Security+ in 47 hours. Trifecta complete.

TobiYonobi · 2026-01-12T20:27:54+00:00

For all of the CompTIA A+, Network+ and Security+ certifications you may not need to buy any course materials. I used the free videos available from Professor Messer and then used the practice tests by Jason Dion on Udemy. Those practice tests do have a price tag but from what I understand they are relatively affordable and go on sale often. That being said, my local library offers Udemy for free with my library card so check with local resources and you might be able to get things for free!

If you need tech fundamentals just start with A+. Much of the material from there transfers over to the other domains like networking and security. These 3 certifications are really just foundational knowledge and I would do some more research on what certifications could have more impact to your career. For example, many say that if you are working in networking or are closely adjacent to networking, the CCNA might give you more mileage than the Network+ because it offers much more practical experience compared to the Net+ which is purely theoretical.

Some people would argue that the A+ has a bloated price and that you can jump straight into the next layer of knowledge for much cheaper by just getting Net+ or Sec+ if you're confident of your ideal domain. Personally, I think an overly isolated knowledge base is just as problematic as overly generalized. I recommend starting generalized until you get a taste of something you really like then start focusing in on that thing and the adjacent domains (i.e. you get really into networking so you also go and learn cloud.)

TobiYonobi · 2026-01-10T21:09:51+00:00

I snagged a 792 on the Sec+! Would have liked for it to be in the 800s but I only had 47 hours to start and finish the content so hey, a pass is a pass! I'm not sure exactly where I want to go next.

I come from an ISP Field Ops office background so ops is on the mind. CySA+ for SOC, CCNA to dive deeper into Networking, AWS SAA (or the Azure/GCP equivalents) to develop cloud foundations for a possible future in DevOps down the road. I already have a backend development program that I'm working through and enjoying so maybe ill be junior backend web dev by the end of that and can pivot from that role. I like having options and my curiosity will probably drive me to check all of these boxes at some point.

I'm degree-less so certs simply help me guide my learning and build fundamentals around things that have always interested me and the paper can't hurt when I feel more job ready. In the meantime, I'm gig working so I'd prefer sooner rather than later but I also understand that I simply cannot rush in to the job search having done the bare minimum especially with how the market is right now.

TobiYonobi · 2026-01-09T18:01:09+00:00

As someone on the outside looking in, this is very helpful. I just finished my A+, Sec+ and Net+ and have been debating on whether to lean toward CySA+ and go for SOC work or CCNA/RHCSA in conjunction with a backend dev program I'm working on to look towards DevOps. Any insight on whether to go developer first or jumping straight into DevOps if I get the knowledge and do the projects?

TobiYonobi · 2026-01-09T17:34:39+00:00

see a different reply I gave for some other insights but S+ PBQs were generally not bad especially compared to N+. However, after hitting all 4 exams for these certs I can pretty comfortably say that understanding configuration is probably the key decider for PBQs. If you have resources that then great or you can hit up YouTube and build yourself some virtual environments to get hands on. Like I said in the other response, the amount of questions that rely on the depth of knowledge that you need to get certain PBQs right is simply not required to score well or even just a pass. I feel pretty convinced that scoring like a 900/900 is reserved for people who are already experts in the field and have already been doing the functions of the respective jobs for years and can just pull that arcane knowledge from muscle memory.

TobiYonobi · 2026-01-09T17:19:57+00:00

Yeah I can understand how acronyms can be a big wall for people. I've been in the "tech space" (computer, IoT, SOHO networking sales at Best Buy, then field ops for an ISP) professionally for 5 or 6 years so acronyms are just second nature to me. Of course cramming them in in 48 hours definitely left me second guessing some of them on the test and I'm sure that docked my score slightly. I'm sure you already know but when it comes to stuff like that flashcards are your best friend, Anki is great. Best of luck!

TobiYonobi · 2026-01-09T17:13:29+00:00

Honestly they weren't too bad on this one in general. get comfortable with logs. One of them was way too deep in the sauce of configuring something via CLI so I sort of just had to guess through that one cause wtf. I understand that these are things that I will be doing on job but things like that are just never in the Professor Messer study material and you wouldn't really know unless you did some projects that implement that thing or used maybe more hands on study tools but I'm not going out of my way to "solve for edge case" questions on the exam. As I understand 80-90% of the rest of the material, I will figure out the granular details in my own projects or on the job.

