Are your study habits setting you up for success? Or failure?
Over the years, I’ve answered many emails and queries from people after they’ve failed a certification exam. As a result, I’ve noticed several key behaviors that are common in many of these queries.
These are most often associated with the Security+ exam simply because that’s my current area of expertise. However, they do translate to just about any certification exam.
You can take this short self-assessment to see if you are repeating common mistakes that have caused others to fail.
Do You Read Explanations?
A common theme I’ve seen is that people don’t read the explanations that are included with practice test questions. The CompTIA Security+: Get Certified Get Ahead: SY0-401 Study Guide and packages on the premium site all include explanations for the practice test questions. However, they aren’t much use if you don’t read them.
Order of Volatility Example
As an example, I often receive a repeating question related to the order of volatility. This is discussed in the study guide, and in several blogs on this site. In short, the order of volatility is:
The order of volatility from most volatile to least volatile is:
- Data in RAM, including CPU cache and recently used data and applications
- Data in RAM, including system and network processes
- Swap files (also known as paging files) stored on local disk drives
- Data stored on local disk drives
- Logs stored on remote systems
- Archive media
Which of the previous items is the least volatile?
That should be an easy question. It’s item 6 – Archive Media. Second to last is logs stored on remote systems.
How about this:
A database server is currently under attack and you want to ensure that you are able to preserve all the data for forensic analysis. What data on the server should you collect last?
A. Hard drive
B. CPU cache
C. Remote logs
D. RAM
What’s your answer now?
The 601 Version of the Study Guide
The CompTIA Security+: Get Certified Get Ahead: SY0-601 Study GuideEach of the eleven chapters presents topics in an easy to understand manner and includes real-world examples of security principles in action.
You’ll understand the important and relevant security topics for the Security+ exam, without being overloaded with unnecessary details. Additionally, each chapter includes a comprehensive review section to help you focus on what’s important.
Over 300 realistic practice test questions with in-depth explanations will help you test your comprehension and readiness for the exam. The book includes:
- A 75 question pre-test
- A 75 question post-test
- Practice test questions at the end of every chapter.
Each practice test question includes a detailed explanation to help you understand the content and the reasoning behind the question. You’ll be ready to take and pass the exam the first time you take it.
If you plan to pursue any of the advanced security certifications, this guide will also help you lay a solid foundation of security knowledge. Learn this material, and you’ll be a step ahead for other exams. This SY0-601 study guide is for any IT or security professional interested in advancing in their field, and a must-read for anyone striving to master the basics of IT security.
RTFQ
It’s always important to read the full question (RTFQ). Admittedly, when I learned this acronym in the Navy, they spelled the acronym differently (in typical Sailor language). No matter how you remember the acronym though, it is still important to read the full and complete question.
If you memorized the preceding list, you might conclude that C. Remote logs is the correct answer because it is the least volatile.
However, that is incorrect. Why?
Well, because the question is asking for something different. Specifically, it is asking”
What data on the **server** should you collect last? (emphasis added)
The Answer is in the Explanation
The explanation includes this text:
“Remote logs (or logs stored on remote systems) are not stored on the server so they are not relevant to this question. This data is less volatile than data stored on the target system. For this reason, many servers send log data to a remote system for centralized collection. Even if the server is completely destroyed, the centralized logs still have key data.”
I’ve received several queries from people telling me that the answer is marked incorrect or asking me to reconfirm the correct answer.
My answer is typically something like: “What does the explanation say? Does the explanation answer your question?”
The easy answer I could give is:
“Yes. The correct answer is correct. Here’s a cut and paste from the explanation.
“Remote logs (or logs stored on remote systems) are not stored on the server so they are not relevant to this question. This data is less volatile than data stored on the target system. For this reason, many servers send log data to a remote system for centralized collection. Even if the server is completely destroyed, the centralized logs still have key data.”
However, experience has shown me that if the person doesn’t read the explanation in this question, that person is unlikely to read the explanation in other questions. My goal instead is to help them get to the correct answer on their own by reading the full question and the explanation.
Admittedly, I sometimes fail.
But that doesn’t deter my goal of helping people learn. That doesn’t deter my goal of helping people Get Certified and Get Ahead in their lives and careers.
So, how do you fare in the Study Self-Assessment?
