I just passed Network+ Today! Yay!
I used Professor Messer's Videos, the Sybex Study Guide and Exam Cram for my study Material. I found they all complimented each other. Although at times the Exam Cram lacked details and Sybex tended to be a little wordy.
Lots of practice tests really helped too

On to Security+ in 3 weeks with same strategy - Professor Messer, Sybex, and Exam Cram.

Congrats, Jonbetz
Looks like you were very much prepared for the test. Good to know your resources used. I plan on taking the Net+ exams sometime next month. Any other tips to know? I am currently using Mike Meyers book on Net+.

Good luck on your Sec+ !

I would suggest using more than one resource just to keep them honest. I found in Exam Cram that Harwood's section on Trunking was really defining Bonding not VLAN Trucking. As I said the Exam Cram book is rather concise and if I used it exclusively I don't think I would have fared so well. I didn't truly care for the writing style of Lammle but there was more information to gleen from his book. My image of him is he likes hearing himself talk and that he thinks he is a real crack-up. Putting that aside, he did provide the information needed. Both the books I used had CDs with practice exams and I used the exams on techexams.net (http://www.techexams.net/practice-exams/comptia.html ). The practice tests helped me identify the sections I needed to review and reinforced the stuff I learned.

If you don't have your test paid for yet, I used http://www.getcertify4less.com/ to get my vouchers for Net+ for $200 and Sec+ for $206 - If you can find one that has an early expiry date you can get decent discounts. I checked back often to see what they had. I might have been able to save more if I had waited until closer to the actual expiry date but I didn't want to risk not having a test date available since there is only one test site near where I live.

Let me know how you do when you take your exam. Good Luck!

Oh, and of course the Professor's videos were excellent too. I used the Exam Cram Table of Contents as the order in which I tackled the Comptia Objectives and cross referenced the Sybex book and the Professor Messer Videos to that. Read Chapter from Exam Cram then the chapter from Sybex that covered the same objectives, then I watched the Professor Messer Video on the same objectives. - Also Take the Review Tests at the end of each chapter. The Sybex CD has the Review Questions for each chapter also. The last day before the test I took all the chapter review tests and determined what material that I should give another look.

@jonbetz

Congrats,

Funny I used the same resources, but I didn't read the Sybex cover to cover. I got the Sybex book a week before sitting the exam, and it was very helpful. So much so that I am still kicking myself for not ordering it sooner. I have recently started reading it to keep up with the stuff I don't use daily. It is a huge book, I thought my MCTS book was big. Then I pulled out the Sybex Network+ and was reminded what a big book looks like. I will also say that it goes overboard, but you can count on what ever it is Network+ it is in that book. lol

The only thing I used on Security+ was Darril Gibson's book "CompTIA Security+: Get Certified Get Ahead: SY0-201 Study Guide". But that isn't a option unless your sitting the SY0-201. Keep in mind that Professor hadn't done his video's back when I was studying, so Darril Gibson's book was the only material that I had seen as a must read. Now that Professors has his video's for Security+ you should be good no matter how you go about it.

And I didn't take a break after Network+, I went right in and 5 weeks after Network+ had my Security+. I felt like the material was in my head, why not go ahead and knock the exam out. I scored higher on the Security+ then I did on A+ or Network+. But I put in 3 to 4 hours a day, and studied 7 hour easy on the weekends.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress, over in the Security+ form.

jonbetz, congrats on your pass.

I am also using the Sybex Study guide and agree with your sentiment that it is rather wordy. I question if in some areas it seems to go perhaps deeper than necessary, especially when gauging based on the areas and detail that the prof. covers in his videos. Based on your testing experience do you feel that the Sybex Book goes further than the test demands? I sit the test in the next two weeks and do okay on my practice exams but I have been wondering if some of the information is overkill (which is not a bad thing either). Not to give the wrong impression though, the book is a great resource and I would recommend it to others.

Thank you, I would be very interested in your feedback.

Congrats on your pass! well done!

@mtitus83

Yes I would agree that the Sybex Book does go beyond what you need to know for the exam. Like you say it isn't really a bad thing. It just made getting through the book take longer.
If you are testing well on practise exams and feel comfortable with most of the material covered you should do fine. On the job experience goes a long way but you do need to know particulars with regard to well-known port #'s, fiber/cable distances, wireless standards, etc.

Good luck on your test! I am sitting for the Security+ Exam this Thursday and am a little nervous but people that have taken it have told me it shouldn't be a problem for me to pass. I sure hope so. Guess I'll know soon enough.