CEH is the most known cyber security certification in the world right now. However it is most known, there are some rumors about it. Many people misprize it. Let’s discuss a bit about CEH, then let me share tips for having a CEH certificate.
CEH is SCAM
Some people say so!. To be honest, I can’t entirely agree with them. Let’s see why they say so. Some reasons are as follows:
- CEH is a test-based exam. Tests are not adequate to assess cyber security knowledge.
- CEH is a dump-based exam. Studying dumps is enough to pass the exam. So it is worthless.
- CEH scope doesn’t meet today’s cybersecurity needs.
- CEH exam is too expensive.
Well, they are not lying. Nevertheless, they miss some points.
CEH is not SCAM
Let’s say my opinions about them.
- Well, as you know, one of the most expensive and most valuable certifications are belonged to SANS. And they are test so. Or CISSP, CISM, CISA … They are all test-based exams.
- I have a few certifications in the IT area. To be honest, all of them have dumps. Dumps are not evil; they help you to study. You can’t pass most of the exams without studying actual content. BTW, many of my friends told me that recently, there were only %10 percent questions from dumps. Imagine college/university life. Learning what was asked previously in that course was helpful but not enough to pass in most cases.
- We will discuss the scope of CEH. Moreover, we will compare them with other certifications too. The criticism raised here is more likely that CEH’s scope is for beginners. Yes! You are right. Nobody said that CEH is expert-level certification.
- CEH is expensive as other certifications. But I will share tips below to have CEH for lower prices.
So is CEH good for me?
I strongly recommend CEH to everyone who is starting into infosec. Moreover, CEH scope covers all basics, plus it is a worldwide known certificate, so It will help find a job.
CEH Jobs posted on LinkedIn
CEH learning material is incredible. Book, videos, labs are well prepared and cover anything related to the exam. Not like some other exams, they give information about anything you need. On the other hand, I don’t recommend you take the CEH course from 3rd party training center. Since generally, those trainings are limited to 5 days, which is not enough to cover the scope of CEH. It can be good only if every student in the class study for CEH in advance, then the trainer can thus share their experiences and reinforce what they have learned with more exercise.
CEH Voucher is too expensive. How to buy it?
CEH certification with self-paced training is more than $1000. But do you know that you may get it around $500? This part may be sound like a scam campaign. Don’t worry; I won’t sell you anything 🙂 There are some sales executives of EC-Council that you may speak to. When you speak with them, usually the price decrease. How will you find them? If you use the contact form on the EC-Council page, they will probably reach you. On the other hand, you may ask current CEH holders. If you look at the posts about CEH certification on LinkedIn, most probably you can spot them in the comments 🙂 Eventually, they will send you a link to make payment. After payment, you will receive your voucher code. Please take care. Be sure that the person you are speaking is legit. One more important thing: There are special discounts at certain times, such as cyber Monday. At those times, the price drops to $500.
Study Plan
- Study for learning, not for the exam.
- Read the book, watch the video, and do the lab exercises one by one.
I can hear here that you say “come on you said you have a plan. It is supposed to be an easy way !!”
- Ok, read the book like reading a novel. If you read something important, highlight it. But don’t over-focus on it.
- Then, solve questions. It is not an actual dump or not. Just solve. Understand your weak topics. Then go back and read that topic.
- There is a CEH mockup exam prepared by EC-Council. Solve those questions too.
- Switch to iClass; there are also some questions too.
- reread the book, this time read faster, as you are familiar with topics now only slow down at the essential paragraphs. Take notes.
- I think you are ready for the exam.
Exam Tips
- Be ready in advance in 20 minutes.
- Read the rules. Prepare your exam environment following those rules. Otherwise, the proctor’s warnings can stress you out.
- Read questions slowly. If you are not sure, pass that question. Sometimes reading other questions may help you remember the answer to other questions.
- The time is so long that after you solve all the questions and fill in your blanks, continue with the questions quickly, especially if there are questions you do without being sure; mark them so that it will be easy to return.
- You can see your result just after finishing your exam. Certification will be available in a few days.
What to do next?
- Update your resume.
- Share your certification on LinkedIn.
- Set new goals for the next Certification. (I may suggest CEH Practical)
- If you are currently in the infosec, inform your employee. This will improve your status, and they may think to assign you to the other positions as well.
