CompTIA Security+: Get Certified Get Ahead: SY0-301 Study Guide

If you want to pass the CompTIA Security+ exam, GET THIS BOOK! It's as simple as that. A week before purchasing this book I was reviewing my CV and realised I needed some formal qualifications. As I have a "curious" interest in IT security as part of my job I took the decison to go down the security route. I have a background in software development so wanted to diversify from that. After a search on Amazon and looking at the reviews, this book kept catching my eye so clicked the buy button and headed over to my Kindle.I worked my way through the book in a methodical way, which was easy as the book is so well laid out and easy to follow. Took the tests at the end of each chapter and kept score as I went through. Grading myself as I went. The final practice exam at the end brings it all together and gives you a good idea of what your weaknesses are that you need to focus on.As mentioned the book is well laid out, is easy to follow and understand. There are a few minor mistakes that are highlighted in the errata on the authors website. There does seem to be a few small sections in the book that appear to have been written by someone else that may have been working with the author on the book as they didn't come across in quite the same manner as the bulk of the book. You will notice these but it is only a small critsism.NOTE: The book says the CompTIA Security+ Exam is 100 multi choice questions, it's not, it's now 91 questions, some of which are interactive simulator questions. So I would suggest downloading some practice simulator questions.All in all a very, very good book. I purchased this book 12 Mar 2013, read it and then passed my CompTIA Security+ exam first time on 27 Mar 2013, I put this success in a big part down to this book.Next stop CASP :-)

Bought this book in order to help prepare or the sec + exam. The author writes the subject matter up very well and theres no real hands on knowledge needed which can sometimes make a subject matter extremley dull and boring. This book, so far, has not ( im at page 150 so far ).This may not be the only reading thats required if your brand new to this game. I've been in IT several years now but have only just found some things out directly from this book.The author frequents techexams.net and you can post to him via this site ( no its not his, but a general certification site )The only downside is he could do with an interactive test at the end on a CD or something as flipping through pages can get a bit awkward when taking the test in this book. That should also help your test taking abilities.Overall, well done DG!

I used this book as my sole study guide for the Security + Exam. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Darril's explanations of complex security aspects. It even made me chuckle a few times. I read each chapter, summarized all the points I needed to know and wrote them into a separate book. I then did the chapter questions and marked right or wrong redoing the ones I got wrong. All in all i spent 2 months studying using this book start to finish.This along with Comptias offical sample questions was enough to pass.Highly recommended , Make that ESSENTIAL to anyone considering taking the Security + exam

Superb book.It's so good, that you'll become excited to read it. Excellent use of questions, and its memory reinforcing.. so that you come away having learnt a lot. The point is this - he makes you learn and remember the topics, which is worth it's weight in gold.I'm delighted with it - a hard thing to say for a "Certification" book.**Update June 2014.Still regularly read this book. It's great for interviews, and technical tests.The explanations are still legendary.

The book takes you at a steady pace, through the subject matter. Prior network knowledge is, I would say recommended.So does the book recommend, prior knowledge of network terminology.I would recommend the book as part of your studies for this exam.I have the kindle version which is very easy to read on my kindle, iPad, pc or Mac.

A very good and well put together guide for those aiming to study the Comptia Security+ subject, I am currently studying towards the Comtia Security+ SYO301 exam and I am finding it a easier to understand the cocepts and protocols of IT security using this book, I opted for the Kindle version which is great, being easier to take anywhere.

I feel a little humble writing this review, the knowledgeable Darril targets his work well to the audience, I feel confident that if I pay attention and follow his advice closely, I will pass the exam. (and add to my professional knowledge and skills.)

I passed the exam yesterday and I owe it to this great book. You do need some networking experience to get the most out of the book (and to pass the exam.) You can tell that the author has a real passion for his subject and because of that is able to clearly explain concepts and relate them to real life-a skill I really wish more technical writers had. Highly recommended!

Gli argomenti trattati coprono il 98% del programma, all esame ho trovato poche domande,circa 5, non coperte dal libro. Per esempio l utilità degli UTM.Se posso dire un lato negativo del libro è la struttura del sommario così come l indentazione dei paragrafi, quando fai il ripasso e devi trovare velocemente gli argomenti la cosa è un po' rognosa ..Ciò vale sia sulla versione fisica che quella digitale del kindle.Infine suggerisco fortemente anche il libro di Darril riguardante gli exams, utile per verificare le conoscenze acquisite dal libro di "study".In bocca al lupo a tutti

Muy buen material de estudio para superar la certificación CompTIA Security+, además de buen precio.El contenido es de calidad, bien redactado (en inglés, único idioma en el que está disponible la certificación) y bien maquetado. De toda la bibliografía que he consultado, éste libro me ha parecido el mejor.Si no he puesto 5 estrellas es porque hay ciertas preguntas (muy pocas) del examen que el libro no cubre.Aún así me parece una gran obra, altamente recomendable.

Have come to my expectations successfully. Easy to understand language and examples related to actual life approach helped enough to get through.No wonder why this has been choice of so many around the world preparing for Sec+ exam.

Just Excellent! Very easy read and to the point, I passed with the score 896 out of 900! just follow the author's guideline. I highly recommend this book.

