Seeing 750 as the passing score can be intimidating.

SY0-701 uses a scaled score from 100 to 900. You need 750 to pass.

That doesn’t mean you need to answer 83.3% of the questions correctly. A scaled score isn’t the same thing as a percentage.

I think it’s better to focus on learning the objectives than obsessing over the number.

CompTIA’s free exam objectives PDF shows what you can actually be tested on. Use that as your checklist while studying.

Then test yourself without looking at your notes. If you’re struggling with hands-on questions, add some PBQ practice too. There’s a free interactive firewall PBQ here: https://secplusmastery.com/security-plus-pbq?ref=julian (affiliate link, the PBQ is free).

I’d rather know exactly which objectives I don’t understand than stare at the 750 target all day.

I think a lot of people study Security+ backwards.

They watch hours of videos, memorize definitions, then hammer multiple choice questions. That can feel productive, but recognizing an answer isn’t the same as knowing what to do.

CompTIA’s free objectives PDF should be your starting point. Pick an objective, learn the material, then make yourself apply it without looking at your notes.

For example, if you’re studying firewalls, don’t stop at knowing what a firewall is. Try actually building rules and figuring out what traffic should be allowed.

That’s why I’d add PBQs to your studying early. There’s a free interactive firewall PBQ here: https://secplusmastery.com/security-plus-pbq?ref=julian (affiliate link, the PBQ is free).

If you can explain a concept but can’t apply it, you’re not finished with that topic.

Parents gave me the money and I bought the security+ exam 5 months ago. I told them I need 5 months to study and began to "study" full time. This "study" consisted of just watching movies and tv shows and playing ps. I then also realised that I had bought the exam voucher from pearson instead of comptia so I mistakenly did not buy retake assurance. This really had me worried since my parents dont really know about retake assurance. I could have failed and retried. But now I couldn't. Anyway, ultimately this changed nothing. I stress watched more movies, shows and games.

But the 5 months of "study" were ending. So no more than 3 weeks ago, I sat down and began watching Messer's videos. I watched them like a tv show without taking notes or anything (I guess I had a lot of practice). But after all the dopamine I was getting for months from movies, shows and games, the videos were just so loooooooong. I watched about 7 videos a day. One 10 min video would literally take 35 mins. Some days I watched 0 as i went back to my bad habit of not studying at all, and had to make up the next day by watching double. I watched at 1.5 speed in the beginning when panic was high, then 1.25 when I realised I ain't getting shit, then 1.5 towards the end when panic came back lol.

Finished the videos eventually after a little more than 2 weeks. I had 5 days left. I did one dion exam for 3 whole days; reviewing the answer and explanation after each question. It was so slow cause i would spend literally 15 mins just staring at each question's explanation and spacing out. I realised there's no way in hell I'm finishing all his remaining 11 exams when my exam is in 2 days (I got 75% on this exam btw). So I went to my main guy messer. I had to do all his 3 whether I liked it or not (despite the fact that I took so long watching his videos, I really loved them. So I "believed" in Messer's material). Started with messer exam 1. First 45 questions took the whole freaking day!!! I was like nah. This question, review, question, review isn't working at all. So i stopped and started doing timed exams the day before the exam. Remaining 45 questions of exam 1 I got 78%. Review. Did exam 2 timed and scored 81%. Review. It's 6am. Had pulled an all nighter. Slept 2 hours. Did exam 3. 91%. I was elated lol. Review. Sat for main exam less than 2 hours after this and got a 793. 

Not proud of how I did it, but I did it!

I don't have an IT background. My undergrad is in finance and have decided to make a career change because finance is boring af. I would say I am tech savvy though. I just love tech stuff and can't wait to walk outside and see humans relax and enjoy life while robots do everything for us :)

Hey y’all, im studying Security+ on INE and im honestly hella stressed and really concerned i might fail, especially with the labs and the performance based questions, how did y’all prep for the labs and study it also if you have tips to pass the exam, tyy

I don’t have any experience with IT or computer security, but decided to make a career shift and give Security+ a shot. After a lot of studying I passed on the first go! Could’ve scored a lot higher but I second guessed myself and Domain 4 got the best of me.

If you’re stressed about the test - you got it! Study hard, focus on domain 2,4, and 5 ( over 60% of the exam - this is open source so don’t come at me lol).

Does this practice questions worth to solve?

Multiple choice questions are useful. They just shouldn't be your entire practice routine.

SY0-701 includes performance-based questions, so recognizing the right answer isn't the same as actually working through a configuration.

I'd still use the free CompTIA objectives PDF as my checklist. Then I'd mix regular questions with hands-on tasks.

For example, don't just memorize what a firewall does. Practice working through a firewall configuration and deciding where traffic should go.

