Pass CompTIA Security+

After much pain and luckily not too much alcohol, I managed to pass CompTIA Security+. Not bad for someone who has never touched a server. Anyway, here are some tips for anyone needing to take the test.

1) STUDY! Unfortunately there is not a lot on the test that you can actually learn. Some of the managerial and policy type information is "learning", but the bulk of it is pure memorization.

2) Take tons of practice tests. We all know that there are people out there that simply buy the "passing" or "braindump" CDs which are basically a dump of possible questions. If you use it, you have a much better chance of passing, but you are not really learning anything. That said if you are planning on learning the material, it is still a big help to do some of these sample questions. This will help you test better because you are more familiar with the format of the questions and the expected answers.

3) Find out what you don't know and study that. OK, how do you do that? Well if you do take some of the practice tests, you will figure out what types of things you need to study. The amount of material is huge, so it is a big help to narrow down the amount of material you need to study. For me I was having a lot of trouble learning all of the different types of attacks and all of the different types of encryption.

4) Don't rely on a boot camp alone to pass. If you already know the bulk of the material, I highly recommend a boot camp class. Basically, the boot camp classes are review sessions and test taking preparation classes. If you do not already know the material, the boot camp will not necessarily help you pass the class. It is possible to study all night for a week and pass, but it is too much pressure for most people.

5) Pray for a good test. I took my test right after a boot camp class and there were people who scored way higher than me on the pre-tests. When we sat down I ended up with more questions I was already good at then some of the other people. Some of the people that did really well on the pre-test ended up failing the actual test.

CompTIA Certification Renewal Policy

For those of you who passed your CompTIA Security+ exam thinking "wow that is over", you may be surprised to find that it is not really over. As of January 1, 2011, CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+ and CompTIA Security+ certifications are valid for three years from the date the candidate becomes certified. A “valid through” date will appear on all certificates and certificate holder CompTIA ID cards. Those individuals certified on or before December 31, 2010 in CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+ and CompTIA Security+ will retain their "certified for life" status. No valid through date will appear on certificates and certificate holder CompTIA ID cards.

For those of you who completed the exam for DoD D8570.1M you may not be free and clear. If you took the test and registered your certification with DMDC, you may be surprised to see an expiration date of 12/31/2011 attached to your cert. The last I heard was DOD was going to require IA workforce members to enroll in the continuous learning program coming soon from CompTIA in order to keep their certifications. If you are a DOD IA workforce member, make sure you register your certification here, so that your renewal fees will be paid. You will need your CAC to login and register and you also must make sure you have allowed CompTIA to release your information.

New Sun Certified Programmer For JAVA 6 Exam

The latest Sun Certified Programmer exam that is currently available is Sun Certified Programmer for the Java Platform, Standard Edition 6 (CX-310-065). There is an upgrade path available for programmers who are already certified in a prior version. The path is prior certification as a Sun Certified Java Programmer (any edition) plus Upgrade Exam: Sun Certified Programmer for the Java Platform, Standard Edition 5.0 (CX-310-056).

You may purchase your Sun Certification exams and register for your test directly through Prometric. Follow the steps below to schedule and purchase your exam:

1.Go to prometric.com/sun and select the Start button
2.Select Schedule an Appointment
3.Choose your country (and state, if testing in the United States) and click the Next button to continue.
4.Select Sun Microsystems as the Client and SUN Microsystems (310, 311) as the Program. Select the Next button to continue.
5.Read the certification policies and select Next to continue.
6.Select your exam and choose your language, then select the Next button to continue.
7.Select the Schedule an Appointment link beside the Prometric Testing Center where you would like to take your exam.
8.You will be prompted to login with your Prometric login and password. You will need to register if you are a new user.
9.Choose a date and time for your exam and select the Next button to continue.
10.Follow the prompts to confirm your appointment and purchase your exam. You will receive a confirmation email from Prometric after completion.

Free Security+ Practice Tests

Comptia Security+ is easy to pass if you already work in a data center and deal with servers and networks everyday. For some DOD program managers and system administrators, this may not be so easy. DoD Directive 8570-1 as interpreted by IA managers may require many individuals to pass the Security+ exam who have never seen a server. For those of you who need to pass the exam by the end of 2010, here are some great places to find sample questions and answers.

Freetechexams.com is a great place to start if you are looking for free sample questions. The link will direct you to 25 questions and answers.

Simulationexams.com has ten sample questions for you. Each question comes with a nice explaination of why the answer is the correct one to choose.

UCertify is a paid test prep software, but the site does allow you to download a trial version. You can download the trial and get a few more free sample questions.