CompTIA Security+ SY0-301 (Exam Cram) 3rd Edition

I recently switched jobs from software engineering into an IT position for the first time. The job required a Security+ certification so I looked at the Comptia website to see what study materials they recommended. This particular book showed up on their list of authorized study materials and as it was one of the least expensive study options, I gave this book a try. I read through the entire book twice and took the practice exams (included in the CD) about a dozen times. After about 2 weeks of studying only this book, I took the SY0-301 exam and passed with a score of 843 (out of 900).The book itself is easy to read and the information is easy to digest. Compared to the other books I've seen, this book is also relatively thin and may be good for one that doesn't have a lot of time to read through a phone book sized study guide.What I found really useful was the included CD containing 200 questions (2 Practice Exams worth). Although the questions included did not match any of the questions I encountered in the exam, the materials covered by the book and the CD allowed me to pass the exam. It is noted that in the actual exam, there were a few questions that I encountered that I don't recall ever studying about but I expected that from reading about the nature of the exam.The reason that I am only giving 4 stars is due to the errors I encountered in the study material (including the CD). For example, there was one practice question where 2 of the 4 multiple choice answers were identical and the correct answer was nowhere to be found. After answering that question incorrectly, the answer explanation did not match what was highlighted as the correct answer. It's little errors like these that mar an otherwise great study guide.

First off skip to chapter twelve and read the section on symmetrical and asymmetrical encryption. They are mentioned all through the book describing different exception methods yet these basics are not explained until around page 300. So read that first quickly, its just a paragraph then go back and start from the beginning. If you don't the entire book will make no sense.The material itself is just ok, a lot of useless material and poorly written descriptions. You can tell when the authors do not fully understand the topic and just try and sound smart. Entire paragraphs make no sense.DO NOT fall for the 70% off to get two additional practice exams. The premium addition which includes an the e-book format that all other vendors include for free is suppose to provide 2 additional practice exams which would be the main reason someone would order it. Instead you get a new product in the exam engine with three exams, two of which were included with the book meaning you only get one ONE additional exam.Phone support is routed out of the country and are of no help, you will have to charge back your credit card.If your time is valuable be warned purchasing the premium addition will mean an hour or so to call support and get nowhere and fight with your credit card company to get a charge back issued.The book does however help you prepare for the exam but not for the beginner. Check the authors credentials, they do not hold many industry certs.

The book is a very easy read and gets to the point. I read through it in two days. Pro of the book is that it is concise and covers the topics that you will see on the test and it has the CD where you can practice. Con is that it is too concise and you will need to use additional resources to cover the topics more in-depth. However, it is a good book to start off as a base to see which topics you are not familiar with. I used it along with some of Prof Messer's videos, I only watched topics that I wasn't confident about.I studied and using this book and other resources within a week. Use this book to gain the basic concepts needed. Its a pretty good base to study. I'll recommend this for those that don't have much time and want an efficient book to study.

This book is a must have for anyone planning to take CompTia SYO-301 Certification. While there are other reference materials to study for this certification i credit this cram book for helping me pass the exam. The practice exams will there you you need to focus your study. Another student in my class. Sat for the certification a few days before I did. He was a bright kid, but did not pass.. He did not use this book to study. If he had I felt he would have passed. He did have the the in depth review this book provides. This is the third such book I have bought and I passed A+, Network+, and Security+ Certifications. I

I recently had to take the security + exam and I used nothing more than this book and a few other online websites for exam questions to review. This book was great for me. I do have some background in IT but nothing in the areas covered here. It was short and concise and easy for me to get the necessary facts to pass the test. I give it 4 stars only because the practice exam questions were poorly written compared to others I tried online. You also had to install a program to run the test questions which seems silly.

Couple examples on stuff which bugged me about the questions: Why would you set up a question so that one of the characters has to hand over her private key to someone else for the answer to work out correctly? And when you say "last rule you would see on a corporate firewall", do you mean final rule or the rule you least expect to see?Unless they're prepping you for how dumb the test is going to be, some (ok, quite a few) of the questions are worded nonsensically. That said it'll definitely point out where you should be using Wikipedia to research stuff you don't know.Also, a shout out to the Professor Messer videos someone else mentioned- those rock.

Good study guide

Excellent book covering all the topics and all the important points. It helped me to clear my exam. What more can you expect. It does Easy to revise all the topics with this book. Thanks.

Very Good book, Great exam tips and CD has loads of exam sample questions. Would advise anyone doing COMPTia exams to go for this book.