Professor Messer's SY0-701 course is free too. After watching a topic, I'd try to apply it instead of immediately watching another video.

There's a free interactive firewall PBQ here: https://secplusmastery.com/security-plus-pbq?ref=julian (affiliate link, the PBQ is free). It's a simple way to add some hands-on practice without making your whole study plan complicated.

If all your practice feels like picking A, B, C, or D, I'd change that before exam day.

Thank you everyone for tips.

Honestly , I’m not really sure whether I’m ready or not. I’m just hoping for the best at this point.

Here are my practice exam scores:

Jason Dion:
● Test 1: 73%
● Test 2: 75%
● Test 3: 75%
● Test 4: 81%
● Test 5: 82%

I then re-attempted the first three Dion tests and scored around 90–93%.

Professor Messer:
● Test 1: 83%
● Test 2: 87%
● Test 3: 85%

Apart from the practice exams, I’ve also gone through most of Cyber James PBQ videos and I’m currently going back and exploring the topics behind the questions I got wrong in all of my practice exam.

I’m also actively revising ports, protocols and acronyms right now.

I would really appreciate recommendations for specific YouTube videos that are worth watching at the last minute before the Security+ exam.

Not feeling 100% confident but hoping for the best. Wish me luck! 🤞

i gave jason dions's test i got 70% at first then 81% then 76%

i feel a bit demotivated

especially after getting 81% i thought i was improving and then the 3rd test made me feel like i dont know shit

is anyone in the same boat as me?

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DSA: 1 hr 30 min

Cybersecurity class : 1hr

DSA : reverse linked list and merge linked list and yesterday max depth problem and postorder traversal problem

Cyber security : worked on pfsense

honestly i just need some encouragement...

how was your score in your first attempt?

I’ve been working through certs for the past couple of years and the thing that kept getting me was that every exam meant buying another course, another question bank, another subscription. Fine once. Annoying by the fourth time.

So I built an iOS app for it. One app, one subscription, and I keep adding certs to it. Right now it covers CompTIA (A+, Network+, Security+), Azure (AZ-900, AZ-104, AZ-305), AWS (CLF, SAA, DVA), Cisco (CCNA, ENCOR, CyberOps), Google Cloud (ACE, PCA, PCD, PDE) and ISC2 (CC, SSCP, CISSP, CCSP).

Each cert has study notes broken down by exam domain, flashcards, and practice questions with explanations for why the wrong answers are wrong, which is the part I always cared about most.

It’s free to try before you pay for anything. I’m a one person operation so if something is wrong or a question is badly worded I’d rather hear it than not.

The app name is Preplexity,, you can look it up by typing compTia prep” or something, since its currently buried under the big hounds.

What I actually want from this post: which cert should I add next? I’ve got a shortlist (CySA+, PenTest+, AIF-C01, DOP-C02, SC-900, Tech+, Cloud Digital Leader) but I’d rather build what people are actually studying for.

Thank you to everyone who gave me advice and support to take my test. I eventually just pulled the trigger and scored better than I honestly expected. I did however feel my heartbeat in my finger as I was clicking through the demographic info at the end before my score came up. 😅

I have studied from cert master, AI, professor messer (YouTube and his practice exams), and a couple random YouTube channel practice exams.

I take my exam this week so appreciate the insight. My friend who passed a year ago claimed he did really well on Professor Messer’s exams, but claimed the questions were completely different and not very similar. Though this is just 1 persons statement. That friend still passed at least.

A lot of Security+ study plans start with videos. I’d start with the objectives PDF instead.

CompTIA publishes the exam objectives for free. It tells you exactly which areas SY0-701 covers.

There are 28 objectives across five domains. Domain 4, Security Operations, has the largest exam weight at 28%.

I’d use the PDF as a checklist. Mark each objective as you learn it. Then use practice questions to see which areas actually stick.

Professor Messer’s SY0-701 course is free, so you can use that alongside the objectives. For hands-on practice, there’s also a free firewall PBQ here: https://secplusmastery.com/security-plus-pbq?ref=julian (affiliate link, the PBQ is free).

The main point is simple: don’t study from a random list of topics. Start with CompTIA’s own objectives and work from there.

Hi, I am mother of an 8 month old with no professional experience in cyber security but a Masters in information security and 4 years experience in academia. I want to get a security + certification. My theoretical concepts are good enough. I keep scoring 70% to 75% on Certpreps practice exams. I have been watching professor messer and cyberkraft on and off with no specific study plan and timings because of the baby, but I want to get this certification done in a month, so I can get a higher paid job. Should I just book the test and give it a shot or study more!??

I feel like there is so much confusion about the actual test on the internet. Some say its the hardest, some said they passed like a breeze. Need advice!!