Finally passed OSC after two attempts — what actually helped me

by Daniel M. 286 views3 replies
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Daniel M.OP
May 27, 2026

So I just got my results back and I'm officially OSC certified. Took me two tries, not gonna lie. First attempt I went in pretty confident and walked out feeling like I'd never seen half that material before. Scored a 68 and needed a 75. Spent the next six weeks actually studying this time.

What made the difference was finding a decent OSC practice test that actually matched the real exam format. A lot of free stuff online is way too easy or covers the wrong domains. I also worked through a structured study guide instead of just reading my notes randomly — that helped me find the gaps I didn't know I had, especially around security controls and incident response procedures.

Biggest exam tip I wish I'd followed from the start: don't just memorize definitions. The questions are scenario-based and they want you to apply the concepts, not recite them. I'd say I studied about 2 hours a night for six weeks and did timed practice sets the last two weeks. Anyone else here working toward this cert? Happy to answer questions.

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Carlos B.
May 27, 2026
Congrats! I sat for mine about four months ago and completely agree on the scenario-based thing. I kept getting tripped up on questions where two answers both sounded right. What helped me was slowing down and asking myself what the question was actually testing before I looked at the options. Also, don't skip the risk management domain — it showed up way more than I expected.
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Samantha C.
May 28, 2026
Which practice test resource did you end up using? I've been studying for about three weeks and honestly I'm not sure if the material I have is current. I keep reading that they updated the exam objectives recently and now I'm second-guessing my whole prep. Also how strict is the passing score — is 75 a hard cutoff or is there any scaling?
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Sarah M.
May 28, 2026
Two attempts is nothing to be embarrassed about, plenty of people take three. The fact that you analyzed what went wrong and came back with a real plan is exactly the right move. Good luck to everyone still in the prep phase — it's a tough exam but definitely passable with the right study guide and some patience.

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