When should you start OSCP

You NEED to know these TOP 10 CYBER SECURITY INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

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[dwanejohnson]

As a 16-year-old who just took the OSCP exam and scored enough points to pass (still waiting on email to see if I passed), I would like to add to this advice.

If you're a true beginner in cybersecurity like I was, I would advise to learn the basics first and know how to hack into machines on THM and HTB. Once you're fairly confident in your skills, start your OSCP journey. Note that this does not necessarily mean buying the PEN-200 right away.

If you're going for the cheapest option (labs, course, and exam bundle), know that at the end of those 90 days, you have a deadline of 120 days to schedule the exam. So if you're not already skilled enough and can't gain those skills in under 7 months, then work on developing them first. Otherwise it might cost more money.

Also, the exam isn't as hard as you might think. Proving Grounds will be your best friend. And practice reporting in advance, especially if you've never written a report like me. I did a few mock reports on PG machines leading up to this and I don't think I would have been able to do as well as I did without the practice.

Last note, make sure to fully read and understand the exam guide. Your understanding of it will be critical in determining whether you pass or not. You could hack all the machines, but if your proof screenshot wasn't taken from the working directory of the proof.txt file, it doesn't count