Very good book.

Just love it..

You don't need to pay thousands for in class test prep to pass the Security+ exam. Follow these three steps and you can pass your test and pay only $55ish in test prep.If you are in an IT field, or you went to school for IT, you've already got a great head start. The Security+ exam assumes you've taken the Network+ exam. You don't need to take the Network+ exam to be prepared for Security+, just as long as you have a background in IT which includes how servers, firewalls, routers and switches work. CompTIA isn't know for advanced certifications, but there tests do show that you have a very good understanding of the subject and that it will be easy for you to learn as your career moves forward.How to pass the Security+ exam in 3 easy steps, should only take you a month.1. Go to YouTube. Search for "Professor Messer", head to his YouTube page and watch all 185 videos for the Security+ exam. each video is only 5 to 8 min long and gives you a very good head start to the exam. He is easy to listen to, and covers everything.2. Read this book. Take the practice exams. The pre test in the beginning of the book will show you what you know from the videos. I got a 75% when I took it. Read each chapter, and take the chapter tests. The book is easy to read, just like watching the videos. It covers a lot of the same stuff but goes into more detail. You already have an idea of everything, this just takes it one step further. It will also help you study to remember all the important port numbers along with all the acronyms you'll need to know. This test is FULL of acronyms.3. Take practice tests.(Update 4/14/14) Check out quizlet.com, search Security+. Good exams to test your knowledge and see how far along you are. All free!Now go pass your test! You will be more then well prepared.UPDATE 9/14As a reference point, I have a bachelors degree IT Networking which included a lot of security classes. I currently work for a large company in governance and compliance. With that background, I studied for 3 weeks before taking the test. The test will feel harder then you expected, it did for me, but I still passed just fine. I had 7 simulations questions, I know I got at least one wrong because I couldn't remember the port numbers. Other than that they are pretty easy. Take extra time to memorize port numbers and acronyms, I wish I had, but I got threw it just fine.

I just passed the new Security+ test with a score of 871. My entire preparation consisted of reading "Security+ Get Certified Get Ahead" and doing the included review questions. I saw absolutely nothing on the test that wasn't thoroughly covered in the book. It is straightforward, easy to read, and does an excellent job of explaining some complex topics. I see no reason to invest in any other prep materials. The plan is pretty simple, buy this book, read it, do the practice questions, pass the test.Update as of 2/17/2012: I just finished instructing a 5 day Security+ Boot Camp using this book as the only text for the class. We spent 4 days covering the material, reviewed for 2 hours Friday morning then the students took the test. All 13 passed and are now Security+ certified. Note that although some in the class had some cyber security experience most were new to the field and none were familiar with all of the topics.

Using only this book and the practice test questions book, I was able to pass with an 854. Getting a 900 with this book is very possible. I strongly recommend getting the practice test questions book as it not only tells you what the right answer is but explains why for both the right answer and the wrong answers. No other certification book that I have seen does that. They simply give you the right answer with no explanation. I have read other books that he either authored alone or was one of the group authors of. He's an excellent writer who makes things very clear and easy to understand. This book is also one of the least expensive of all Security+ books you will find. I see no reason not to use this book and recommend it to everyone.After writing this review I thought of one more thing that may be very helpful to everyone looking to take this exam. The author of this great book frequents a forum that was created for those taking certifications of all sorts, TechExams.net. This is another area where this author shines above the rest. He will answer specific questions about the book or about the test if you post it in the forum. This forum will also give you a good idea of what people think about this book as most of the people use this book. It's not his site. The forum is very beneficial for anyone who plans to take additional certification tests as well. It helped me a great deal. Check it out. It's worth it.

The author (Darril Gibson) teaches Security training courses to students, and it has definitely paid dividends in his writing style. You can tell by reading the material that he knows which concepts give students more difficulty, and he has creatively came up with ways to make those concepts easy to comprehend. I've read many technical books, and this author is one of the best in the way he presents the material and how the book flows from one topic to the next. He provides a skeleton in the beginning and expands it more and more the further you get into the book - which makes the material very easy to understand and gives you time to digest the basic concepts before moving into more complex ones. For example, I've read many books discussing PKI and even took a class, and they all left me with more questions than answers. He comprehensively explained PKI in a way that I completely understood in one read. I highly recommend this book. However, when studying for a certification exam, I recommend at least using two books, but definitely make this one of them. Also, most technical books seem loaded with errors these days. This one has a few, but they were minor and easy to determine from the context. Oh, and I passed the test at 96%.

