growth mindset
176
can be extremely powerful. Essentially, the growth mindset has to do
with the belief in one’s own potential. If a learner believes they have the potential to conquer a
173
(Goldwater, 2020), https://abaforlawstudents.com/2020/01/30/how-to-alleviate-bar-exam-stress/
174
(Burgess, 2016), https://ms-jd.org/blog/article/dealing-with-bar-exam-stress-and-anxiety
175
(ABA Law Student Division, 2022), https://www.americanbar.org/groups/young_lawyers/career-tools/new-graduates/mental-
physical-health-resources-bar-exam/
176
(Dweck, 2015), https://www.edweek.org/leadership/opinion-carol-dweck-revisits-the-growth-mindset/2015/09
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challenge, they will have a huge head start. Alternatively, if a learner assumes they will fail, it’s not
likely that they will accidentally succeed.
We previously mentioned the Try Harder mindset to describe resilience and persistence. The
growth mindset might be better described as the “Not Yet Mindset.” A student who encounters
some particularly difficult material in preparing for a tough, stressful exam is likely to feel as if
they can’t do the exercise or can’t understand the concepts. If it ends there, the emotional impact
of this sort of self-awareness can be devastating. Consider, on the other hand, that same student
with a Not Yet Mindset who thinks, for example, “I can’t do the exercise
yet
”, or “I can’t understand
the concepts
yet
.”
The second student in this example is still being honest about their understanding, but they are
now opening the door to be successful in the future. This one small word can be incredibly
powerful.
4.6.2
Knowing When You’re Ready
One of the most common questions that we receive regarding exams is, “How will I know when
I’m ready?” Sometimes this question takes other forms, such as, “Do I need to do all of the
exercises to prepare for the exam?” or “Can I prepare for the exam by completing a certain set or
a certain number of machines on VulnHub?”
It’s difficult to answer this question because each student is different. One student might have
decades of professional experience and will only need a quick refresh of a Module or two in order
to complete the exam. Another might be coming into the Module without much professional
experience at all and will need to study a bit harder.
The quickest answer to this question then, is “it depends on the individual.” Rather than leave it
there, however, let’s take a closer look at one specific piece of data that shows us a certain group
of learners who have a clear advantage on the exam.
The following chart focuses on the OSCP certification. It shows a direct correlation between
preparedness (working on more PEN-200 lab machines) and succeeding in the exam.
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Figure 4: Lab Machine completion contributing to success
Perhaps not surprisingly, the more time spent preparing for the exam, the more likely a student is
to be successful. Unfortunately there is no shortcut here. As the saying goes, “preparation makes
passing.”
4.6.3
Practical Advice for Exam Takers
In general, we would advise two tactics for exam takers:
1.
Prepare for the exam
2.
Understand the exam
The first item, preparing for the exam, is tied to everything we’ve covered elsewhere in this
Module. Each exam covers the content from the course, so it follows that reading the course
materials, watching any videos, and doing exercises will all be incredibly helpful. Using effective
learning strategies will also give learners an advantage.
Second, we recommend understanding the exam. The OffSec help site provides detailed
descriptions of each exam, including what exam takers can expect and useful tips about how to
approach enumeration tasks or submit proof that you were able to perform the required tasks.
These exam descriptions are available alongside other course-specific help items.
177
In addition to this particular resource, there are webinars,
178
searchable blog posts, and YouTube
videos of former students reviewing their exam experiences. Heading into the exam with a clear
understanding about what exactly it entails will not only reduce stress, but also improve
performance.
177
(OffSec, 2023), https://help.offensive-security.com/hc/en-us/categories/6965809783316-Course-Specific-Resources-for-Offsec-
Students
178
(OffSec, 2023), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=griDEeIcXQc
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4.7
Practical Steps
We’ve covered a great deal in terms of abstract tactics and strategies. We’re now ready to think
practically and plan our approach to the coursework ahead.
This Learning Unit covers the following Learning Objectives:
1.
Create a long term strategy
2.
Understand how to use a time allotment strategy
3.
Learn how and when to narrow your focus
4.
Understand the importance of a group of co-learners and finding a community
5.
Explore how best to pay attention and capitalize on our own successful learning strategies
While each student will learn at their own pace, this Learning Unit should take about 15 minutes
to complete.
4.7.1
Creating a Long Term Strategy
Choosing a particular focus, Course, or Learning Path is a critical first step to creating a long term
strategy. Having specific goals will help guide your decisions in terms of how much, when, and
what topics you choose to study.
It’s entirely possible that a few weeks into this plan you will need to adjust it or change it, and
that’s fine. In fact, the best plans often need to be adjusted over time. The alternative - having no
plan at all - would mean studying in an ad hoc manner, picking up (and putting down) materials
whenever convenient.
Planning can also greatly reduce stress levels.
179
In essence, planning helps us to create an idea
of what will happen rather than allowing it to happen to us. This helps with feeling more in control
of a situation and reduces anxiety.
Unfortunately, the saying, “failing to plan is planning to fail” is often true, and we can sometimes
set ourselves up for a very emotionally taxing and stressful failure.
Let’s spend a bit more time on what exactly that plan might look like.
4.7.2
Use Time Allotment Strategies
Let’s begin with when to study. As we’ve touched on a few times, one of the most impactful
strategies is distributing study time over multiple sessions instead of cramming as much
studying as possible into long sessions.
