CompTIA® Security+® SY0-701 Certification Guide: Master cybersecurity fundamentals and pass the SY0-701 exam on your first attempt

I recently passed my CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 exam, and I can confidently say that Ian Neil’s Security+ 701 book played a huge role in my success. The book is incredibly well-structured, easy to follow, and breaks down complex concepts in a way that actually sticks. Ian’s explanations are clear, practical, and focused on what you really need to know for the exam. What I appreciated most was how the book balanced depth with clarity—nothing felt overwhelming, but everything felt thorough. The examples, practice questions, and real-world scenarios helped reinforce the material and made studying so much more effective. If you’re preparing for the Security+ 701, this book is absolutely worth it. It was an amazing resource, and I wouldn’t have passed without it. Highly recommended, I can from no IT background or experience. Just being a grunt coming into this really helps.

I decided to purchase the updated CompTIA Security+ SYO-701 study guide that I heard Ian Neil wrote with Packt Publishing recently. Ian Neil is one of the world's top Security+ trainers, and I wanted to learn more about the upcoming changes to the Security+ exam. Having recently passed Security+ myself, I am still always on the lookout for quality training so I can continue to refresh my knowledge. The new CompTIA Security+ exam contains new content that is more comprehensive than the SYO-601, so I was eager to learn more about the new material. Ian’s new book, CompTIA Security+ SYO-701 Certification Guide, Third Edition, did not disappoint. All five domains for the new exam are thoroughly covered. I love how he structures the book according to the domains. Each section of the book covers the domain and the accompanying exam objectives for the domain. The exam objectives are a chapter each, and at the end of each chapter, there are questions that are written not only to test your knowledge, but they are also comparable to the exam scenarios for self-assessment you’ll typically see on a CompTIA exam. Additionally, when you flip to the end of the book, he has a Solutions chapter so you can grade the questions as well. What makes this even better is that Ian provided a thorough explanation of each answer choice for the questions, which means you are still learning material that can be applied when you sit for your upcoming Security+ certification. I find this setup to be helpful when pinpointing my weak points. Ian's book is well-written and uses clear and concise language to explain concepts The reminders he places throughout the book are tips that will help you remember important concepts for the exam. He also takes concepts that can be difficult to remember and uses several different techniques to make things easier to comprehend, such as using charts and bullet points for comparison and contrast or to point out important topics to remember. When he defines concepts, such as Cross Site Scriptiong and SQL queries, he provides code snippets and provides a full explanation of the code and what you should look for in the code to identify it correctly. This really helps for the exam, when you may see something like this in a problem-based question or as an exam question. This is where people often struggle on the exam. In addition to the thoroughness of breakdowns for each of the domains, there are additional resources, such as color images you can download for the book available, and you’ll also receive a coupon code for 12% off the exam. Additionally, there are mock exams that are also coming soon, so you’ll have additional practice questions for the upcoming exam. I look forward to seeing those uploaded so I can try out the mock exams as well. The verdict is in! @Ian Neil’s new Security+ certification guide is a book I know will get you to the finish line so you can pass the CompTIA Security+ SYO-701 exam on the first attempt. Get your copy today, and start on the road to success.

I recently completed Security+ class with Ian, and I can confidently say it was one of the most effective and engaging certification prep courses I’ve taken. Ian has a deep understanding of cybersecurity concepts and does an excellent job breaking down complex topics into manageable, easy-to-understand lessons. The course was well-structured, and this book covered all the key domains required for the CompTIA Security+ exam, including network security, cryptography, identity and access management, risk management, and more. Ian and his book supplemented the lectures with real-world examples and practical insights, which helped reinforce the material and made it easier to grasp. What really stood out was his teaching style, clear, and always willing to answer questions. His passion for cybersecurity is obvious, and it made the class both informative and motivating. The book provided useful resources and practice exams that were critical for my exam preparation. Thanks to Ian’s guidance, and his book I passed the Security+ exam on my first try. I highly recommend his class and the book to anyone looking to earn their Security+ certification or deepen their knowledge in cybersecurity.