I got my book on 13-Jun and passed the test on 20-Jun. I spent about 30 hours over 7 day period start to end. Although, I am experienced IT prof. but not IT security prof. CompTIA Security+ is required for DoD Directive 8570 IAT Level II Certification.1. I got Assessment Exam score 55/100.2. Read over 11 chapters and took chapter practice tests and final Practice Exam score of 82/100.3. Went over all missed/wrong answered questions. It appeared many wrong answer were repeated at assessment, chapter practice and final practice exam.4. The Passing score is 750. I passed Security+ with 787/900, missed 17 out of 75 Qs. I did not earned great score, but I don't care as long as I passed the test.5. The first 7 question are simulation questions. I was not prepared and kind of panicked initially. I hoped I got partial credits. For performance based/simulation questions, visit Gibson's web site. The site has 5 sample PB questions and 4 was in my test I did not know.If you read twice Gibson's Security+ book, I am sure you would pass CompTIA Security+ Certification, too.For DoD IT works or contracts, DoD Directive 8570 IAT Level II is required and CompTIA Security+ Certification suffices the requirement.Security+ SY0-301 test is available until end of Dec. 2014 and replaced with SY0-401. Buy Gibosn's SY0-301 book and pass Security+, unless he publishes Security+ SY0-401 test study guide.(UPDATE) 11-JUL-2014My son passed Security+ Certification test with a score of 820. He is not techie and he studied only this book and 5 Performance Based questions on the Gibson's web site for 10 days.

About a year ago, I had purchased my exam voucher and expected to take the Security+ exam within the month, having studied security topics at school, followed blogs, and did some general reading. I completely procrastinated over the next 4 months, having not touched any security-related material and kept rescheduling my exam, telling myself I would "take studying seriously this time."I was supposed to reschedule my exam one more time, but I procrastinated on THAT and came home after midnight, the day before my exam, and wasn't allowed to reschedule it because it was the "day of" the exam. I started panicking. My exam was to take place at noon the next day.I BLAZED through the first two chapters and took the end-of-chapter quizzes before i realized I was taking too much time, so I just started taking the quizzes and backtracking what I got wrong. I made it to chapter 7 that night. I woke up a little earlier than I cared to and finished the rest of the quizzes, frantically penciling in all my notes. I eventually finished all the chapters and went to take the exam.I PASSED. Not with flying colors, mind you, but a solid ~800 or so out of 1000. It was the happiest I'd been in a while and was glad I had a well-laid out book to help me through it all. I still keep this book as a reference and reminder of that hay-day. Very, very happy with the quality of this book and the fact that i was able to retain so much information within 12 hours.

Let me start off by saying i am only 17 and i really do not have a lot of experience in the information security field.This book is really a great book, i don't think this book is enough if you have no experience but it will get you ahead and it really does cover almost 100% of the material (but some of the material i wish was covered a bit more in depth and that's why i don't think this book is enough).I am still a high school student (outside the USA) and my English is really not that great, but i was still able to read, understand and enjoy this book.if you want to pass i suggest going over this book twice, both times doing the practice questions at the end of each chapter and after going over the book twice take the 2 practice exam in the front and back of the book.one other great source for me was the professor messer website which i think is great, cause he demonstrated a lot of the material (i took a lot of notes watching the videos).also at the end of each chapter is a review section which really helped me answer a couple of the questions on the test, i recommend the day before you take the exam you go over all the review sections and the week before take a bunch of practice tests (you can find them on the internet on various websites).The exam Questions: the questions on the exam are not like the questions you will find on the comptia website or the tech-exams website though i think doing those practice exams helps a lot for the exam, except for the fact that people get discouraged when they don't get grades like they did in the practice exam in the book ( i got a 76% on the tech-exams test but still got a 896 on the actual test).the questions you will see are very similar to the questions in the practice exams of this book (im pretty sure one was actually on the exam) and most of the questions are fairly simple and to the point.GOOD LUCK!

I had originally planned on taking the SY0-301 exam and bought Darril Gibson's book based on the number of excellent reviews posted here. I missed the cut off and needed to take SY0-401. I checked the objectives and found that the 301 covered most of them. I used this study guide along with a study guide by Glen Clarke to prepare for the exam. While Glen Clarke's book is well done, I thought that Darril's was much better. If you happen to have a copy of this book, you can still use it. You will need another book to cover any of the newer objectives.What really helped me pass the exam though, was not this book or any other study guide. The books helped me to learn the material. What I needed and what you may need to is Darril's Comp TIA Security+ APP. It's available on iTunes or googleplay. It's $7.99 and probably the best money I've ever spent. There are 300+ questions along with flash cards and acronym flash cards. If you want to be able to pass security+ with limited experience in security, you're going to need to learn a lot of acronyms. What was also helpful about the APP was that the questions were complex and well thought out. He explains why the right answer is right and the wrong answer is wrong. His replies were clear and concise. If you're looking to pass the exam, buy his APP along with one of his books.His website blogs and online resources are also excellent.

This book was a very good read, and I learned a lot of things that I did not previously know. It is a very thorough and useful study guide for the test. I read one chapter a night for about 2 weeks, then read the chapter reviews once a night for 3 nights, then took the test. The passing score for this test is 83% and I got a 91%. In comparison I got a 94% on the end of book test in the back of the book.Even though I really enjoyed the book, and will be keeping it on my bookshelf for future refreshers, and did pass the test, I am giving this book 4 out of 5 stars for the two main reasons below.1.) I felt like there was some content on the test that was not fully covered within this book.2.) I felt that the questions in the book are not phrased similar to how a lot of the questions on the actual test were.But, all in all it got the job done and I would recommend that others use it as a study tool, but also include maybe 1 or 2 other references also, as you should do with any test.