# oscp exam review > Exam date: 10/30/2021 (Passed) > > NOTE: this review is not as per the new 2021 OSCP exam changes. ### Post Exam Review This post talks about **my approach** and maybe if it helps any of you!. I did consolidate my notes and shared it down if it helps. > **I did meet amazing friends throughout this journey who have helped me a lot - giving tips on improvement, shortcuts; nudges on box rather than directly answers; quick and faster ways to do stuff etc.** My Template Repo: **My Background:** Been working as DevSecOps Engineer (not penetration testing) for 3 years. **My Approach:** Started **"seriously"** in Feb 2021 with TryHackMe. I went through the Beginner and Offensive Pentesting course (did skim through Active Directory as well as PWK labs have AD boxes and it really helps in the PWK Labs). Spent a month in it, took notes and was building my methodology for enumeration and privilege escalation. I purchased **Tib3rius Linux & Windows PE course** and was a good crash course on Privilege Escalation. By end of March, I completed 15+ TJ Nulls OSCP boxes list and I was getting confident with my process. I also started doing ***"active"*** HackTheBox and I really feel that helped me. > **Personal Note: Based on my experience, I feel doing the active HTB boxes (easy & medium) really helped me as I wouldn't see walk-through on Google Search first page or anything and really had to understand and try attacking every possible attack vector I could find. Yeah! it was hard but that helped me to "TryHarder!".** > > **I purchased the OSCP with 30 days of Lab Access but then realized that I'd definitely need the 90 days one. I contacted Offsec and they made me pay the differential but then gave me a voucher which I can redeem for the 60 days - WHICH REALLY HELPED as I could get 30 days then evaluate my progress, do other stuff and then redeem the 60 days at a later stage opposed to the continuous 90 days lab access.** My 1 month of PWK labs started in May, and I started really slow but by mid-month, I was able to amp up my speed in doing boxes, and I was able to **complete 30 boxes in 30 days of the Lab access.** I joined Proving Grounds around mid-July and really put in the time and in a month, I had all easy, medium boxes in PG Practice done. For some, I did see the walk-through as I was stuck, but most of them I was able to identify the attack vector and root it. - ***I REALLY recommend the PG boxes***. They are "REALLY" good practice. I subscribed to VirtualHackingLabs for a month, but only used it for a week. I did all the Advanced+ boxes in 5 days and got the ***VirtualHackingLabs Advanced+ Certification***. The boxes were good, but I feel what helped me most was the Report Writing for the Certification - I got practice and made a template for Reporting (shared down). While doing PG, VHL - I did complete any easy HTB box that was active. > *Personal accomplishment - I ranked #44 to pwn the "DRIVER" HTB box.* > > ***I did get burnt out and took a month break from this and that really helped.*** I re-activated my PWK labs access in September End, and learn about pivoting and double pivot (the PWK labs subnet). I completed all machines the Dev, IT department. ``` I scheduled my exam for Halloween 2021. ``` Two ways to pass: 1. 25+20+25 2. 25+20+20+10 I was going to attack the BOF first, then move to any of the 20 pt which I felt was easier based on the scans and depending on that go for the 25 pt or the other 20 pt and 10 pt. > **Two days before the exam, I really relaxed myself and just read all the boxes I had done, just to review and update my notes.** > > **NOTE: The 24-hour exam is really STRESSFUL. Do get in the break and calm yourself before it begins.** I had issues with sharing my 3 screens and that took over an hour. IMPORTANT TIP: Download **PortableChrome** and run it using that - I had issues with Brave, Edge, Firefox. The proctors were really chill, and I did get the 1-hour time extended for the exam. **Exam started at 1pm, I scored the needed 70 points by midnight. By end of the exam, I was at 90 points.** > Reach out on discord for any help! --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://kashz.gitbook.io/kashz-jewels/oscp-exam-review.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.