cybersecurity

Are you using indexes made by someone else or did you make it yourself? I highly suggest doing it yourself so you're more familiar with the layout and how your brain seeks content. I had tons of duplicate entries because search context matters. One question may ask what HTTP response code 301 indicates or it may ask what response code is returned when content has been Moved Permanently. Don't rely on memory to differentiate. Figure out how you'd begin looking the answer up and make sure it's covered in your index, then do it again for any other contexts you can think of.

I used this Lesley Carhart post as the basis for creating my index.

You're right that there's an untenable amount of knowledge if you're relying on your memory to get through it. Much like working in the industry, you don't have to have encyclopedic knowledge on any topics, but you do need a reliable method to find answers. I literally went page by page building my index over the course of a week. The prep was well worth it because not only did I have a solid index, I had gone over every piece of material shortly leading up to my test.

I did almost get blind sided by the clock though. I finished with about 2 minutes left. Please do also keep in mind certs are not remotely necessary. There's a person on my team that has zero certs but runs circles around me during forensic investigations.

Have you had success with other certs in the past?

I know some people have poor test taking skills, which can make these tests harder. A old friend of mine took 3 tries to get CISSP.

If you’ve had success in the past, then maybe these exams are just giving you issues. But you mentioned attention/focus issues.

If your ADHD isn’t treated, first step is to go see a dr. Then you should be able to attend all the classes without skipping.

You could just not be a great test taker because of . Getting your mental health treated and being stable will help you with keeping focus during the test too.

You also need to understand that many of these cert exams ask questions and expect specific answers solely based on the materials taught. This means you must forget any of your other experiences and knowledge when takes these tests.

Certifications are like gate keeping. Some are more difficult so they keep “prestige” because the less people that can earn it means it carries more weight. Usually the marketing is something like “get this cert so you can prove x amount of knowledge”. And that’s not really the mindset you need going into the test - that’s just marketing.