This book is the most incredible resource I have for my upcoming SEC+ exam! I have no prior cyber experience nor do I have a completed college degree. Nonetheless, I wanted to break into the cyber world and this book is truly a stepping stone that is allowing me to do so. I highly recommend this book, because first and foremost, Ian does an amazing job at introducing cyber security fundamentals in a way, that beginners, such as myself, could easily understand. Understanding the world of computers is similar to learning a new language. I tried various different resources throughout my journey. I found that a lot of these had information that strayed far away from the basics that helps beginners build the foundational knowledge needed to pass the test. In short, it had a lot of unnecessary fluff. This book gets straight to the point and follows clear objectives that are outlined in the exam. It has a total of 28 chapters and is divided by topic into 5 domains. Each chapter is organized in a way that builds upon each other. This organization helped me build my knowledge from the ground up. It truly felt as though Ian was walking me through these concepts and he did a very good job wrapping things together. I could relate each chapter to another which allowed me to comprehend the "Big Picture" behind all these concepts. Finally, a key thing that is helping me a lot in this book, would be the practice questions included at the end of each chapter. These questions not only tested the knowledge of how well I comprehended the chapters, but it ultimately helped me understand the nature of the exam questions, such as, the underlying trickiness, the wording, and even the way it is formatted. Ultimately, I am very impressed by the careful consideration that Ian has in teaching difficult materials. Simplifying concepts in an easy to digest manner without compromising important details. I am passing mock exams in flying colors and I am very confident in myself as I prepare to take on SEC+. I'm very glad I chose this book. Look no further and trust Ian Neil!

I passed sec plus one the first Try I picked up Ian Neil’s Security+ SY0‑701 book while prepping for my exam, and it ended up being the most useful resource I used. The way he breaks things down is straightforward, practical, and easy to follow, even when the topics get dense. What really helped me was how he ties concepts to real‑world scenarios instead of just throwing definitions at you. It made everything stick. I used this book alongside practice questions, and between the clear explanations and the way the material is organized, I felt confident going into the test. I passed on my first try. If you’re serious about knocking out the 701, this book is absolutely worth having in your study stack.

I just recently passed my Sec+ 701 Exam, and I had the pleasure of having Ian Neil as my instructor. His course was structured in a way that challenged you, but really helped lock in the concepts and get you confident to test. The book was essential to this. It covers a wide range of topics, but explains them clearly and with good analogies to explain the more difficult concepts to grasp. It has a massive amount of practice questions, and gives access to even more online resources to help prepare you to test. I can't say I would have passed without this test, let alone with the confidence that the book gave me in grasping the concepts without this book. Highly recommend for anyone looking to get certified in Sec+ SY0-701.

The CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 Certification Guide by Ian Neil was a useful resource in preparing for the Security+ exam. I appreciated its organization, which followed the CompTIA domains, making it straightforward to study specific topics. The review sections at the end of each chapter were practical, helping to reinforce key points and ensure comprehension before moving forwad. The book’s additional resources provided helpful tools for self-assessment and exam readiness. The explanations were clear, and the content aligned well with the exam objectives. Overall, this guide was a valuable part of my study plan and would benefit anyone preparing for the SY0-701 exam.

First of all, The CompTIA Security+ SYO-701 is a lot. It is a comprehensive certification that covers a wide range of topics that often overlap and can be quite confusing. The amount of acronyms you have to learn is headache inducing, and that’s not even mentioning needing to understand the actual concepts. Ian Neil’s book on Sec+ 701 helped me by taking on the technical jargon and breaking them down thoroughly. This book, unlike others that you can find, is structured by the objectives that are tested on the exam. Each topic covered was followed by another that was related and really helped with the flow of the book. The writing from Neil is very much meant for your everyday person that’s just getting started in the IT world. Everything is broken down simply with examples that make sense. It’s not like some professor staring down his nose at you while stuffing every paragraph with flowery language. No, Neil writes in a style that feels very approachable, and it speaks to his knowledge in the Security+ field. The book also includes review questions at the end of each chapter to gauge your understanding and better guide you towards which key points you should be focusing on as you read. My favorite thing that Ian Neil did was with the solutions at the back of the book. Instead of just listing the answer to the questions, he takes it a step further by providing an explanation of the answer. Not only that, but he ALSO explains why the other answers were wrong. This really came in handy when I was stuck between two possible answers for a question. While these were extremely helpful, it was the online resources that really helped me. The book offers an online code for accessing mock exams and flashcards. The mock exams are 75 questions each and do well with getting you in the mind frame of being timed. In addition, it introduces you to questions that are styled after CompTIA. They can be a bit difficult to understand because the wording is sometimes vague, but that’s the type of questions that show on the exam. What’s great about these mock tests is that the results are broken down by what you got correct, incorrect, or what you skipped. You can review each question in the results page, and the solutions are just like the ones for the chapter reviews. Each answer is explained as to why it’s right or wrong. This book is has been my lifeline in preparing for this exam, and I cannot recommend it enough as a tool for learning.