CompTIA CybersecurityAnalyst+ (CySA+) Review
Note: Links to resources are at the bottom of the page
How I studied
All CySA+ material required you to learn what CompTIA considered the correct actions in a security analyst position. As I had recently finished my SOC analyst internship at ReliaQuest, this required me to unlearn certain things I was taught. I utilized the Jason Dion Udemy course to learn the breadth of the content. A lot of it was more theory based in comparison to the Security+. The content was good, but a lot of it was covered in my study for the Security+, so it felt like more of a refresher. Notes on the content were on paper, as writing helped me retain the knowledge more. The Jason Dion quiz questions themselves seemed ambiguous. Furthermore, there were lots of repeat questions from his past Security+ course on Udemy. After exhausting his course and associated practice questions, I found the Sybex practice questions book. It provided the most help by far in preparation for the exam.
Alongside the book, I created around 250 flashcards to aid in my study based off terms from the objectives. I completed around 1300 questions in total. I worked in 100 question “sprints”, where I would take 100 questions and then go over all of them before progressing. Anything I fell short on, I would watch a YouTube video or Google. Certify Breakafast was my favorite YouTube channel for covering the objectives I missed. The questions were harder than the exam in retrospect but ended up being very useful in preparation. After scoring a steady 85% on the Sybex questions, I decided I was ready.
Test Tips
Similar to the Security+, it’s beneficial to save the PBQs for last. They were a bit of a headache at the beginning, so diving right into the multiple choice helped break ground on the exam.
If I were to study again
Since I took the Security+ several months prior, my study again perspective looks slightly different than someone who hasn’t. I would look over the objectives and study terms I don’t know using flashcards and YouTube videos. Notes would still be on paper in lieu of digital ones. After getting the content down, I would leverage the Sybex practice questions to identity areas I was weak on. I would do at least 1000 questions to ensure I could reliably score an 80%. For the PBQs, I would recommend Cyberkraft as they are as close as you can get to the real exam.
In Summary
This exam felt like Security++ throughout its content. The theory was a bit of a challenge to get down given previous experience in the industry. Overall, the exam felt easier and was more focused on critical thinking. I’m glad I took the exam, and looking forward to the next one!
Links to Resources mentioned:
Thank you for reading!
- Sharp
