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.
Disclaimer I’m not here to offer you some magic potion that dumps all the exam knowledge into your brain overnight. Sadly, I don’t have that kind of MMO RPG loot. What I do have, though, is a plan — something that works if you’re willing to put in the time and effort. No shortcuts, just real steps that can actually get you across the finish line.
Why Take CompTIA Exams Anyway
If you’re just getting into IT or cybersecurity, CompTIA certifications are one of the best places to start. They cover a wide range of foundational topics that you’ll keep building on throughout your career. A+, Network+, and Security+ might not turn you into an 1337 hacker or sysadmin overnight, but they’ll give you the groundwork you need to actually understand what’s going on in the field. And employers take them seriously — especially for entry-level roles.
That said, don’t mistake “entry-level” for “easy.” These exams still demand time, focus, and a solid grasp of the material if you want to pass without guessing your way through. Learning is valuable and fun, that is definitely true. But if you want to get into the professional side of things, certificates — if chosen correctly — are a great way to prove your knowledge. That being said, let’s talk about how to actually get those certs up on your wall.
Materials I Used for Learning
Before diving into the materials I used, there’s something important you should keep in mind: everyone has their own way of learning — and so do I. What I’m offering here isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Instead, what I give you is a bunch of options you can pick from based on what fits your learning style best.
CompTIA provides official exam objectives for each of their certifications. You can grab them here: Exam objectives
Keep these objectives close — they’re basically your blueprint for passing. Print them out, save them as a PDF, whatever works for you. These aren’t just checklists — they’re the checklist. Personally, I loaded them onto my tablet and highlighted each topic as I went. It helped me stay organized and made sure I didn’t accidentally skip over anything important.
While the exam objectives tell you what to study, you’ll still need a solid course to actually understand the material. That’s where Professor Messer comes in. I passed all of my CompTIA exams thanks to his free YouTube courses — the quality is so high it almost feels illegal. If the exam objectives are your bible, Professor Messer is the preacher walking you through it, line by line.
His videos are structured to follow the objectives step by step, which makes it easy to track your progress and stay on target. It’s honestly one of the most underrated resources out there — and the fact that it’s completely free still blows my mind.
Here are the links to his latest playlists:
While Professor Messer’s playlists are more than enough to get you through the exams, I still recommend using at least one additional resource to help reinforce the concepts. Personally, I used the All-In-One Network+ book by Mike Meyers and Scott Jernigan. Even though it was written for the older N10-008 version, it still covered almost everything I needed for the N10-009 exam. When I started studying for Network+, I didn’t just want to pass — I wanted to actually understand the material — and this book helped a lot with that.
NetworkChuck has a CCNA course — uncompleted for a reason — on YouTube that I highly recommend, especially if you have little to no networking background. He explains concepts in a way that’s incredibly beginner-friendly, and his enthusiasm makes it way more engaging than your average lecture. Honestly, it’s such a privilege to access such courses with great storytelling for free.
This might sound like overkill, but I also recommend trying out some simulated labs using Cisco’s Packet Tracer. It’s super easy to set up, and there are tons of pre-made simulations ready to go. It’s especially helpful when you’re learning how routers and switches work, how DHCP operates, or when you’re trying to really understand the OSI model. Getting hands-on — even in a simulated environment — makes a big difference.
For Security+, I read Security+ Get Certified Get Ahead by Darril Gibson and Joe Shelley. I have to say, it was a solid secondary resource that helped me feel more prepared for the exam.
I know some people also use Jason Dion’s courses on Udemy, but let’s be real — not everyone wants to pay extra, especially with how expensive the exams already are. If you’re on a budget, stick with Professor Messer, but if you want to minimize your chances of failing, combining multiple resources is definitely worth considering.
I also used ChatGPT and PowerCert Animated Videos on YouTube. Both are great for filling in gaps and giving you different angles on the topics with real world examples.
Practice Exams
For all of the exams, I highly recommend taking practice questions from ExamCompass after each topic you cover in Professor Messer’s course. They aren’t similar to real exam questions by any means, but they’ll reinforce your understanding and help you grasp the topics better.
For something closer to the real thing, check out the practice exams on Professor Messer’s website and Jason Dion’s exam sets on Udemy. I used Professor Messer’s practice questions for A+ and Security+, and I genuinely believe that if you’re consistently scoring 80% or higher, you’re ready for the real thing.
For Network+, Professor Messer didn’t have practice exams available when I was studying, so I used Jason Dion’s instead. They’re a bit tougher than the actual exam, but if you’re scoring above 75%, I’d say you’re good to go.
Exam Order
Some of you might be wondering whether to skip A+. Technically, yes — you can skip it and move straight on to the next one. But if you’ve got the time and budget, I highly recommend taking it. It helps you prep for the others thanks to the content overlap.
That said, I don’t recommend skipping Network+ — unless you already have experience or you’re studying something like the CCNA. You’ll need solid networking knowledge in pretty much every IT role, whether you’re a pentester, network engineer, sysadmin, or something else. Once you understand how networking works, studying for Security+ becomes way easier. If you know how things work, it’s a lot easier to understand how they can break — or be secured.
Other Advice I Can Give
Even though these certifications are considered entry-level, don’t underestimate the difficulty of the exams. I didn’t take A+ as seriously as the others and ended up barely passing both sections with a 725, compared to the 848 I got on Network+. That should tell you something.
If you follow the exam objectives, understand the concepts, and memorize what’s required, you’re good to go. But take your time. Don’t rush. Practice exams are your best friend here. Don’t risk blowing another $300 on a retake just to save a couple of days. It’s not worth it.
Also — don’t just memorize facts. The real questions won’t ask you something basic like, “What is SCADA/ICS?” Instead, it’ll be more like:
“Jim is a systems engineer at a manufacturing company. After a recent vulnerability breach, he wants to implement a preventive control to protect the company’s SCADA systems…”
So make sure you understand how the technologies work, not just what they’re called.
One last thing: know your abbreviations. I can’t stress this enough. This was the mistake I made on the Core 2 section of my A+ exam. I understood the concepts, but I didn’t know the abbreviations tied to the technologies — and they show up everywhere. So yeah, learn them. They matter.
Other than that — just have fun. You don’t have to treat these topics like boring high school lectures delivered by some monotonous, unmotivated teacher (thankfully, Professor Messer is actually super fun to listen to). This is one of the most exciting fields out there, and I’m sure that’s true for all you fellow nerds. It’s honestly mind-blowing how fast things evolve and how much progress is being made every day — absolutely fascinating.
If you’ve got a strong answer to why you’re doing this, figuring out how you’re going to do it becomes a lot easier.
If you’ve got more questions about CompTIA — or anything else — feel free to DM me on X or LinkedIn. I’ll do my best to help however I can.
Stay curious and stay hungry to learn.