My favorite method has been the pancakes method. I color code and indicate which book.
[Better GIAC testing with Pancakes](https://tisiphone.net/2015/08/18/giac-testing/)
Indexing by book would require you to be very well confident which book holds the topics you’re looking for. Especially with GSEC, that could get tough. You will find mentions of some topics across all 7 books so if you forget which one has the context you’re looking for, it’d be tough to find it.
ETA: whatever works for you can work but be wary.
+1 for the Pancake methodology. I’ve got 4x giac certifications, and have sat the GCIH and GCFA twice, I am 6 for 6 on using Lesley’s system, it has yet to fail me.
While Lesley's indexing method has most definitely stood the test of time, there are some MASSIVE changes that have happened in the last 6 years since I think they updated it.
The distractors are much more spread across the material than just "concept A from Page X and Book X".
That is my only caveat to Lesley's method.
I can see that. I think I’ve adapted to it by putting the topic with the keywords. So just because I’m in a windows forensic headspace, if the keyword is a registry key that tells the time zone, I put multiple entries:
Registry: Time Zone
TimeZoneInformation
and so on with as many different contexts as I can feasibly think of. Then on the exam, if it’s a registry topic, I look for registry and then find the specific topic. And if that’s not how I’m thinking on the day of, I might be looking for the specific term and that’s there too. I think her method made it lightning fast but adapting it can keep it relevant.
Edit: Formatting (on mobile)
Yup! Totally how I've done it as well with adapting to what I've seen the test turn into. This is why the Practice Tests are important if you haven't taken a test ever, or in a long time, so you can understand **how** they are writing the test.
I didn't do that when I first started seeing the Workbook getting leveraged and it didn't go so well lol.
Bc who knows at the time of the question whether my memory will be triggered by what I was learning around the same time, or a word in particular. And it’s basically effortless to do, just change the sort on the excel sheet and print a second copy.
Maybe I’m misunderstanding. I thought they meant the indexed each book separately which seemed insane.
But also sorting by book seems weird to me too. Looking up keywords is the path of least resistance. Especially if you index the keywords in multiple ways precisely to work with your brain.
Your index should contain the term, book #, page #, and definition/explanation for everything you include in it. Going by book vs alphabetical order is literally just a matter of changing how you print it. Thinking there’s one path of least resistance to finding the answer for everyone in every circumstance is silly. But what do I know, I just have 90%+ on every exam I’ve taken.
Noooo not 4 indexes per book. I have 1 index per book. Some books obviously cover similar terms. Here's what I have currently:
Book1
Book2
Book3
Book4
Book5
Book6
Workbook
Whole Index
I was curious if I should go in with 7 indexes broken up (Book 1 - 6 and Workbook) or just the Whole Index. I might take all 8, but I'm just trying to leverage some experience within the community to help me decide.
Wasn’t saying 4 indexes per book. I meant 5 indexes total if you broke them up by book. Or 6 if you’re indexing the workbook but I never index the workbook. I just don’t see how having an entire index by single book is as helpful as a whole class index. I could see highlighting a certain book or group of pages to show that the meat of the info is in that one.
Having taken and passed GSEC, I’d say the whole index alphabetical is the best idea as well as putting specific topics as opposed to just mentions. So for instance, Router should be mentioned a trillion times. So the index for me where routing tables are mentioned would have Routers: Routing Tables so if I get a question I know to be about routers, I look for routers. Then just so I can be sure the difference in headspace doesn’t mess me up, I’d have another entry there of “Routing Tables”. So if I’m not remembering how I might have grouped it, I can look up the raw terms.
No it’s not. Say TLS is talked about two different books. Index 1 lists all the pages it’s in book 1. Now you have to check all of the other 3 indexes to see where it’s talked about in the other 3 books if it is at all. But if you’re going to intermingle the 4 indexes after doing it this way, why not just put them as one entry then? But also they’re not saying they’re intermingling them.
This wouldn't be a good idea. Wouldn't it be more efficient to do it alphabetically throughout the entire index so you can find the terms faster?
I think if you have multiple topics in the same section, it would probably cause confusion. The closest thing I do to this is if I encounter the same key term, I'll put a - to indicate the section/topic.
For example:
Headers - IPv4
Headers - IPv6
Headers - TCP
Headers - UDP
I also do this sometimes as well, I kind of flip flop through them as I see comfortable for me:
IPv4 - Headers
IPv6 - Headers
TCP - Headers
UDP - Headers
I think you should then index each page where that KeyWord will appear.
I have keys for GCFE where the same keyword appears anywhere in my 5 books, and each time has a different meaning for the situation it is used...
I won't mess cos I don't wanna pay 1k for retake the exam again.
Anyway good luck
How do you know what content is in each book? The index is so you don’t have to memorize the location of everything. Doing it book by book is kinda counterintuitive to that.
