Chapter 22. Final Preparation

The purpose of this chapter is to demystify the certification preparation process for you. This includes taking a more detailed look at the actual certification exam itself. This chapter shares some helpful ideas on ensuring that you are ready for the exam. Many people become anxious about taking exams, so this chapter gives you the tools to build confidence for exam day.

The first 21 chapters of this book cover the technologies, protocols, design concepts, and considerations required to be prepared to pass the CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+) CS0-002 exam. While these chapters supply the detailed information, most people need more preparation than just reading the first 21 chapters of this book. This chapter details a set of tools and a study plan to help you complete your preparation for the exams.

This short chapter has four main sections. The first section lists the CompTIA CySA+ CS0-002 exam information and breakdown. The second section shares some important tips to keep in mind to ensure you are ready for this exam. The third section discusses exam preparation tools useful at this point in the study process. The final section of this chapter lists a suggested study plan now that you have completed all the earlier chapters in this book.

Exam Information

Here are details you should be aware of regarding the exam that maps to this text.

Exam code: CS0-002

Question types: Multiple-choice and performance-based questions

Number of questions: Maximum of 85

Time limit: 165 minutes

Required passing score: 750 (on a scale of 100 to 900)

Exam fee (subject to change): $359.00 USD

As attackers have learned to evade traditional signature-based solutions, such as firewalls and anti-virus software, an analytics-based approach within the IT security industry is increasingly important for organizations. CompTIA CySA+ applies behavioral analytics to networks to improve the overall state of security through identifying and combating malware and advanced persistent threats (APTs), resulting in an enhanced threat visibility across a broad attack surface. It will validate an IT professional’s ability to proactively defend and continuously improve the security of an organization. CySA+ will verify the successful candidate has the knowledge and skills required to

• Leverage intelligence and threat detection techniques

• Analyze and interpret data

• Identify and address vulnerabilities

• Suggest preventative measures

• Effectively respond to and recover from incidents

Getting Ready

Here are some important tips to keep in mind to ensure that you are ready for this rewarding exam:

• Build and use a study tracker: Consider taking the exam objectives and building a study tracker. This can be a notebook outlining the objectives, with your notes written out. Using pencil and paper can help concentration by making you take the time to think about potential answers to questions that might be asked on the exam for each objective. A study tracker will help ensure that you have not missed anything and that you are confident for your exam. There are other ways, including a sample Study Planner as a website supplement to this book (Appendix E). Whatever works best for you is the right option to use.

• Think about your time budget for questions in the exam: When you do the math, you realize that you have a bit less than 2 minutes per exam question. While this does not sound like enough time, keep in mind that many of the questions will be very straightforward, and you will take 15 to 30 seconds on those. This builds time for other questions as you take your exam.

• Watch the clock: Periodically check the time remaining as you are taking the exam. You might even find that you can slow down pretty dramatically if you have built up a nice block of extra time.

• Consider ear plugs: Some people are sensitive to noise when concentrating. If you are one of them, ear plugs may help. There might be other test takers in the center with you and you do not want to be distracted by them.

• Plan your travel time: Give yourself extra time to find the center and get checked in. Be sure to arrive early. As you test more at that center, you can certainly start cutting it closer time-wise.

• Get rest: Most students report success with getting plenty of rest the night before the exam. All-night cram sessions are not typically successful.

• Bring in valuables but get ready to lock them up: The testing center will take your phone, your smart watch, your wallet, and other such items and will provide a secure place for them.

• Use the restroom before going in: If you think you will need a break during the test, clarify the rules with the test proctor.

• Take your time getting settled: Once you are seated, take a breath and organize your thoughts. Remind yourself that you have worked hard for this opportunity and expect to do well. The 165-minute timer doesn’t start until you tell it to after a brief tutorial. The timer starts when you agree to see the first question.

• Take notes: You will be given note-taking materials, so take advantage of them. Sketch out lists and mnemonics that you memorized. The note paper can be used for any calculations you need, but it is okay to write notes to yourself before beginning.

• Practice exam questions are great—so use them: This text provides many practice exam questions. Be sure to go through them thoroughly. Remember, you shouldn’t blindly memorize answers; instead, let the questions really demonstrate where you are weak in your knowledge and then study up on those areas.

Tools for Final Preparation

This section lists some information about the available tools and how to access the tools.

Pearson Test Prep Practice Test Software and Questions on the Website

Register this book to get access to the Pearson Test Prep practice test software (software that displays and grades a set of exam-realistic, multiple-choice questions). Using the Pearson Test Prep practice test software, you can either study by going through the questions in Study mode or take a simulated (timed) CySA+ exam.

The Pearson Test Prep practice test software comes with two full practice exams. These practice tests are available to you either online or as an offline Windows application. To access the practice exams that were developed with this book, please see the instructions in the card inserted in the sleeve in the back of the book. This card includes a unique access code that enables you to activate your exams in the Pearson Test Prep software. You will find detailed instructions for accessing the Pearson Test Prep software in the Introduction to this book.

Memory Tables

Like most exam Cert Guides, this book purposely organizes information into tables and lists for easier study and review. Rereading these tables and lists can be very useful before the exam. However, it is easy to skim over the tables without paying attention to every detail, especially when you remember having seen the table’s contents when reading the chapter.

Instead of just reading the tables in the various chapters, this book’s Appendixes C and D give you another review tool. Appendix C lists partially completed versions of many of the tables from the book. You can open Appendix C (a PDF available on the book website after registering) and print the appendix. For review, you can attempt to complete the tables. This exercise can help you focus on the review. It also exercises the memory connectors in your brain, and it prompts you to think about the information from context clues, which forces a little more contemplation about the facts.

Appendix D, also a PDF located on the book website, lists the completed tables to check yourself. You can also just refer to the tables as printed in the book.

Chapter-Ending Review Tools

Chapters 1 through 21 each have several features in the “Exam Preparation Tasks” section at the end of the chapter. You might have already worked through these in each chapter. It can also be helpful to use these tools again as you make your final preparations for the exam.

Suggested Plan for Final Review/Study

This section lists a suggested study plan that should guide you, until you take the CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+) CS0-002 exam. Certainly, you can ignore this plan, use it as is, or just take suggestions from it.

The plan uses four steps:

Step 1. Review the key topics and the “Do I Know This Already?” questions: You can use the table that lists the key topics in each chapter, or just flip the pages looking for key topics. Also, reviewing the DIKTA quiz questions from the beginning of the chapter can be helpful for review.

Step 2. Complete memory tables: Open Appendix C from the book website and print the entire thing, or print the tables by major part. Then complete the tables.

Step 3. Review the “Review Questions” sections: Go through the review questions at the end of each chapter to identify areas where you need more study.

Step 4. Use the Pearson Test Prep practice test software to practice: You can use the Pearson Test Prep practice test software to study by using a bank of unique exam-realistic questions available only with this book.

Summary

The tools and suggestions listed in this chapter have been designed with one goal in mind: to help you develop the skills required to pass the CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+) CS0-002 exam. This book has been developed from the beginning to not just tell you the facts but also help you learn how to apply them. No matter what your experience level leading up to when you take the exam, it is my hope that the broad range of preparation tools and the structure of the book help you pass the exam with ease. I hope you do well on the exam.