This strategy, called Spaced Practice,
180
requires looking at a calendar, finding reasonable time
slots, and sticking to a schedule. In addition to avoiding “marathon” sessions whenever possible,
there are a few things to consider when choosing the best times to schedule studying.
179
(Peláez, 2011): https://healthland.time.com/2011/05/31/study-25-of-happiness-depends-on-stress-management/
180
(Pan, 2022), https://psychology.ucsd.edu/undergraduate-program/undergraduate-resources/academic-writing-resources/effective-
studying/spaced-practice.html
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Before exploring this more deeply, we need to acknowledge that many of our students have jobs,
families, and other events going on in their personal lives. When we suggest (as we will shortly) to
study in the evenings, we don’t want to assume that every student can make this happen. It is
merely something to take into consideration when planning.
Some research
181
has suggested that before sleep might be a great time to study. The danger
here is that it is quite easy to push back the bedtime to continue studying. Intuitively, we might
think that we are being more productive by staying up later and studying more, but a lack of
sleep
182
can negatively impact our brain’s ability to retain information. Planning study time also
means planning an end to the studying.
If sleep is important for studying, a learner might correctly assume that exercise is as well.
183
Intense physical activity increases blood to flow to the brain, and fires neurons in the
hippocampus (the center for memory). In addition to generally improving brain health, exercising
either before or after studying can be highly beneficial to improving memory and recall.
184
4.7.3
Narrowing our Focus
Now that we know to schedule study time on our calendar, let’s consider how to organize our
physical space. For quite some time, educational scientists have been trying to determine the
ideal study space. One of the reasons there is no consensus is because the research
185
seems to
suggest that changing environments occasionally is good for us.
Maybe our study space is at the dining room table one week and a desk in a quiet corner of a
library the next week. It’s okay to move around a bit, but there are a few things we will need from
this space, regardless of where it is and how often we return to it.
To that end, we need to address a significant problem: multitasking. Study after study has shown
the negative impact that multitasking has on learning, job performance, and even brain health in
general. Sometimes we feel like we can accomplish more by doing more things at once, but this
simply isn’t true.
186,187,188,189
Creating a productive study space isn’t just about only doing one thing at a time, but it’s also
about minimizing extra noise. Even though listening to music may not seem like much of a
distraction at the time, processing this background noise still takes up a finite amount of mental
space. Studies show that in general, listening to music - especially fast music with lyrics - while
studying gets in the way of learning.
190
However, there is some additional research that suggests
181
(Sandoiu, 2018), https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321161
182
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2019), https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191001083956.htm
183
(Warner, 2006): https://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20061103/exercise-fights-fatigue-boosts-energy
184
(Rodriguez, 2015): https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/hit-the-gym-after-studying-to-boost-recall/
185
(Smith, Glenberg, and Bjork, 1978) https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.3758/BF03197465.pdf
186
(Junco and Cotten, 2012), https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S036013151100340X
187
(Bradberry, 2014), https://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2014/10/08/multitasking-damages-your-brain-and-career-new-
studies-suggest/?sh=3cdbceba56ee
188
(Atchley, 2010), https://hbr.org/2010/12/you-cant-multi-task-so-stop-tr
189
(Hurt, 2021), https://www.discovermagazine.com/mind/why-multitasking-does-more-harm-than-good
190
(Busch, 2018), https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2018/mar/14/sound-how-listening-music-hinders-learning-lessons-
research
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certain types of music (slow, instrumental music, in particular), may be actually helpful to
some.
191
In cases where it is actually helpful, it’s entirely possible that music is blocking out other, even
more distracting sounds (a learner in a coffee shop may find it easier to focus with headphones
that cancel out the surrounding conversations, for example). It’s also reasonable to do what we
can to make the study space one that we feel comfortable in and one that we enjoy spending
time in.
More to the point, interruptions caused by phone alerts, text messages, emails, and individuals
who might need our attention are another form of multitasking. Small habits, like putting your
phone in airplane mode or choosing a relatively isolated place for study, can help sharpen focus.
4.7.4
Pick a Strategy
Let’s refer back to the list of strategies presented in this Module, including the SQ3R method, The
Feynman Technique, and Retrieval Practice.
As with choosing a time and a location, it’s okay to change strategies mid-stream. It’s also okay to
come up with and iteratively improve on a pattern that works individually. In the case of OffSec
materials, some students may want to read first, then watch the videos, or vice versa. Some
students may want to preview the challenge exercises before reading the material. Others may
want to follow along with the text on a local or virtual machine, moving one command at a time.
The list of study methods included previously is not all-encompassing.
No matter which strategy we select, it’s important to have a plan in place and actively think about
it. It’s very difficult to assess whether or not a strategy is successful without recognizing what
that strategy actually is.
4.7.5
Find a Community of Co-Learners
Let’s take a moment to talk about and acknowledge the positive power of community.
There are numerous benefits to studying as part of a community of learners,
192
not least of which
is the opportunity to develop an entirely new set of soft skills. Group work is often used by
educators as a way to encourage students to learn the social skills required in a collaborative
environment. Even if one hopes to work as a sole-proprietor and not have any co-workers, the
tools learned when working as part of a group can be immensely helpful to one’s professional
career.
In addition to social skills, there’s a major benefit to being responsible for explaining ideas to co-
learners who might be struggling. This is at the core of the Feynman Technique that we reviewed
earlier.
Finally, there is something to be said for the camaraderie and the sheer enjoyment of being part
of a group of co-learners, sharing the ups and downs of a course. A German proverb, “
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