10 tips for Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) exam success

The EC-Council says it best: to beat a hacker, you need to think like one. The Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) exam tests candidates' knowledge of hacking techniques, including penetration testing methodologies, network security techniques, current security threats and countermeasures. Understanding these subjects thoroughly is crucial for CEH exam tips that lead to success. 

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How hard is CEH? Understanding the exam difficulty

Many aspiring cybersecurity professionals ask, "How hard is CEH?" The answer depends on your background and preparation approach. The CEH exam is considered moderately to highly challenging. The difficulty stems from several factors: the exam covers nine comprehensive domains, requires practical understanding rather than just theoretical knowledge and tests your ability to think like both an attacker and defender. However, with proper preparation using the strategies outlined below, candidates with solid networking fundamentals and security experience can successfully pass on their first attempt.

These 10 CEH test preparation strategies can help you pass your certification with confidence.

1. Create a checklist of topics to study

The Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) exam has 125 questions that span multiple subjects. Using a checklist can ensure you don't get overwhelmed studying one area and forget about the rest. Your checklist should include all of the CEH exam domains on the updated CEH v13 exam:

• Information security and ethical hacking overview
• Reconnaissance techniques
• System hacking phases and attack techniques
• Network and perimeter hacking
• Web application hacking
• Wireless network hacking
• Mobile platform, IoT and OT hacking
• Cloud computing
• Cryptography

For more details on what to study, check out the full CEH Exam Blueprint 5.0, which outlines the ethical hacking test techniques you'll need to master.

2. Create a study plan

Now that you've identified what you need to study, it's time to create a study plan. Be realistic about your work and life obligations. Try to schedule study time during your downtime or in conjunction with times when you may be using some of the material you are learning. For instance, if you are scheduled to attend a technical seminar on current network security trends, plan to study networking techniques before, during and after that seminar.

Other factors to consider while creating your study plan include:

• How soon do you intend to take the examination? Check the EC-Council Exam Center to find a time that works for you.
• How much can you spend on preparation material and training courses? Look for official, certified study materials to ensure a comprehensive understanding of each topic covered in the penetration testing examination.
• What training method best suits you? Some people prefer self-study, while others think attending a class is the most effective method. Use your past learning experiences to help you pick the method that best suits your learning style.
• How well acquainted are you already with the exam subjects? Your personal experience can save you some studying time, but factors like exam length and question logic should be considered. Relying too heavily on experience alone rarely leads to security certification success.

3. Use real-world environments to study

Certified Ethical Hackers must understand the CEH exam material from a practical security assessment perspective, not just by reading concepts. This doesn't mean hacking your neighbor's wireless router without permission, which could land you in jail. Instead, create a virtual lab environment at home to practice techniques safely. If possible, attend CEH training that shows you how to set up lab environments and provides hands-on guidance.

Infosec offers various opportunities to practice this critical security tools knowledge in a lab environment, including a free one-hour course for beginners. In this course, Infosec's Keatron Evans provides step-by-step guidance on hacking a system, covering your tracks to hide the intrusion and using AI to find proof of the hack.

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4. Submit for your exam early

The process to sit for the CEH exam can be time-consuming. Without attending official training, professionals must prove two years of information security-related experience, along with a $100 fee to go through this process. If you have a deadline for passing CEH first attempt, you need to consider the time it takes to go through the CEH exam eligibility process. Include this processing time into your overall schedule for exam study and completion.

5. Get to know your exam

The EC-Council website provides essential information about the CEH certification exam and links to useful information, such as official training providers, exam topics, practice questions and study material.

The CEH Handbook contains essential details such as an overview of the certification and the exam, including its prerequisites, the number and type of questions you are about to face, the time allotted for the examination and the passing mark. Reviewing these details is one of the most fundamental CEH exam strategies for success.

6. Leverage free exam-prep resources

The CEH Handbook, CEH Exam Blueprint, practice questions and more are all available for free on the EC-Council website. Use these as a starting point to evaluate your understanding of the CEH exam.

The CEH Exam Blueprint provides detailed information on the cybersecurity exam preparation topics covered in the examination, including the percentage of questions dedicated to each subject. This can provide valuable insights as you construct your study plan and prioritize your learning.

7. Get involved in an exam prep course

Deciding to use a self-study-only approach may seem bold, but it's not always the best strategy. A certification preparation course lets you spend time with an experienced instructor who has actual knowledge of hacking methodology understanding and CEH v13 exam advice. These classes provide an excellent opportunity to get all your questions answered, share experiences and strategies and even network during in-person training, resulting in greater success rates.

Certification courses deliver a streamlined approach to studying. In just 5 days, Infosec's Certified Ethical Hacker Boot Camp provides in-depth training for CEH v13. Students learn how to integrate AI into all five phases of ethical hacking through trusted instructor guidance and hands-on learning experiences. These structured courses are among the most effective CEH study resources available.

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 must excel in both knowledge of current security domains and in time management and stress control.

To get started, review EC-Council's CEH assessment. Don't be discouraged by initial practice exam results. Unless you're an experienced test taker, it's quite common for things to go poorly during the first round of questions, especially if you haven't completed your reading and prep course. Take time to study and use every resource available to clarify doubts. By the end of your study plan, you should see consistent results on practice exams.

Interested in hearing a breakdown of practice questions? This episode of Cyber Work Hacks provides insights from boot camp instructor Akyl Phillips as he walks viewers through four CEH example questions. Try to find the answer independently, then watch as Phillips explains the logic behind each answer.

9. Join an online community

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

Verify the credibility of any source you utilize. For instance, if you're looking for a formal definition of a concept covered in the exam, the best approach is to use official material (e.g., books, guidelines and other official publications). However, if you want general advice, posting your question to an online forum such as Reddit or TechExams can be quite helpful.

Many candidates visit online forums and search for "CEH success" stories. This can serve as both preparation and motivation for your upcoming exam. If you're feeling confident, searching "CEH failure" posts may also give you important advice about passing CEH first attempt, as learning from others' mistakes is less painful than learning from your own.

10. CEH exam day tips to clear your mind

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

• Be aware of time. During the exam, you may reach a high level of concentration: "the zone." This means greater focus, which is ideal for problem-solving, but can cause test-takers to lose track of time. What may seem like seconds can be precious minutes; hours tend to pass very quickly, so make sure you have time to go through every question.
• Take your time reading the questions. Even with limited time, it's important not to rush. Pay attention to each question and answer option and make sure you understand what's being asked. Watch for distractors (options that are obviously false) in multiple-choice questions that can be quickly eliminated. Pay close attention to terms such as MOST, LEAST, NOT, ALL, NEVER and ALWAYS, since they can entirely change a sentence.
• Try to relax. Remember to stretch and relax your muscles during the exam. A relaxed mind helps solve difficult questions.
• Remember, there's no reason to panic. Remaining calm improves concentration. If you followed your study plan correctly, your results will likely be great; if not, you'll have much more experience during the next try!

In the end, the CEH certification is a great way to advance your cybersecurity career. However, as expected, such benefits come at a cost: only the most dedicated candidates succeed with the penetration testing examination. Plan ahead and use these CEH v13 tips as a foundation for your study strategy, and consider enrolling in official training through an authorized CEH training partner like Infosec to maximize your chances of passing CEH first attempt.