Today, I passed the CompTIA Security+ 701 exam with a score of 768 out of 900. It was a challenging experience, and I’d like to share my thoughts on the exam, how I prepared, and what tools helped me along the way.
Hitting the Language Barrier
English isn’t my first language, so reading and understanding the questions took extra effort. Time management was especially tough.
But if I want to work in an English-speaking environment, this is something I need to get used to. Recently, I’ve also noticed that my reading speed has slowed down—even in Japanese—so this exam helped me realize an area I need to improve.
"Some People Pass in Just 1–2 Weeks!?"
I was honestly surprised to see people online saying they passed the exam after just a week or two of study. For me, it felt quite difficult—probably because of the language barrier. But that’s okay. Everyone has their own pace.
How Long Did I Study?
I already had some foundational knowledge from passing ICS's Cybersecurity Certificate (CC) last year, so I was familiar with basic concepts (like the term “bollard,” for example).
I studied for about 2–3 months:
- Month 1: 0–0.5 hours per day
- Month 2: 0–1 hour per day
- Month 3: 0–3 hours per day
During this time, I was also working almost full time and managing daily chores—just like everyone else.
Study Materials and Tools I Used
📘 CompTIA Security+ Study Guide
I didn’t read it cover to cover. Instead, I used it as a reference whenever I didn’t understand a topic in practice exams.
📝 Professor Messer’s Practice Exams ($40)
This includes 3 full practice exams. The questions were easier and more straightforward than the real exam. PBQs (Performance-Based Questions) were included, but they were much easier than what I faced on test day.
Still, the exams were well-structured and great for reviewing concepts. I usually scored 83–90%.
🧠 Jason Dion’s Practice Exams (about $15)
There are two sets, each with 6 practice exams. PBQs weren’t included. The difficulty level was closer to the actual exam, but some questions were oddly worded and even after reading the explanations, I sometimes couldn’t fully understand the reasoning.
My first scores were around 60–70%, but I gradually improved to 80–85%, and scored 86% on the final one I took.
🤖 ChatGPT
Whenever I couldn’t understand a concept, I asked ChatGPT. Explaining things back in my own words helped a lot. Using the voice feature felt like having a personal tutor—I could ask anything and reinforce my memory effectively.
🧠 Anki
I used flashcards for port numbers and acronyms. They were super helpful for memorization.
✍️ GoodNotes on iPad
GoodNotes made it easy to annotate PDFs, especially for Professor Messer’s practice exams.
Thoughts on PBQs
The real exam’s PBQs were way harder than any I practiced. I almost skipped one or two of them.
If you're studying, don’t underestimate PBQs!
They require quick thinking and can be more complex than multiple-choice questions.
Even if you don’t do well on the PBQs, you can still pass if you score well on the other questions—so don’t give up!
Exam Day Conditions
I slept about 5–6 hours. I was still recovering from a cold, so I took Tylenol to manage symptoms. I also took half a dose of a Japanese sleeping pill (Dorieru) the night before. Maybe next time, I’ll take a full one for better rest.
Final Thoughts
Compared to the CC exam, this one felt much tougher—especially the risk management parts. I'm more interested in technical areas, so topics like business continuity planning and disaster recovery were a challenge.
There weren’t any questions about Linux commands or how to operate SIEM tools, which was a bit disappointing since that’s what I enjoy. I realized I’m stronger with technical, hands-on knowledge than management concepts.
Still, it was a valuable learning experience, and I’m proud I passed.
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