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Intro After all the patience and work, I finally got that email. I passed the Certified Penetration Testing Specialist (CPTS) exam by Hack The Box. It has been a very long and challenging journey but at the same time a rewarding one. In this blog post I will provide you with some tips and thoughts about the preparation process and the exam itself. While I believe I will be sharing a lot of things in common with other blogs like Bruno Chamoura’s posts, I still believe I have some additional tips and hints for the folks working their journey of becoming Hack The Box certified. I hope you enjoy.

I finally did it — I passed Security+ and wrapped up the CompTIA trifecta (A+, Network+, and Security+). It’s been a grind with a long 50 days, but a rewarding one. If you’re thinking about going down the same path, or already on your way, I want to share a few things I wish I knew when I started. This isn’t going to be one of those super polished, corporate-sounding guides. Just real talk on what to expect, what to study, and how to keep your head straight while doing it.

I passed PJPT. The Practical Junior Penetration Tester certification by TCM Security. In this post I want to give my honest take on the preparation, what the exam is actually like, the report writing phase, and whether the whole thing is worth your time and money. What is PJPT? According to TCM Security, PJPT is an associate-level exam for beginners looking to get into penetration testing and red teaming. You get 2 full days to complete the assessment by exploiting a vulnerable Active Directory environment, and an additional 2 days to write a commercial-grade penetration testing report. The voucher is valid for 12 months and comes with one free retake in case you don’t make it on the first try, which is a nice safety net.