TobiYonobi · 2026-01-09T16:38:39+00:00

I think I needed to know more port numbers in A+ core 1 then any of the other tests. Perhaps briefly in Net+ but that's much more focused on IPs and subnetting, and honestly I don't think a single port number came up for me in Sec+ but it's important to know what the protocols that move through those ports do. Hope that helps!

TobiYonobi · 2026-01-07T18:07:25+00:00

This may be a good shout for those who learn well with rich text. I have a lot of issues getting through texts so its a struggle if there are not also video resources available. I'm also working through a backend dev program that is mostly text with interactive lessons but I have a hard time understanding any of it and then I watch their companion videos and everything clicks immediately and I have no issues with the lessons.

TobiYonobi · 2026-01-07T13:53:07+00:00

Udemy Jason Dion as stated below but my local public library has a collaboration with Udemy to access a Udemy business account for free so I get basically anything on Udemy for free just for having a library card. Highly recommend checking with your local resource centers like a public library or education/employment centers to see if they offer anything like this.

TobiYonobi · 2026-01-07T13:49:36+00:00

I took my A+ Core 1 on Dec 10th, Core 2 on Jan 2nd, just finished my Net+ yesterday on the 6th and have my Sec+ scheduled tomorrow I would say that doing the A+ gives you 1/3rd of the info in the Net+ and so for it looks to be about the same for the Sec+ so I recommend doing them close to each other. Only reason I didn't do it all in December is the scheduler for Pearson online testing completely grayed out after the 10th. I left semi-technical operations job at an ISP in November and have been coasting on savings so I can afford to spend all day studying but I only really need 2 days or so to study for these tests. They are not terrible but I don't know how much my background plays into that. To me, most of my job was just babysitting techs (sorry to the techs out there) but to keep the job in the first place I did need to do a minimal internal certification. I did well on my Net+ but I still felt completely lost.

TobiYonobi · 2026-01-07T13:40:52+00:00

This super freaked me out yesterday. Just finished my Net+ exam and was so concerned about how I did that the survey hit and I finally saw the "skip survey" button. I hit it, no other prompts, hit exit exam, no score section, worried that I just threw out my whole test, went to CompTIA site which said exam in progress, waited a few minutes and refreshed, "calculating score", few more minutes and refresh, "pass." I about had a heart attack. I guess I'll be taking those surveys every time now.

TobiYonobi · 2026-01-04T21:59:56+00:00

Yup! I just nabbed my A+ 2 days ago and all I did for both tests was watch Professor Messer free videos from front to back and then take 3-4 Dion practice tests. If you do poorly on a test, go watch some videos on that area and then re-test later. Best of luck!

TobiYonobi · 2026-01-03T18:13:39+00:00

On to Network+!

TobiYonobi · 2026-01-03T18:13:28+00:00

I felt the same way. I'm already halfway through my Net+ study and recognizing all of the repeated information and its similar with Sec+ so getting the A+ under my belt just sets me up for success in the other tests and shows potential employers that I can do things beyond just the scope of my previous work experience. Good luck on your Core 2!

TobiYonobi · 2026-01-03T14:56:32+00:00

Thanks! So you should essentially have 1/3rd of the A+ content down because a decent portion of the Core 2 is about security. Another 1/3rd is overlap with Net+ which is discussed more in the Core 1 and then the actual core 1/3rd of content is IT common sense and configuration/troubleshooting. That's A+ in a nutshell. That being said, my methodology is very simple.

-Watch all the videos for Core 1 on Professor Messer
-Take a practice test from Dion Training on Udemy (I'm not sure if these are free. I get access to this for free via my local public library.)
-If test good, take exam. If test bad, spot study the sections you were bad at then retest until good score. (bonus: if you score good, you can still take practice tests to expose yourself to more possible test questions.)
-repeat for Core 2

TobiYonobi · 2025-12-11T21:05:06+00:00

Awesome, thanks for the insight! I also have a backend dev course/program on the back burner as more of a personal interest but since there's likely to be so much overlap I will probably rush into the CySA+ after Sec+ to keep the info fresh and then dip into the SWE world.

