
CONCLUSION:
If you plan on passing the CompTIA Security+ exam, this book alone will not be enough. While it covers the subject matter well, it is not comprehensive and would need to be updated to the 2008 exam objectives level.
Many mistakes
Somewhat useful, but a discouraging number of mistakes in the practice exams and review questions, and those questions are often so poorly phrased even guessing an answer is futile.
GREAT BOOK!
THIS IS A GREAT BOOK TO PREPARE FOR THE SECURITY+ TO STUDY ALONG WITH OTHER TESTING MATERIALS...
Highly recommended
This book is exactly what an Exam Cram book should be. If you don't know the subject matter, this book will not help you pass the exam. If you are familiar with the subject matter this book fill in the gaps of your knowledge and does it very well. I read the book from cover to cover then took 3 practice exams. I scored about 75-80% on these. The pass fail on the real exam is 85%. So I re-read the book and took a few more practice exams, this time scoring over 91% each time. I took the exam yesterday and scored a 93%. This book made the difference for me. Once again if you don't have the work experience or haven't done other reading on security matters you will not be able to pass this exam. That's the way it should be. I want my Certification to mean something. If anyone could pick up this book and pass the test, it wouldn't. It is a tough Exam. Most of the questions are relatively easy, but to get the passing score you have to know your stuff.
Insufficient
I was quite unhappy sitting in an exam room this morning after using this book to study for two months. It is completely insufficient for this exam - leaving many, many topics uncovered or not covered with enough depth. At best it is a reference book, not a guidebook.
(36 reviews)
