My CySA+ and GFACT Journey

Preparing for Two Certifications at the Same Time (And Passed Both)

Preparing for one certification is already challenging — preparing for two at the same time felt overwhelming at first. Here’s how I approached CySA+ and GFACT together — and what actually worked for me.

I had been thinking about sharing my CySA+ and GFACT journey for a while — mainly because I prepared for both certifications at the same time.

Background — How It All Started

I am currently pursuing my Master’s in Cybersecurity at WGU, and I am also a WiCyS member.

🌐 Through WiCyS, I joined the Security Training Scholarship (STS) program, which includes multiple tiers of training.

🎯 The program began with global CTF competitions involving thousands of participants, and a selected cohort of around 65 participants progressed to the SANS training phase with structured guidance and support.

• Tier 1→ CTF competition ✅
• Tier 2→ CTF competition ✅
• Tier 3 → SANS training (SEC275 — GFACT) ✅
• Tier 4 → Currently preparing for GSEC
• Tier 5 → GCIH after completing GSEC

Both my WGU program and SANS training started on December 1, which is when everything began to overlap.

Managing Two Certifications at Once

I completed my first WGU course of the M.S. program in about two weeks. After that, my next course included:

• CySA+ (Objective Assessment)
• Incident Response reports (Performance Assessment)

At the same time, my GFACT (SEC275) training had already started on December 1.

Both certifications also had defined timelines — GFACT had a deadline of March 8, while my CySA+ course was expected to be completed by the end of March.

Initially, it was difficult to manage both. But I realized:

Trying to do everything at once doesn’t work — shifting focus strategically does.

GFACT — First Pass, But No Rush

I completed the first pass of the SEC275 online course in about 2–3 weeks and used the books for light review during this time before shifting my focus to CySA+.

During this phase, I focused primarily on the course and labs, using the books for reference rather than reading them cover to cover.

However:

• I didn’t feel confident enough to take the exam
• I didn’t want to rush after just one pass

So I made a decision:

✔ Focus fully on CySA+ first ✔ Continue light review of GFACT alongside

CySA+ — Structured Preparation

I spent around 6–8 weeks preparing for CySA+. Before starting my focused preparation, I completed the Performance Assessment (PA) within 2–3 days so I could dedicate my full attention to the exam preparation.

Step 1: Understanding the Structure

I started by reviewing:

• Exam objectives
• Overall structure of the certification

WGU provided CertMaster resources, labs, and PBQs.

Initially, I found CertMaster confusing because:

• It was not structured domain-wise
• It followed a real-world SOC workflow instead

To build clarity, I completed:

👉 Mike Chapple’s LinkedIn Learning course

This helped me understand the structure before diving deeper.

Step 2: Core Learning

I worked through:

• CertMaster lessons and labs
• Notes from Mike Chapple + CertMaster
• A few practice sets to identify weak areas

Then I completed:

👉 Jason Dion’s course

His explanations were:

• Very detailed
• Sometimes, beyond the exam scope
• But extremely helpful for filling knowledge gaps

🧾 A log analysis exercise document provided by my course instructor also helped me strengthen my practical understanding and apply concepts more effectively.

🧪 For hands-on practice, I primarily relied on CertMaster labs. Although I didn’t spend much time on TryHackMe during this phase, my prior experience with multiple THM paths helped reinforce my understanding. I would highly recommend the TryHackMe SOC path for anyone starting out.

Step 3: Practice & Improvement

Initially, my scores were around 70–75%.

To improve, I changed my approach:

✔ Focused on weak domains first ✔ Deeply analyzed incorrect answers ✔ Asked myself:

• Why was my answer wrong?
• Why is the correct answer right?

At this stage, I started working through Sybex's domain-wise practice sets, which helped me target my weaker areas more effectively.

I carefully reviewed every incorrect answer and used ChatGPT to better understand the concepts and reasoning behind them.

Once I became more comfortable with domain-wise questions, I moved on to Jason Dion’s full practice tests to simulate the real exam environment.

This combination really helped me improve:

• My understanding
• My speed
• My analytical thinking

Gradually: 👉 My scores improved to 85–95% across multiple practice tests.

CySA+ Exam Experience

I chose to take the exam in person (Feb 27), which I personally prefer.

• ~65 questions
• ~7 PBQs

My strategy:

✔ Skip PBQs initially ✔ Answer MCQs first ✔ Flag questions I found confusing ✔ Return to PBQs at the end

• 5 PBQs — confident
• 2 PBQs — uncertain

I didn’t have time to review flagged questions, and I also chose not to overthink my answers — I stuck with my first instinct.

👉 Result: Passed 🎉

GFACT — Final Preparation Phase

After CySA+, there was no break.

I rescheduled my exam from March 2 to March 7 to allow time for revision.

What I did:

• Reviewed 3 books in 3 days
• Highlighted key areas while reviewing
• Tagged important sections
• Started indexing

Practice tests:

• Scores were lower than expected
• This created some anxiety

Key Realization

I realized: ❌ Separate indexing was distracting me ❌ It was disrupting my focus while answering questions

So I changed my approach:

✔ Relied on book familiarity and tagging ✔ Wrote important notes directly in the book

👉 This became a game-changer for me

GFACT Exam Experience

• Stayed calm
• Relied on book navigation skills
• Avoided overthinking

👉 Result: Passed GFACT with 91% 🎉

Huge relief.

WiCyS Conference Experience

Right after the exams, I attended:

👉 WiCyS Conference 2026 (Washington, DC — March 11–13)

• Workshops
• Keynotes
• Networking with amazing peers

It was an incredibly motivating experience.

Key Learnings

This journey taught me:

✔ It’s possible to prepare for multiple certifications — with the right strategy ✔ Understanding is more important than memorization ✔ Working on weak areas drives the biggest improvement ✔ Everyone’s study method is different — find what works for you

Resources I Used

CySA+

(Most of the following were provided through WGU, except Pocket Prep)

• Mike Chapple — LinkedIn Learning Course
• CertMaster (learning resources, labs, PBQs)
• Sybex Practice Tests (domain-wise + full tests)
• Jason Dion — Udemy Course
• Jason Dion Practice Tests
• Instructor-provided log analysis exercises
• Pocket Prep (for quick revision and daily practice)

GFACT (SEC275)

• SANS SEC275 Course + Labs
• Course Books (all 3 volumes)
• 3 Practice Tests (including pre-assessment and final practice exams)

What’s Next

• GSEC (SANS SEC401)
• PenTest+ (WGU coursework)
• Continued hands-on labs (THM & HTB)

If you are on a similar path:

Consistency matters more than a perfect plan.

Let’s keep learning 🚀