Because of the Covid-19 pandemic’s 600% increase in cybercrime, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 31% increase in cybersecurity positions by 2029. A cybersecurity expert’s job is to keep current as hackers broaden their techniques, including social media misinformation campaigns, IoT-based assaults and phone calls promising bogus refunds.
Certifications are the best method to do this. You need to establish that you have the basic abilities needed to conduct security duties in IT security by obtaining a certification as an entry-level cybersecurity analyst.
New Cyber Security Career Track has been created by Springboard and CompTIA, the world’s biggest industry group. This credential from CompTIA sets the basis for specialised cybersecurity careers. Risk assessment and management, incident response, forensics, enterprise networks, hybrid cloud operations, and security controls are all covered in the certification’s core technical competencies.
It is recommended that test-takers for the CompTIA Security+ Certification exam have at least 24 months of experience in network security administration and/or a CompTIA Network+ certification prior to taking the exam. As part of the programme, you’ll go through 30+ labs, 35+ mini-projects, and a final capstone project to ensure you’re ready for the test. These materials were produced in partnership with CompTIA.
- Make sure you’ve got a solid study guide.
The best approach is to use only materials that have been approved by CompTIA, such as a study guide with the CAQC seal or a CompTIA test prep book. This will guarantee that you’re using the official CompTIA training materials. Although CompTIA does not share real exam questions, online study materials can still be beneficial. However, they may provide a less accurate idea of what to expect on the exam.
It is included in Springboard’s Cyber Security Career Track for those students who are enrolled in this course. The official CompTIA study guide may be purchased at the company’s website. It’s a good idea to join a CompTIA Security+ community to study with other like-minded people, keep motivated, and get answers to your questions from other test takers as well as subject matter experts themselves.
- Create a study schedule.
Begin your test preparation by going through CompTIA’s official study guide to obtain an overview of what you need to know and discover any gaps in your knowledge. This shouldn’t take you more than a few hours to complete. Consider your current knowledge of security technology, and then devise a study plan to match. There are a few things to keep in mind:
- How much time you have each day/week to study
- When you’re trying to get a certification
Students participating in our Cyber Security Career Track will be given the opportunity to design a study plan early on. When it comes time to prepare for the CompTIA Security+ test, you’ll be primarily re-reading information you’ve already studied. An overview for your study materials will look somewhat like this.
Only one or two units should be studied every day, according to CompTIA’s recommendation. You should plan on studying for the test for at least 60 hours, so you may want to spread out your preparation across a few weeks.
Taking notes, searching up unfamiliar terminology in a glossary, and then utilising review questions to evaluate and reinforce what you’ve learned are all part of the process of studying each subject. As a result, you will need to study more if you don’t already have the necessary 24 months of experience prior to taking the test or a Network+ certification from CompTIA (a recommended prerequisite).
- A good rule of thumb is to break up your studies into manageable parts.
The certification objectives can be downloaded or printed to help you plan your study. It’s essential to memorise definitions and concepts for the multiple-choice questions, while performance-based questions assess your ability to connect ideas and solve issues creatively. As you study, keep these abilities in mind… It’s important to keep things interesting and fresh by alternating between reading through the study guides and answering review questions and viewing videos.
Supplement your learning with additional materials like flashcards and practise examinations (more on that later), as well as virtual laboratories by Sprintzeal. Cybersecurity vulnerabilities and defences, such as malware, databases and firewalls are all included in a virtual lab environment. At Springboard, you’ll use virtual laboratories to design and test various security defences over your course experience.
- Exam domains should be familiarised with.
Make a list of domains to examine, as well as specific things to examine inside each of those realms. Key terms, concepts and visuals should be included. Make a list of things like subnetting, endpoint security, and network access control under the heading “secure network architecture.” Learn a subject before going on to another one. A large number of ideas will be related to each other when you study for the test.
- The performance-based questions should be prepared for.
It takes more time to solve performance-based questions than multiple-choice ones. The key to answering as many questions as possible throughout the exam is to use your time properly. This is a simulated lab; thus it may not have all of the features of a real PBQ environment. Ex-test-takers suggest starting with the multiple-choice questions and then moving on to the short-answer questions (PBQs).
- Take at least three mock examinations to get familiar with the material.
CompTIA’s website is the best place to find practise questions. If you need to practise a specific area of study, such as malware or social engineering, you may locate online mock examinations with a random set of questions or find quizzes by exam topic.
