A study has shown that there will be more than 3.5 million cybersecurity job opportunities by 2021. The question is: are organizations and businesses ready for such a huge shortage of professionals? Apparently not!
Statistics reveal that individuals who want to develop a career in security must have a serious education. Here is where an IT certification can benefit. As most security professionals in the industry would recommend, earning CompTIA Security+ certification is a surefire way to get a job in the security domain of the IT field.
CompTIA offers vendor-neutral certifications that are acknowledged worldwide so you will not repent about getting certified with this organization. There are no formal prerequisites to be eligible for CompTIA Security+ exam.
How to Study for CompTIA Security+ SY0-501 Exam?
CompTIA Security+ SY0-501 exam can only be passed when the applicant works hard. Here are tips that will help you to fight your way through the CompTIA Security+ certification exam.
1. Familiarize Yourself with the Actual Exam
Obtain the essential information about the exam from CompTIA official website. Become familiar with the exam details: understand the comprehensive overview, exam structure, duration of the exam, passing mark, and the types of questions that will be examined.
2. Understand All the Six Domains of CompTIA Security+
The six domains of CompTIA Security+ certification exam include different topics, and you need to understand each of them. In case you are not knowledgeable about the CompTIA Security+ domains, they include:
- Threats, Attacks and Vulnerabilities 21%
- Technologies and Tools 22%
- Architecture and Design 15%
- Identity and Access Management 16%
- Risk Management 14%
- Cryptography and PKI 12%
Once you have listed each domain with its contents, you can then find study materials that include these concepts thoroughly.
A basic rule is to systematize the topics of the exam as per your understanding of them. You can begin from the most difficult topics and complete your study with the easy topics. Also, assure that you completely understand one domain before you start studying another one.
3. Create a Practical Study Plan
Have you ever wake up from your bed without a precise plan of the day? How was your experience? You will be wasting your time when you study without a practical study schedule. Once you have understood the CompTIA Security+ exam domains and obtained study materials, you should develop a practical study plan.
Anyway, it is important to understand that you still have a social, family, and professional life. So, you need to assure that you have practical plans and expectations. Your study schedule should give you some spare time so that you can balance your personal life.
4. Register for Your Exam
The next step is to find an appropriate time to schedule your CompTIA Security+ exam. Purchase the voucher from the official website (you can also buy the pack of study material along with it). You will be given the available dates to give the exam. Choose the time that suits you the best and make sure that you can visit the exam center on the planned dates.
5. Take Practice Tests as many as Possible
When it comes to preparing for the CompTIA SY0-501 exam, most applicants are not aware of some beneficial tips. Remember, for you to ace the exam with confidence; you need to understand the questions likely to be asked in the exam. Taking multiple practice tests will give you the confidence required to address even the most tricky questions.
You will also understand the degree of knowledge you have so far and the topics you need to give more attention. You should take practice tests until you get more than 90% in your practice tests.
Practice tests will replicate the exam outline with much tougher questions for you to answer.
Summing It Up
Applicants will go through acute stress during the exam. With high stress, the possibility of failing in exam would be high. To avoid this, you must prepare thoroughly for the 501 well in advance.
The first thing you have to do is to register for the exam date and allocate 6 to 8 hours a day to prepare for the SY0-501. You can go for group studies as this helps you to understand the topics in a much better way by brainstorming about a topic.