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Finally passed SY0-601 after failing twice — here's what actually worked

by Amanda H. 482 views3 replies
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Amanda H.OP
May 27, 2026

I'm not going to sugarcoat it — this exam beat me up. Failed in November with a 690, then again in February with a 712. Both times I thought I was ready but the performance-based questions absolutely wrecked me. I was spending all my time on flashcards and ignoring the stuff that actually shows up on test day.

Third attempt I switched my whole approach. I built my schedule around a solid SY0-601 study guide instead of jumping between random YouTube videos, and I started doing timed SY0-601 practice test sets every single day for the last three weeks. Specifically focused on GRC, identity management, and PKI because those were my weakest domains. Went from failing to a 763.

For anyone who's mid-prep right now — what's tripping you up the most? Happy to share the specific resources that clicked for me. Also curious if anyone else found the PBQs harder than expected or if that was just my experience both times.

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Marcus T.
May 27, 2026
The PBQs got me on my first attempt too. What helped me was treating them like troubleshooting scenarios rather than knowledge recall — you're not being asked what a firewall IS, you're being asked to configure one correctly. I used Professor Messer's course alongside daily practice tests and flagged every question I got wrong to review at the end of the week. Took me about 11 weeks total studying maybe 90 minutes a night.
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David K.
May 28, 2026
Congrats on passing! I'm currently scheduled for mid-June and honestly GRC is what's killing me. Risk management frameworks, compliance stuff — it all blurs together. Did you find a specific way to keep NIST vs. ISO vs. SOC straight? I feel like the exam tips I've read all say 'know your frameworks' but nobody explains HOW to actually remember which is which under pressure.
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Mike_T
May 28, 2026
Third time passing is still passing — don't let anyone take that from you. I failed once before passing and honestly it made me understand the material way deeper than I would have otherwise. The exam's no joke and 763 is a solid score.

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