People ask me all the time what the best study resources are for cybersecurity certifications. The honest answer is that the resources are not the hard part. There is more free high quality material available right now than any candidate could reasonably get through. The hard part is picking the right handful for your specific exam and actually using them.
I have watched nearly 100,000 candidates go through Training Camp since 1999. The ones who pass fastest are not the ones who collected the most resources. They are the ones who chose a tight stack, worked it systematically, and stopped second guessing themselves. This article cuts the noise and gives you what actually works, broken out by certification and by resource type.
The best cybersecurity certification study resources combine three elements: official exam objectives from the certifying body, a structured video or text course, and high volume practice questions with performance based simulations. Top free sources include official CompTIA and ISC2 study guides, ExamCompass practice quizzes, NIST and OWASP reference documentation, and active subreddits like r/CompTIA and r/CISSP. Passing rates are highest when candidates use two or three resource types together rather than relying on a single course.
Candidates do not fail because they lack resources. They fail because they never commit to a stack. Pick your three, work them, and stop browsing.
The Cybersecurity Certifications Worth Studying For
Before you pick resources, pick the right exam. Study materials for CISSP will not help you pass Security+. Here is the quick map I give people when they call.
If you are brand new and not sure where to start, read our guide to entry level cybersecurity certifications for beginners. Pick the cert first. The resources follow.
Start Here: The Official Exam Objectives
Every certification body publishes an official exam objectives document. This is the single most important resource you will ever look at for any certification, and roughly half of candidates I talk to have never opened it.
CompTIA publishes exam objectives as free PDFs on their certification pages. ISC2 publishes official exam outlines for CISSP, CC, CCSP, and the concentration certs. ISACA publishes detailed job practice areas for CISM, CISA, CRISC, and CGEIT. These documents tell you exactly what topics will be tested, how the content is weighted, and the depth of knowledge expected for each domain. Every other resource in your stack should map back to these objectives.
I am a licensed pilot, and when you fly, you do not memorize every page of the aircraft manual. You work the checklist. The exam objectives are your checklist. Print them. Mark each objective with a confidence score. Study until every box is green. If a video course skips a topic that is on the objectives, go find that topic elsewhere. The objectives are the source of truth.
Official Study Guides and Textbooks
Books still matter. Exams test depth, and a good study guide forces you to slow down and actually process concepts instead of passively watching videos. I recommend every candidate own at least one textbook for their target exam.
For CompTIA Exams
CompTIA’s own CertMaster Learn is the most aligned resource because it is built directly against the exam objectives. For supplementary reading, the Sybex study guides by Mike Chapple and David Seidl are the industry standard. Darril Gibson’s Get Certified Get Ahead series is another long running favorite, especially for Security+. These books pair well with practice questions because they teach the “why” rather than just the “what.”
For CISSP and ISC2 Certs
The Official ISC2 CISSP CBK Reference is the definitive resource but dense. Most candidates use it as a lookup text rather than a front to back read. The companion Official Study Guide by Mike Chapple and James Stewart is more readable and is the go to primary textbook for CISSP candidates. Pair either one with the CISSP Official Practice Tests book from Sybex, which contains over 1,300 practice questions.
For ISACA Exams
ISACA’s Official Review Manual is the primary text for CISM, CISA, CRISC, and CGEIT. ISACA also publishes official Question, Answer, and Explanation databases that contain hundreds of practice questions written by the same organization that writes the real exam. For ISACA exams specifically, these official resources are not optional. The ISACA testing style is distinctive enough that third party materials alone often leave candidates short.
A quick note on cost. The instinct when spending $500 or more on an exam voucher is to stock up on every book and course you can find. Resist it. One solid textbook plus one practice question bank plus one reference site is enough for most candidates. Read our piece on CISSP self study strategies to save money for the cost conscious approach.
Free and Low Cost Video Resources
Video courses are where most candidates start because they are easy to consume during commutes, workouts, or lunch breaks. They are also where candidates waste the most time, because watching is not studying. Pick one primary course and stick with it.
YouTube offers full length free courses for most major cybersecurity certifications. Several creators have built complete Security+, Network+, and CySA+ playlists that map to the current exam objectives. NetworkChuck produces excellent beginner friendly cybersecurity content. ITProTV and LinkedIn Learning both offer paid subscription access with broader cert libraries.
For EC-Council’s CEH specifically, the official iLabs platform includes video walkthroughs tied directly to exam content. Our own overview of the CEH v13 exam structure breaks down the module split and how to prioritize video time against each domain.
Practice Questions: The Single Biggest Predictor of Passing
If I could only give candidates one piece of advice, this would be it. Practice questions are the number one predictor of exam success. Not videos. Not textbooks. Not fancy labs. Practice questions.
The reason is straightforward. Certification exams test how well you recognize question patterns and apply concepts to scenarios, not how well you can recite definitions. A candidate who has worked through 500 practice questions walks into the real exam already familiar with the question style, the trick phrasing, and the common distractors. A candidate who only watched videos is seeing all of that for the first time under timed pressure.
Our own Security+ practice questions resource is a free option for Security+ candidates specifically. Use it alongside one of the paid banks for coverage.
