From Confident to Panicking: My Real Security+ Exam Experience

I Took the CompTIA Security+ Exam — Here's the Truth

The CompTIA Security+ exam is not to be underestimated.

I’ve always tested well—through school, through professional licensing, you name it. I typically finish early, and I pass on the first attempt. Confident as ever, I walked into the Security+ exam ready to conquer it.

Then the test started.

 
The PBQ Reality Check

The first Performance-Based Question (PBQ) hit me like a truck. Then came the second. Then the third. None of them looked remotely like anything I had practiced. My confidence took a nosedive.

Moving into the multiple-choice section didn’t help either. I started to question everything. Did I take the exam too soon? Was I about to eat the cost of a retake?

From No Tech Background to Ethical Hacking Aspirations

I don’t come from a strong tech background. Sure, I used computers, played games, swapped out RAM, and a hard drive or two—but nothing serious. Then, early in 2025, I had a harsh realization about my career and needed a change. Somehow, ethical hacking landed on my radar.

          "How cool would it be to get paid to hack into computers?"

I did my research, liked what I saw, and enrolled in a cybersecurity boot camp starting in March 2025.

Bootcamp to Exam in 6 Months

Security+ was a requirement in my program. I finished the boot camp in 4.5 months and immediately jumped into study mode.

To earn my exam voucher, I needed to score 90+ on practice tests. I quickly reached that benchmark and, full of confidence, scheduled my real exam just two weeks after graduation.

But then I started wondering—was I actually understanding the material, or just memorizing patterns?

 
A Dose of Humility from CertPreps

A Google search led me to CertPreps 2.0, which offers free practice exams. I thought, why not?

•First score: 78
•Second score: 71
•Third score: 78

Panic started to set in. I was five days away from my exam.

Aside from the bootcamp and some Professor Messer videos on YouTube, I hadn’t used any paid resources—I didn’t want to drop $100+ on study materials.

CertPreps offered 17 more exams for $3.50. Sold.

I also used ChatGPT to break down my wrong answers. My typical prompt looked like:

       “Please summarize the question, explain why the correct answer is correct,               how it's relevant to Security+ domains, and how I should interpret this kind of           question on the exam.”

This helped deepen my understanding.

 
My Practice Exam Scores

I took 9 CertPreps practice exams with scores like:

•77, 78 (3x)
•One 71, one 79
•A few standouts: 82, 85, and 88

Still, I had doubts. Back to Google and ChatGPT. Was I ready? What do other people say? What scores are “safe”?

The internet had no consensus. Some passed easily. Others failed despite strong practice scores.

Eventually, I said:

“Forget it. I’ve tested well my whole life. I’m doing this.”

 
Test Day: The Struggle Was Real

Back to where this post began: instant regret. The PBQs demanded tasks I may have practiced once, if at all. My materials hadn’t prepared me for this level of depth.

Even the multiple-choice questions were way more profound than any practice test. I was staring at the screen like:

       “WTF is this question even asking me?”

I flagged the PBQs, finished the rest, and then reviewed every question I could. I watched the clock tick down, using almost every second.

 
The Dreaded Survey… and the Surprise

When I clicked submit, I wasn’t met with my score—I was met with a survey.

Cruel.

Finally, the results appeared...

I PASSED!

Score: 784 / 900. Not as high as I hoped, but it was above the 750 cutoff—and that’s all that mattered.

Final Thoughts and Advice

•Do not underestimate the exam. Practice exams are helpful, but they rarely match the depth of the real thing.

•Go deeper than the surface. Learn concepts in each domain, not just definitions. Study why things matter.

•Practice PBQs in virtual labs or simulators when possible.

•Use tools like ChatGPT, Professor Messer, or CertPreps strategically—but don’t rely on them alone.
 

To Future Test Takers

Good luck to anyone preparing for this beast of an exam. Be humble, be thorough, and don’t take your preparation lightly.

I’ll see you on the other side.