9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Mixed opinions, February 8, 2007
This review is from: The Ultimate Security+ Certification Exam Cram 2 Study Kit (Exam SYO-101) (Paperback)
Firstly, let me state it for anyone who is not familiar with exam cram books, this book is an abridged publication. It will not cut it as a primary learning tool in any respects. This in itself is a weakness, but generally with exam cram books this is expected.
With that in mind, I will try to give a fair rating to this book. I'll break it into two parts 1) Study guide & 2) test booklet
STUDY GUIDE -
A long time ago, I used an exam cram book to help me with the network+ exam. It did the job perfectly. The security+ test, however, is considered a mile wide and an inch deep. This little study guide simply doesn't have enough in it to cover ALL of the material (no book usually does, but the abridged format should've allowed it to), nor does it go enough into detail to sufficiently explain the topics it does cover the information. I know the book is abridged, but the subject matter is abridged to begin with. Instead of a "mile wide and an inch deep", this book is 3/4 of a mile wide and a half inch deep. To me, that doesn't make for a great source for even "cramming". I say this because the test involves actually understanding the materials rather than memorizing facts. I think it comes up short in this respect.
Question Book-
The book full of questions also gave some mixed results. It did a good job of providing unique questions for the entire subject matter of the test. I did not like how it announced what it was specifically asking a question about before it asked it. This happened A LOT. For instance before it started asking questions about "security policy", this is how it read:
4.5.2.1 SECURITY POLICY
Which of the following involves a broad policy set forth by management on how security should be handled?
a) Password policy
b) Security Policy
c) Procedures
d) Guidelines
You know exactly what the answer will be, long before finishing the question. It was even worse when this type of question was the ONLY question for the topic. That doesn't do you any good.
My second gripe was the accuracy of the answers. This was the third set of books I read on the subject, and some answers seemed to clash with what I read in the other books. Some parts did more to confuse me (due to the contradictory nature) than actually help me. Considering the other books I've read were Shon Harris' CISSP book and the security+ book by Greg White, I am going to have to guess that this was the book in error. Now don't get me wrong 90% of it was spot on accurate... so it did a decent job... but 5% was filled with "poor questions" where the questions were ambiguous, poorly worded or had grammar issues that were difficult to work through. An extra 5% were apparently wrong or contradictory to other information.
In conclusion, I'd say the books were moderately helpful in the end, but overall leave a lot to be desired. I would not rely on these books as the primary factor in passing the test. I think as a primary study guide you may want to use Security+ by gregory white, as well as CISSP all in one by Shon Harris (covers more material than needed for this test, but I'd say 80% overlaps with Security+). Whatever one book didn't cover, the other did. They are very accurate and thorough sources of information and are extremely good in helping people understand the material.
ABOUT THE TEST:
While people say that Security+ is an "entry level" security certification, people need to realize this isn't an entry level category. Security+ requires users to have a great deal of experience/knoweledge in the IT field, otherwise you probably will fail. I was very suprised when I started studying for this test. It covers a large spectrum of technology and applications and also goes enough into detail that you have to actually know and understand the technology and procedures involved. I have used this test as a steping stone for the CISSP (there is a LOT of overlapping), and I think it is well worth the effort.
Who needs to take this test? Well I'd reccommend it before taking the MCSE (it gives you credit towards a MCSE/MCSA requirement. It is also a great way to prepare towards a CISSP, the most accepted security certification. Really, it is like a more reasonable form of the CISSP being that it is widely available at testing centers and costs far less to take the test. I think this certification is dragged down because of the "easy" reputation of A+ and Network+, which truly are "entry level" tests. Anyone who wants to show security competence should take this test..
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good last minute study guide, December 27, 2005
This review is from: The Ultimate Security+ Certification Exam Cram 2 Study Kit (Exam SYO-101) (Paperback)
This book is a great book to test your knowledge for the Security+ exam. I bought this along with the 'All-in-One Security+ Exam Guide' and found the two together to contain a wealth of information.
While I would not recommend the Exam Cram 2 by itself, it does what it supposed to: provide a quick review for most of the information within the exam. I also found the CD to be very helpful, providing several questions that I had not seen elsewhere.
By using the Exam Cram 2, along with the All-in-One study guide anyone with a pre-existing knowledge in networking or computing should be able to pass the Security+ exam.
I passed the test using the materials mentioned above.
MY BACKGROUND: I have a firm knowledge-base in the CCNA and several years on the job experience with networking and software technologies. If you do not have this experience, you may need more study materials, or possibly just read more into the materials that I have mentioned above.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Helpful but confusing..., September 10, 2008
This review is from: The Ultimate Security+ Certification Exam Cram 2 Study Kit (Exam SYO-101) (Paperback)
This book was good study material for the Security+ test but there were aspects of it that were confusing. Many of the answers to the practice tests directly contradicted information in the book and some questions were worded very ambiguously. The practice tests included actually made me doubt my ability to pass the exam but I still showed up to take the test anyway. I passed no problem.
Bottom line is....this book is decent study material for the test, it includes a pretty good overview of all of the objectives and covers all the important points, but the actually practice questions and tests are sub-par in my opinion.
PS: This book is for the earlier edition of Security+, not the 2007 edition. If you use this book to study for the 2007 edition (which I did) also be prepared to answer questions about WPA/WPA2 and anomaly-based IDS systems, which are not covered in the book.
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