Hands On Labs That Actually Matter
Some exams require hands on skill. CySA+, CEH, and Pentest+ all test practical ability alongside theory. For these, labs are not optional. Even for knowledge based exams like Security+ and CISSP, lab work helps concepts stick.
TryHackMe has structured learning paths that map to CompTIA exams and entry level roles. The platform is beginner friendly and free for most content, with a reasonable paid tier for advanced rooms. It is one of the few lab platforms that works for both career starters and candidates who just want to reinforce exam topics. For CEH specifically, the official EC-Council iLabs environment is tied directly to the exam curriculum and is the closest you will get to the actual practical test environment.
You can also build your own home lab for free. A modest laptop running VirtualBox or VMware, plus a few virtual machines with Kali Linux, a Windows evaluation copy, and a Linux server, covers most of what you need to practice Security+ and CySA+ scenarios. No monthly fee, no content limits.
Reference Documents You Should Bookmark
Several free reference documents come up on nearly every cybersecurity exam. Bookmark them once. You will use them across multiple certifications and across your entire career.
The NIST Cybersecurity Framework is referenced across CompTIA, ISC2, and ISACA exams. NIST Special Publication 800-53 covers security controls, and SP 800-61 covers incident response. The OWASP Top 10 is the baseline for web application security knowledge on any exam that touches application security. The MITRE ATT&CK framework is now a core reference for CySA+, CEH, and SOC analyst roles. CIS Controls are another common reference for control selection questions.
You do not need to memorize these documents cover to cover. Read the summary pages, understand what each framework is for, and know the major categories. That level of familiarity is enough to answer the majority of framework questions correctly.
Community Resources and Study Groups
The cybersecurity certification community on Reddit is one of the most underused study resources. Real candidates post real experiences. You get honest opinions on resources, which topics actually showed up on the exam, and practical advice on what to focus on in the final week.
The useful subreddits are r/CompTIA, r/CISSP, r/cybersecurity, and cert specific subs like r/ccna. Sort by top posts of the past year and you will find detailed exam experience writeups, called “I passed” posts, that break down exactly what the poster used and how long they studied. LinkedIn study groups and Discord servers for specific certs also run active study sessions, though quality varies. Pick one community and engage with it. Reading 200 other people’s study paths does not help. Participating in one does.
The Study Strategy That Actually Works
Resources only matter if you use them well. Here is the five phase approach that works across certifications.
Phase one: download the official exam objectives and print them. Phase two: work through one primary resource, either a textbook or a video course, front to back. Do not skip around. Phase three: take a baseline practice exam. This will hurt. It is supposed to. The point is to identify weak domains. Phase four: cycle between focused review on weak areas and additional practice questions until you consistently score 85 percent or better on full length practice exams. Phase five: take a full length timed practice exam two or three days before the real test, then rest. Do not cram the night before.
The most common mistake is moving to the next phase before the current one is complete. Candidates watch half a video course, then start practice questions, then get discouraged, then buy another video course. Finish what you start.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best free resource to study for CompTIA Security+?
The official CompTIA Security+ exam objectives PDF from comptia.org is the starting point. Combine it with a full length free video course on YouTube and ExamCompass practice quizzes. That three resource stack costs nothing and covers the entire exam. Add a paid practice question bank like Boson or CompTIA CertMaster in the final weeks for polish.
How long should I study for a cybersecurity certification?
Entry level certs like ISC2 CC and CompTIA Security+ take 40 to 120 hours depending on prior experience. Intermediate certs like CySA+ and CEH run 100 to 150 hours. Advanced certs like CISSP and CompTIA CASP+ require 150 to 250 hours. Most successful candidates spread this across 8 to 16 weeks at one to two hours per day.
Do I need to pay for study materials or can I pass with free resources?
You can pass most cybersecurity certifications using only free resources, especially entry and intermediate level exams. Free official objectives, free video courses, free practice quizzes, and free reference documents like NIST and OWASP cover the content. Where paid resources earn their cost is in high quality practice question banks with detailed explanations, which accelerate the final phase of preparation.
Are practice exams really more important than video courses?
Yes. Video courses teach content, but certification exams test how well you apply content under exam conditions. Candidates who consistently score 85 percent or higher on full length practice exams pass the real exam at very high rates. Candidates who only watched videos and skipped practice questions fail at much higher rates, even when they feel they understood the material.
What should I study first if I am completely new to cybersecurity?
Start with ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity or CompTIA Security+. ISC2 CC is free to study for and has a lower barrier to entry, which makes it a safe first cert. CompTIA Security+ carries more industry weight but takes longer to prepare for. If you are targeting a government or defense contractor job, Security+ is usually the right first cert because it satisfies DoD 8570 baseline requirements.
How many practice questions should I do before taking the exam?
Target 500 to 1,000 practice questions minimum before sitting for any cybersecurity certification, and review every answer explanation, including the ones you got right. For CISSP and other advanced exams, 1,500 to 2,000 practice questions across multiple banks is a more realistic target. Quality of review matters more than raw count.
Should I use multiple resources or stick with one?
Use two or three, no more. The sweet spot is one primary teaching resource (a textbook or video course), one practice question bank, and one reference resource like the official objectives or NIST documents. Candidates who jump between five or six sources tend to learn shallowly across all of them rather than deeply in any.