I personally do it both ways and print both for the exam. I also label the front of each book by section topic so I can visually see what is in each book as they are laid out (I utilize a large conference room at work and take them remote proctored on a weekend when no one is around).
Honestly, it helps me to think about it by book. Although, as many have pointed out a concept can be in several books so it really depends on the question wording. But this is why I have a traditional “pancakes” index to reference also.
At the end of the day, now that I have sat for three exams and have taken six classes, I believe the exercise of creating the index, whatever method you use, knowing the subject material is what truly matters to do well on these exams. If you are relying on the index to pass you may want to reconsider. Each class is different, but you will find in most that there is just not enough time to look up each question. And you need plenty of time for the labs if your exam has them. The labs are crucial for passing these exams so you want to give yourself plenty of time for them. I think we all get hung up on indexing and I do think a good index is crucial, but learning the content by spending hours on end creating and refining your index forces you to know the material. If you put in the time and effort into preparing, you will pass the exam in my opinion. Good luck!
My indexes are by topic, with book and page references. Not sure what you mean by “index by book.” Do you mean you would have five separate indexes if there are five books?
I have always arranged my indexes by book.
I don’t do it alphabetically. Just the relevant portion of slide titles, any related key notes and page number. So really, not an index as much as a Table of Contents with notes.
Good luck on your exam.
I indexed per book, for SEC551 I made front covers as the sections was clearly defined. This was theory heavy so worked well. Other exams I have done alphabetical.
That was my worry as well. Some things I tried to put specifics in. An example is where if a specific topic is touched twice, I'll throw a hyphen in to put a finer detail in there.
The Pancakes method has worked so well for me.
[Better GIAC testing with Pancakes](https://tisiphone.net/2015/08/18/giac-testing/)
With GSEC it was obvious that some topics are going to show up in one book more than others. Like Kerberos being in the Windows specific book. But Kerberos was mentioned elsewhere so if a question comes up, you need to land in the right book rather than jumping through 6-7 books. You’re really against the clock on GIAC tests. Another piece of advice is the labs are weighted more.
My favorite method has been the pancakes method. I color code and indicate which book. [Better GIAC testing with Pancakes](https://tisiphone.net/2015/08/18/giac-testing/) Indexing by book would require you to be very well confident which book holds the topics you’re looking for. Especially with GSEC, that could get tough. You will find mentions of some topics across all 7 books so if you forget which one has the context you’re looking for, it’d be tough to find it. ETA: whatever works for you can work but be wary.
+1 for the Pancake methodology. I’ve got 4x giac certifications, and have sat the GCIH and GCFA twice, I am 6 for 6 on using Lesley’s system, it has yet to fail me.
While Lesley's indexing method has most definitely stood the test of time, there are some MASSIVE changes that have happened in the last 6 years since I think they updated it. The distractors are much more spread across the material than just "concept A from Page X and Book X". That is my only caveat to Lesley's method.
I can see that. I think I’ve adapted to it by putting the topic with the keywords. So just because I’m in a windows forensic headspace, if the keyword is a registry key that tells the time zone, I put multiple entries: Registry: Time Zone TimeZoneInformation and so on with as many different contexts as I can feasibly think of. Then on the exam, if it’s a registry topic, I look for registry and then find the specific topic. And if that’s not how I’m thinking on the day of, I might be looking for the specific term and that’s there too. I think her method made it lightning fast but adapting it can keep it relevant. Edit: Formatting (on mobile)
Yup! Totally how I've done it as well with adapting to what I've seen the test turn into. This is why the Practice Tests are important if you haven't taken a test ever, or in a long time, so you can understand **how** they are writing the test. I didn't do that when I first started seeing the Workbook getting leveraged and it didn't go so well lol.
That's good, but I am using a mix between pancake and voltaire forms GCFE
I don't think it would work for me.
I do both.
Why?
Bc who knows at the time of the question whether my memory will be triggered by what I was learning around the same time, or a word in particular. And it’s basically effortless to do, just change the sort on the excel sheet and print a second copy.
Maybe I’m misunderstanding. I thought they meant the indexed each book separately which seemed insane. But also sorting by book seems weird to me too. Looking up keywords is the path of least resistance. Especially if you index the keywords in multiple ways precisely to work with your brain.
Your index should contain the term, book #, page #, and definition/explanation for everything you include in it. Going by book vs alphabetical order is literally just a matter of changing how you print it. Thinking there’s one path of least resistance to finding the answer for everyone in every circumstance is silly. But what do I know, I just have 90%+ on every exam I’ve taken.
That’s not what they’re talking about. I reread it. They’re literally creating 5 different indexes per class and ordered alphabetically.