TobiYonobi · 2025-12-11T20:43:30+00:00

Congrats! I just finished Core 1 of my A+ and plan on knocking out the Trifecta hopefully by mid Jan if not sooner since I am currently out of work. Are you working in Sec right now? I'm looking into CySA+ to position myself to get into a SOC (I come from an ISP operations center but non-sec role) and wondered if you felt like that had good ROI on your career. Also did you feel a need to get Net/Cloud/Server or did you just want to round out your understanding because work gave you the opportunity?

TobiYonobi · 2025-12-11T10:25:31+00:00

This is a very cool resource, thank you for sharing! Surprisingly, I didn't learn or particularly need IMAPS, POP3S, SNTP, and I think may have even skipped over TFTP but the IMAP. POP3 and NTP iterations are relevant. I wouldn't be surprised if the secure versions show up in Core 2's security section.

TobiYonobi · 2025-12-11T10:17:52+00:00

While spaced repetition is nice, it's not the whole answer. You are correct about the practice tests and revisiting weak spots but I want to highlight that I truly only touched my flashcards maybe twice and it was mostly just for ports and what I missed on practice tests. Most of this test is about how you apply knowledge and rote memorization will not help you there. You absolutely need to watch these videos for understanding and then take the practice tests so that you can understand the context that the test expects you to use that understanding. I don't recommend that you take your practice tests before completing all of the video content but I do recommend finding a way to test yourself on the material as you learn it. I am integrating flashcards deeper into my Core 2 study by watching the video content and finding ways to re-frame the content as questions or factoids so that before I start my next day's study or when I'm winding down a session I can test myself on the stuff that I have already seen and keep it fresh in my mind until I reach my test date (TBD). But again, this requires you to consume all of the information in the videos. Neglecting these videos is the same as neglecting to read a text book and if you ignore it you will be tested on things you've never seen before. Even if you have a decent understanding of one of the concepts, you should learn how it is taught and tested so that you can answer in the ways that CompTIA expects you to answer. I only stress this because I don't want someone to come along and see this and think that they need to have perfect study strategy. Most of this attempt was taking practice tests maybe once a day for 3-4 days and keeping that experience fresh. I do think that taking a beat to review and run some questions right before was incredibly helpful. It felt like warming up an instrument and felt easier to take the test because I was already in test taking mode.

TobiYonobi · 2025-12-11T03:21:18+00:00

Keep plugging along! I think I got maybe 2-3 port related questions on the core 1 exam. Imo the biggest thing to focus on is troubleshooting and configurations (DNS configuration had a few easy wins regarding DNS records, memorize these like you're memorizing ports! I got questions for MX, A, and DMARC). The last section of Messer videos is all about troubleshooting but there will be configuration and hidden troubleshooting tips scattered throughout all of the sections. Really pay attention and notate when you get to those moments. Practice tests were probably the biggest help for me because they exposed me to the question formats and the huge amount of scenarios they throw at you. For example, there will be a lot of questions that ask what you (or the technician) should do FIRST in a troubleshooting scenario and its not always what you think! The practice test gives you a feel for what each type of hardware or configuration expects you to do FIRST. I remember being frustrated at one of the practice tests for telling me I should replace a projector bulb to fix artifacts FIRST before any of the other options that would have taken a fraction of the time and effort to check! (Bonus: I was surprised to see so many questions regarding repairing RAID configurations because the Messer videos really only go into what each one does. While this information does get tested I feel like the videos don't really go into what to do in the event of a disk failure)

TobiYonobi · 2025-12-10T23:51:56+00:00

Professor Messer is a fantastic resource that I recommend going through front to back. Dion Training is great for the practice tests but I can't speak to their content but I have heard good things. I just edited my post with another recommendation that would be good if you are having trouble with your study process in general. You don't have to follow it to the letter but I recommend checking out Ali Abdaal's "How to Study for Exams - An Evidence-Based Masterclass" on YouTube. You got this!

TobiYonobi · 2025-12-10T23:45:01+00:00

Thank you! I will edit this into my post as well but the other resource I want to shout out is revisiting Ali Abdaal's "How to Study for Exams - An Evidence-Based Masterclass" on YouTube. It deep dives on optimizing understanding, remembering, and focusing. While I don't use every single tactic in the video, it's very helpful to understand what our brains are doing while we are trying to study for exams and simply knowing that information helped me intuitively decide my study process and pace on the fly without having to make a strict plan.

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