10 tips for Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) exam success

In this article we will learn about 10 tips for Certified Ethical Hacker.

Overview[10 tips for Certified Ethical Hacker]

As the EC Council states on its website, “to beat a hacker, you have to think like one!” Thus, the Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) exam tests candidates’ knowledge of hacking techniques. These include pentesting methodologies, network security techniques, current security threats and countermeasures. It is important that you have a good understanding of these subjects to ensure you pass the exam. Besides taking the hacking course, you can follow these 10 tips to help you pass the CEH certification exam.

1.Create a checklist of topics to study

The Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) exam has 125 questions that cover multiple subjects. Using a checklist can ensure that you don’t get overwhelmed by studying one area and forget about the rest. Your checklist should include all nine domains in the updated CEH exam:

• An overview of information security and ethical hacking
• Research techniques
• Phases of system hacking and attack techniques
• Network and perimeter hacking
• Web Application Hacking
• Wireless network hacking
• Mobile platform, IoT and OT hacking
• Cloud computing
• Cryptography

See the full CEH 4.0 exam syllabus for more details on what to study.

2.Create a study plan

Now that you’ve determined what you need to study, it’s time to create a study plan. Be realistic about your work and life responsibilities. Try to schedule study time during your downtime or in conjunction with times when you might be using some of the material you are learning.

For example, if you are scheduled to attend a technical seminar or briefing that focuses on discussing current trends in network security, plan to study network techniques before, during, and after the seminar.

Other factors to consider when creating a study plan include:

How soon do you intend to undergo the examination? Check out the EC-Council exam center to find a time that suits you.
How much can you spend on preparation material and training? Refer to official, certified study materials and training to ensure you thoroughly understand each topic covered in the exam.

What training method works best for you? Some people prefer self-study, while others think there is no substitute for a classroom. Use your past learning experiences to help you choose the method that will help you prepare the best.
How well are you already familiar with the exam subjects? Your personal experience may save you study time, but you should consider factors such as the length of the exam and the logic of the questions. Relying too much on experience alone is a poor strategy that is likely to lead to poor results.

3.Use real environments to study

It’s important to understand the Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) exam materials from a real-world perspective, not just read about concepts. This doesn’t mean trying to hack your neighbor’s wireless router or doing business without permission, both of which could land you in jail. But you can create a virtual lab environment at home that you can use to practice some techniques.

If you have the ability, attend a CEH training session that will show you how to set up a lab environment and provide training guidelines.

4.Submit to the exam on time

The process of taking the CEH exam can be time-consuming. If you do not receive formal training, you must demonstrate two years of experience in the field of information security. There is a $100 fee for this process. If you are on the exam deadline, you need to consider the time it will take to complete this eligibility process. Factor this processing time into your overall plan for studying and completing the exam.

5.Familiarize yourself with your exam

The EC-Council website provides basic information about the CEH certification exam. It will also provide links to lots of useful information such as official training providers, exam topics, practice questions and study materials.

The CEH handbook contains essential details such as an overview of the certification and the exam, including its prerequisites, how many and what type of questions you are going to face, the time allotted for the exam, and the grade for passing the exam.

6.Use free resources for exam preparation

The CEH handbook, CEH exam schedule, practice questions and more are available for free on the Council of the European Commission website. Use them as a starting point to evaluate your understanding of the CEH exam.

The CEH Exam Blueprint provides detailed information on the topics covered in the exam, including the percentage of questions devoted to each topic. This helps a lot, especially when making your study plan.

7.Join an exam preparation course

Deciding to take a self-study-only approach may seem like a bold decision, but it may not be the best strategy. Taking a certification preparation course allows you to spend time with an experienced instructor with real knowledge of how to beat the exam.

It’s a great opportunity to get all your questions answered, share experiences and strategies, and even network in terms of personal training. This results in a higher success rate on any certification exam.

8.Take practice exams

No CEH candidate should approach the exam without the help of practice questions. The CEH exam contains 125 questions that must be answered in four hours—that’s about two minutes per question. This means you need to be at your best, not only in terms of knowledge of current security domains, but also in terms of time management and stress control.

To get started, read the EC Council’s CEH assessment. When it comes to practice exam results, don’t be discouraged. Unless you’re an experienced test taker, it’s quite common for things to go awry during the first round of questions, especially if you haven’t finished your reading and prep course yet.

Take your time to study and use all available resources to clarify any doubts. At the end of your study plan, you’ll see consistent results on practice exams.

9.Join an online community

A simple Google search will find several CEH forums, wikis, and personal websites where candidates and certified professionals share their certification experiences.

As always, it’s important to verify the credibility of any source you use. For example, if you are looking for a formal definition of a term that is part of an exam, the best approach is to use official material (eg books, guidelines and other official publications).

However, if you’re looking for general advice, posting your question to an online forum like Reddit or TechExams can be quite helpful.

Many candidates visit online forums and search for “CEH Success”. This can serve as both preparation and motivation for the upcoming exam. If you’re feeling confident, searching the “CeH failure” posts can give you some important advice, because learning from other people’s mistakes is much less painful than your own.

A word of advice: If you don’t have time to help others, stay away from toxic people and posts. Many unhappy test-takers go online to vent their frustrations, and this can be discouraging.

10.Clear your mind

Use these tips to clear your mind and focus during the exam:

Be aware of time. During the exam, you can reach a high level of concentration that I like to call “the zone”. This means more focus, which is good for problem solving, but can cause you to lose track of time. What may seem like seconds can be precious minutes; the hours go by very quickly, so make sure you have time to go through every question on the exam.
Take your time reading the questions. Even with limited time, it is important not to rush. Take your time, pay attention to each question and answer option, and make sure you understand what you are asking.

Watch out for distractions (options that are obviously false) in multiple-choice questions that can be quickly removed. It is also important to pay close attention to expressions like MOST, LEAST, NOT, ALL, NEVER, and ALWAYS because they can completely change a sentence.
Try to relax. Remember to stretch and relax your muscles during the exam. A relaxed mind can help you solve difficult questions.
Remember, there is no reason to panic.

Staying calm will improve your concentration. If you have followed your study plan correctly, your results will probably be great; if not, you’ll have much more experience next time you try!
Ultimately, CEH certification is a great way to advance your cybersecurity career. As expected, however, these advantages come at a cost: only the most dedicated candidates will succeed. Plan ahead and use these 10 tips as the basis for your study strategy, but also consider enrolling in official training through an authorized training partner such as Infosec.

Related article:Certified Ethical Hacker study resources 2023