Before we dig into the content
of the CompTIA SecurityX exam,
I think it's important for us
to quickly discuss some exam tips and tricks.
This will help you study for the exam as you go
through this course,
and it will help you
to focus your efforts to get the most out of this material.
The most important thing to remember when taking the exam
is that there won't be any trick questions.
Every question is precisely worded to match the material
that you studied,
and the knowledge that you have
from previous experience and certifications.
Take the time to read each question multiple times to ensure
that you understand exactly what the question is asking,
and confirm that you are answering
the question that is being asked.
As you read the questions and answers,
always be on the lookout for distractors or red herrings.
Generally, at least one
of the four listed possible answer choices
is written to distract you from the correct answer.
If you can identify the distractor answer
and eliminate it as a possibility,
you exponentially increase your chances
of guessing the correct answer.
Another thing to remember
is that if you see a word in a question with bold, italics,
or in all uppercase letters, you should pay close attention
to that word, because the test writers have decided
that these key words are very important
to consider when answering the question.
These words could be all, and,
or, not, best,
select two, select three,
or other key words and phrases like these.
You get the idea.
Please watch out for these
to answer the question being asked.
Also, remember to answer the questions
based on your CompTIA SecurityX knowledge
and studies from this course,
not your own personal workplace or school experiences.
Your workplace or school may use different methodologies,
tools, and terms when conducting IT
and cybersecurity inside their organization.
When in doubt, you should always select the book answer
on the certification exam
because that is what the test writers are using
when they create the exam questions.
On exam day,
you should always select the best answer.
Each question may have several right answers,
but one is always the most right
because it is true most often
and in most cases.
In the world of IT and security,
there's often not a 100% correct answer
to every question you face in your daily work
100% of the time, and the test is quite similar to this.
So if you read too much into the different answer choices,
you may convince yourself to choose something
that is a fringe case rather than the best answer.
Instead, try to select the answer
that would be used most of the time.
When in doubt, choose the answer that is correct
for the highest number of situations.
So, keep this in mind for exam day.
If there are two options,
and one is a more specific example
that is relevant to the question
and the other is a more generic category
that contains that specific thing,
then choose the more specific thing
since it's the better answer.
Next, I want you to remember
that when you are taking the exam, try not to fight the exam
or the test questions, and instead try to understand
"What is the key concept they're asking me about?"
when answering the test question.
If you can identify the key concept they're asking about
in the question, it will help you increase your score,
I guarantee it.
Also, you do not need to memorize the exact definition
of terms from this course or the textbook word for word.
Instead, you must be able
to recognize them from answer choices
given in the questions.
There are no fill in the blanks on this exam.
It's all multiple-choice or multiple-selection.
In the SecurityX certification,
17 of the 23 objectives, that's 74% of the objectives,
are scenario-based
and require the implementation of concepts,
often with tools.
This means that operations and hands-on experience
is prioritized to a greater degree
in the SecurityX certification than CompTIA's basic courses
such as A+, Network+, and Security+.
So, keep in mind that in SecurityX,
the emphasis lies heavier in the hands-on implementation
of tools and concepts than in simply identifying use cases
for those tools and concepts.
Remember that during certification exams,
you will choose your answer
from a multiple-choice style question
instead of a fill-in-the-blank
or essay type question.
This is the essential difference
between certification testing
and the test you may have taken in high school or college.
In the certification world,
you just need to be able to recognize,
not regurgitate the information.
So remember these exam tips
and they will help you to score higher on the exam
and you'll also have less frustration as you are preparing
for the exam and going through this course.