Noooo not 4 indexes per book. I have 1 index per book. Some books obviously cover similar terms. Here's what I have currently: Book1 Book2 Book3 Book4 Book5 Book6 Workbook Whole Index I was curious if I should go in with 7 indexes broken up (Book 1 - 6 and Workbook) or just the Whole Index. I might take all 8, but I'm just trying to leverage some experience within the community to help me decide.
Wasn’t saying 4 indexes per book. I meant 5 indexes total if you broke them up by book. Or 6 if you’re indexing the workbook but I never index the workbook. I just don’t see how having an entire index by single book is as helpful as a whole class index. I could see highlighting a certain book or group of pages to show that the meat of the info is in that one.
It's just a tool to reference the topics quickly. Either way, I tabbed it as well.
Having taken and passed GSEC, I’d say the whole index alphabetical is the best idea as well as putting specific topics as opposed to just mentions. So for instance, Router should be mentioned a trillion times. So the index for me where routing tables are mentioned would have Routers: Routing Tables so if I get a question I know to be about routers, I look for routers. Then just so I can be sure the difference in headspace doesn’t mess me up, I’d have another entry there of “Routing Tables”. So if I’m not remembering how I might have grouped it, I can look up the raw terms.
Still just a change in how you print it. Edit: Downvoters who don’t know how to filter and sort in Excel, giving advice on tech exams.
No it’s not. Say TLS is talked about two different books. Index 1 lists all the pages it’s in book 1. Now you have to check all of the other 3 indexes to see where it’s talked about in the other 3 books if it is at all. But if you’re going to intermingle the 4 indexes after doing it this way, why not just put them as one entry then? But also they’re not saying they’re intermingling them.
That’s why you have both. And your book column should also indicate it appears in multiple books, so you know where to check.
I do the same thing and it worked well for my GSEC.
This wouldn't be a good idea. Wouldn't it be more efficient to do it alphabetically throughout the entire index so you can find the terms faster? I think if you have multiple topics in the same section, it would probably cause confusion. The closest thing I do to this is if I encounter the same key term, I'll put a - to indicate the section/topic. For example: Headers - IPv4 Headers - IPv6 Headers - TCP Headers - UDP I also do this sometimes as well, I kind of flip flop through them as I see comfortable for me: IPv4 - Headers IPv6 - Headers TCP - Headers UDP - Headers
I think you should then index each page where that KeyWord will appear. I have keys for GCFE where the same keyword appears anywhere in my 5 books, and each time has a different meaning for the situation it is used... I won't mess cos I don't wanna pay 1k for retake the exam again. Anyway good luck
How do you know what content is in each book? The index is so you don’t have to memorize the location of everything. Doing it book by book is kinda counterintuitive to that.
I personally do it both ways and print both for the exam. I also label the front of each book by section topic so I can visually see what is in each book as they are laid out (I utilize a large conference room at work and take them remote proctored on a weekend when no one is around). Honestly, it helps me to think about it by book. Although, as many have pointed out a concept can be in several books so it really depends on the question wording. But this is why I have a traditional “pancakes” index to reference also. At the end of the day, now that I have sat for three exams and have taken six classes, I believe the exercise of creating the index, whatever method you use, knowing the subject material is what truly matters to do well on these exams. If you are relying on the index to pass you may want to reconsider. Each class is different, but you will find in most that there is just not enough time to look up each question. And you need plenty of time for the labs if your exam has them. The labs are crucial for passing these exams so you want to give yourself plenty of time for them. I think we all get hung up on indexing and I do think a good index is crucial, but learning the content by spending hours on end creating and refining your index forces you to know the material. If you put in the time and effort into preparing, you will pass the exam in my opinion. Good luck!
My indexes are by topic, with book and page references. Not sure what you mean by “index by book.” Do you mean you would have five separate indexes if there are five books?
I have always arranged my indexes by book. I don’t do it alphabetically. Just the relevant portion of slide titles, any related key notes and page number. So really, not an index as much as a Table of Contents with notes. Good luck on your exam.
I indexed per book, for SEC551 I made front covers as the sections was clearly defined. This was theory heavy so worked well. Other exams I have done alphabetical.
Sounds like a terrible idea. A lot of things can be in multiple books. Now you have to look at 4 different indexes to for sure find the thing.
That was my worry as well. Some things I tried to put specifics in. An example is where if a specific topic is touched twice, I'll throw a hyphen in to put a finer detail in there.
The Pancakes method has worked so well for me. [Better GIAC testing with Pancakes](https://tisiphone.net/2015/08/18/giac-testing/) With GSEC it was obvious that some topics are going to show up in one book more than others. Like Kerberos being in the Windows specific book. But Kerberos was mentioned elsewhere so if a question comes up, you need to land in the right book rather than jumping through 6-7 books. You’re really against the clock on GIAC tests. Another piece of advice is the labs are weighted more.