How I Studied for PenTest+

I completed the CompTIA PenTest+ exam on June 16, 2023, roughly two weeks after finishing CySA+. For this certification, I relied on a combination of studying directly from the official exam objectives and completing Jason Dion’s PenTest+ course. This approach allowed me to align my skills with the structure of the exam.

I felt significantly more confident going into PenTest+ due to my prior experience. I had spent over ten years working through hands on labs and challenges, including Hack The Box, vulnhub, Over The Wire, and more than four hundred TryHackMe machines. That experience translated directly into understanding exploitation paths, attacker tools, enumeration workflows, and attack methodology.

Unlike earlier certifications, PenTest+ felt less about learning new concepts and more about validating existing skills. The exam scenarios aligned closely with real attack chains I had already practiced, making it easier to reason through questions and select technically sound answers.

Studying the exam objectives helped me frame my knowledge in a way that matched CompTIA’s expectations, while the course content reinforced areas where theory mattered, such as scoping, reporting, and engagement rules. Those topics complemented my technical background and rounded out my offensive skill set.

PenTest+ felt like a natural progression rather than a challenge. I passed with confidence and viewed it as confirmation that years of practical offensive experience translated well into structured assessments and professional certification.