Writing on the Security+ exam
How the SY0-701 exam is scored, how its questions are built, and what to do about the parts people get stuck on. Written alongside the study material on this site, by someone who has sat the exam.
4 min readsy0-701domain 4ports and protocols
Security+ Port Questions Want the Secure Swap
SY0-701 rarely asks for a port number alone. It asks what replaces a cleartext protocol. Learn ports as secure swaps, and two traps where the port stays put.
Read the post4 min readsy0-701domain 4exam technique
The Security+ Log Question Has One Right Source
SY0-701 objective 4.9 hands you a scenario and four data sources. It is asking which one answers the question, not what each log happens to contain.
Read the post4 min readsy0-701security controlsexam technique
Every Security+ Control Answer Needs Two Labels
SY0-701 objective 1.1 splits controls into four categories and six types, and asks for both. A guard is always physical, but its type depends on the scenario.
Read the post4 min readsy0-701renewalceus
Security+ Expires in Three Years: What Renews It
Renewing Security+ takes 50 CEUs in a three-year cycle. The routes that finish it in one activity, the ones capped well short, and what CompTIA rejects.
Read the post4 min readsy0-701practice examsexam technique
A Practice Exam Score Is Not a Security+ Prediction
Study groups trade rules like "85 percent and you are ready". A vendor percentage and an SY0-701 scaled score measure different things entirely.
Read the post4 min readsy0-701pbqexam technique
The Security+ PBQs Are a Time Problem First
SY0-701 allows a maximum of 90 questions in 90 minutes, and a performance-based question is not a one-minute task. The clock is what usually breaks people.
Read the post5 min readsy0-701acronymsexam technique
Security+ Acronyms People Mix Up on the Exam
SY0-701 rarely asks what an acronym stands for. It asks which of two neighbours the scenario called for. Five clusters that decide those questions.
Read the post3 min readsy0-701scoringexam day
Why 750 on Security+ Is Not 83 Percent
The SY0-701 passing score of 750 sits on a 100 to 900 scale that does not start at zero and is not a percentage. Here is what the number actually measures.
Read the post2 min readsy0-701retakescoring
Security+ Score Report: Every Objective You Missed
A failed SY0-701 score report lists the exact objectives you got wrong, so a retake means closing named gaps instead of restudying everything.
Read the post3 min readsy0-701exam technique
When Two Security+ Answers Both Look Right
The SY0-701 questions that feel unfair usually come down to two controls that both sound right, and which one the scenario actually asked for.
Read the post