Certifications in ethical hacking have gained popularity and demand significantly in recent times.
As a result, an increasing number of IT professionals have sought to build a career in cybersecurity. After all, cybersecurity is currently one of the most coveted career paths.
The CEH certification course is crucial for an IT security professional aspiring to build a lustrous career.
However, the exam can be a bit challenging if you do not put adequate effort into it.
However, preparing for the CEH exam would be worth it, considering the value of this certification.
How hard is the CEH exam?
The difficulty of the exam would depend on how well-prepared the candidate is.
In the past, candidates could easily pass the exam by just studying from question banks without actually developing their skills.
To change this, EC Council made some significant alterations and changed the type of questions that the exam comprises. It ensures that only professionals with adequate skills and knowledge can pass the examination.
Thus, while generic knowledge-based questions are still there, many questions focus on the candidates’ skills in Incident response, network security, vulnerability assignments, and penetration testing.
To be able to answer these questions, simply reading about these topics won’t help. Instead, the candidates would need hands-on experience and knowledge.
How can you pass the CEH exam?
While the CEH exam is challenging, it is not impossible to pass. All you need is adequate preparation for the exam.
Here are five tips that might be of help:
1. Choose your study materials wisely
Do not just start studying any material that you find online. EC Council is quite strict about ensuring that only competent professionals would receive the certifications.
Hence, they update the exam often and make significant changes to the question. Therefore, if you base your preparations on outdated questions, you might be in for unpleasant surprises when you appear for the exam.
2. Practice exams
For a significant cybersecurity certification exam such as CEH, taking practice exams can be pretty helpful. Practice exams help get candidates accustomed to the format and style of the real exam and get an idea of what to expect.
However, keep in mind that you should take the practice exams near the end of your preparation stage to test how ready you are for the real exam.
3. Undergo official training
The best way to gain the necessary knowledge and build your ethical hacking skills is to take an official CEH course.
First, you need to find a reputed IT institute for online certification and enroll yourself in the training you need.
The leading institutes have all the resources and infrastructure necessary to provide hands-on training. Undergoing such a course would help you gain valuable experience.
4. Follow study guides
To plan your preparation, you might want to follow relevant study guides. EC Council has come up with helpful, ethical hacker certification study guides for the five different topics. The books offer in-depth knowledge, and it is highly advisable to go through them. You may also consult an experienced professional about study guides.
5. Research
It would help if you carried out enough research about the exam and its resources.
Check out the version of the exam as it is advisable to appear for the latest one. The website of EC Council would give you some valuable information that may help you with the preparations. Take a look at the eligibility criteria and make sure that you meet them.
To ensure your eligibility for the CEH examination, you need to fill up an application form if you do not meet the criteria.
What makes the CEH certification worth the effort?
In the domain of ethical hacking, practical experience and knowledge are crucial.
As the CEH certification focuses on hands-on training and acts as a great validation of a professional’s skills, employers consider it.
Therefore, the certification would help you get your dream job in cybersecurity and secure significant promotions.
Moreover, CEH is a prestigious certification that would add value to your portfolio and help to distinguish you from the rest.
Thus, even though the CEH exam is challenging in nature, you can pass it if you prepare for it smartly and put inadequate effort.
Choosing the right institute and study materials plays a significant role in this. IT institutes like Koenig offers comprehensive training for CEH and other certifications from EC Council.
