How I Passed the CompTIA Security+ Exam in Less Than 3 Months with No Prior Experience

On July 30th, I passed the CompTIA Security+ exam.

CompTIA is the largest provider of vendor-neutral IT certifications. And the Security+ is a globally recognized certification for cybersecurity professionals. In their words: “[It] validates the baseline skills necessary to perform core security functions and pursue an IT security career.” It’s often a prerequisite for starting or advancing in cybersecurity. And it makes you a strong job candidate — when experience and skills are equal amongst two or more candidates, the Security+ sets you apart.

Two months and 10 days before getting certified, I had zero experience in the IT and cybersecurity field.

Here are the 4 pillars that helped me pass the exam as a complete beginner.

Pillar #1: Building a Foundation with the Google Cybersecurity Certificate

At the start of any new learning endeavor, you’re at a stage called “unconscious incompetence.”

You don’t know what you don’t know. So I needed a bird’s eye view of the cybersecurity domain, what it consists of, and how to navigate it. This is what meta-learning expert Michael Simmons calls “landscape learning.”

It’s like having a map of a city before you visit — it gives you a zoomed-out view of the area, highlights the most important components, and informs how to best travel around.

I researched and found that the Google Cybersecurity Certification was one of the best courses for beginners.

So this is where I started my journey. It consisted of 8 modules:

• Foundations of cybersecurity
• Managing security risks
• Networks and network security
• Linux and SQL
• Asset, threats, and vulnerabilities
• Detection and response
• Automate cybersecurity tasks with Python
• Escalating a security incident & job preparation

It took about 1.5 months to get through everything.

By the end, I had a bird’s eye view of the cybersecurity space. And it laid a strong foundation for getting CompTIA Sec+ certified.

It’s also worth noting that completing the Google Cybersecurity Certificate gives you a discounted price to take the CompTIA Security+ exam.

Pillar #2: Experiential Learning with HackTheBox and TryHackMe

After the first week of the Google course, I knew I’d hit theory overload without more experiential learning.

Knowledge is great. But solely focusing on theory is ineffective and boring. Experiential learning enhances understanding, retention, and application of knowledge in real-world scenarios. Here’s a simple formula I use when trying to learn anything:

Knowledge + experience = learning

The Google course provided a little hands-on experience, but it was mostly conceptual.

To add some excitement and practical experience, I turned to two experiential learning platforms:

• HackTheBox
• TryHackMe

These platforms offer virtual machines and sandbox environments for hands-on practice.

This was a crucial step. These platforms made the learning process much more exciting and motivating. They also provided a deeper understanding of topics I was confused about.

I used these platforms alongside the Google Cybersecurity Course and while studying for the Security+ exam.

Pillar #3: In-Depth Studying with Professor Messer’s Training Materials

After getting the Google Cybersecurity Certificate, I decided to study for the CompTIA Security+ exam.

I had a good foundation. But I wasn’t fluent enough in cybersecurity to get certified. I needed to expand my IT security vocabulary and directly study for it.

I used two main resources to help:

• Professor Messer’s YouTube Content
• Professor Messer’s Practice Exams

Professor Messer has over 25 years of technical experience in IT.

He’s the go-to resource for CompTIA A+, Network+, Security+, and other IT certifications. He has comprehensive educational videos on YouTube covering the entire exam.

I’d listen to his videos on walks, while driving, or when sitting down to study.

I also bought one of his practice exams, which was well worth the $30.

It contained three different exam variations that mimic the style of the CompTIA exam. It also included explanations of correct and incorrect answers, as well as links to his free educational videos for each relevant topic. It revealed gaps in my knowledge and where to focus my efforts.

Together, these resources helped me prepare for the exam in just under a month

Pillar #4: Streamlining Study Prep with ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot

I used ChatGPT and Copilot alongside the practice exams to streamline my study efforts.

While not 100% accurate for research purposes, ChatGPT is excellent at explaining ideas if given the right inputs. I’d copy and paste practice exam questions, provide correct and incorrect answers, and ask for explanations at a 5th-grade level. Follow-up questions helped with clarity. And Microsoft’s Copilot AI was great for verifying the accuracy of the responses.

Here’s the ChatGPT prompt I used to understand a multiple-choice question:

I need help answering a multiple-choice question using the 4mat method at a 5th-grade level. Please follow these steps:

1. Explain the Question’s Meaning: Start by explaining the meaning behind the question. Use a bulleted list to break down the key concepts and principles needed to understand it.

2. Correct Answer Explanation: Explain why the correct answer(s) are correct using the 4mat method:

• Why: Why this topic matters.
• What: Basic information and concepts needed to understand the topic.
• How: Practical, step-by-step explanation of how it works.
• What If: Real-life applications and implications of understanding this concept.
• Tangible examples: Share some tangible examples of the topic — code blocks or simple examples.
• Principles: Also include principles about computers and networks that are necessary to understand the answer.

3. Incorrect Answer Explanation: For each incorrect answer, explain why they are wrong using the 4mat method:

• Why: Why this topic matters.
• What: Basic information and concepts needed to understand the topic.
• How: Practical, step-by-step explanation of how it works.
• What If: Real-life applications and implications of understanding this concept.
• Tangible examples: Share some tangible examples of the topic — code blocks or simple examples.
• Principles: Also include principles about computers and networks that are necessary to understand the answer.

4. Connect to Personal Experience. Relate the idea to personal experiences, keeping it generic enough for most people to relate to. Include both correct and incorrect answers in a single

experience. Keep the experiences relevant for an adult aged 25+.

Here’s the question & answers:

[Copy/Paste question and possible answers]

[Copy/Paste explanations of correct and incorrect answers]

Full disclaimer: I used “ChatGPT 4o”, so I can’t verify if the free version would give you the same quality outputs.

Conclusion:

In under 3 months, here are the 4 pillars that helped me pass the exam as a complete beginner:

1. Building a foundation with the Google Cybersecurity Certificate.
2. Experiential learning with HackTheBox and TryHackMe.
3. In-depth studying with Professor Messer’s training materials.
4. Streamlining study prep with ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot.

Each one played a vital role in my success — they expanded my theoretical knowledge, sharpened my skills, and taught me the language of IT security.

My article was originally published on Medium. Click HERE to view.