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Passing the CWSP (Certified Wireless Security Professional) - My 2 cents
Sunday, June 17, 2012 at 6:07PM Last week I sat the CWSP exam and passed on my first attempt. My overall score was 91%. I want to share my insight into the exam and what I used to prepare.
CWSP VALUE
The CWSP study material sets the foundation of 802.11 security. Its the building blocks to understanding 
how 802.11 security works from encryption, EAP, dynamic key generation, security policy, roaming and the 802.11 standard. For anyone who troubleshoots, designs, deploys or debugs 802.11, the CWSP compliments your abilities.
There is a tremendous amount of value contained in the CWSP study guide, should you choose not to actually go for the certification itself. I can not tell you how many times, over and over again where I referenced martial in the CWSP for colleagues and customers. There is instant creditability when you can speak confidently in great detail about the inner workings of 802.11.
FOUNDATION LEARNING
If I can offer one valuable piece of advice. Never skimp on foundation learning. Understanding, in detail, how the different 802.11 security components and mechanics work are critical. Cause, as you will learn, may of the new and future standards are almost always applied to the existing mechanics. A solid foundation lends to better comprehension of future advancements in 802.11.
CWSP EXAM OBJECTIVES
Taking any exam, its importance to read the exam objectives. Objectives are the clear definition of what you will be tested on. There should be no surprises, if your study efforts are inline with the objectives. Also, don’t start carving up the objectives and think that this section is only worth 5% and not give it your all, when it comes to studying. All objectives should be studied.
It is also important to take these objectives, break them out and reference other authored material for a different perspective on the subject. I used the following:
802.11-2007 Standard
Cisco Wireless LAN Security ISBN: 1-58705-154-0
CWNP White Papers
- 802.11i Authentication and Key Management (AKM) White Paper
http://www.my80211.com/storage/online-pdf-downloads/Chicken_Egg.pdf
Robust Security Network (RSN) Fast BSS Transition (FT) White Paper
http://www.my80211.com/storage/online-pdf-downloads/802.11_RSN_FT.pdf
CWNP Website - CWSP
http://www.cwnp.com/certifications/cwsp
CWNP Forums - CWSP
http://www.cwnp.com/bbpress/forum.php?id=10
CWNP Self Study Material - CWSP
http://www.cwnp.com/training/selfstudy
TAP RESOURCES
If you’re studying a topic and something just doesn't make sense, tap a knowledgeable source. I always enjoy talking geek details with my friends to get a different spin on things.
TAKE NOTES
Its simple, to pass the CWSP, it requires a great deal of attention to detail. Take notes often and frequently on all subjects. I used mental case and flashcardexchange.com to store and reference my notes.
You can find a few of my notes here for reference:
http://www.my80211.com/8021x/
http://www.my80211.com/security-labs/
http://www.my80211.com/cwsp-george-stefanick/
READ READ READ
You probably will not believe me when I tell you I read the CWSP study guide over 20 times, cover to cover, but I did. Read a book over and over is much like watching a move a number of times. You catch little things you missed the first, second or third time around. I got into a habit of reading a chapter a night.
PRACTICE EXAMS
CWNP.COM has a number of CWSP practice exams. The CWSP study guide includes a CD with exam questions as well. Do them often and pay very close attention to the questions being asked. Don't study the questions, rather study the content of the question being asked.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
The CWSP exam is multiple choice. In almost all cases, if you are confident in your studies, you can quickly exclude one or more possible answers from your choices.
REAL WOLD EXPERIENCE
If you have experience with radius server configuration, 802.11 captures, and exposure to wireless equipment you will certainly improve your odds of passing. It would be a stretch to say, you NEED this hands on in order to pass, but it certainly helps!
Exam Score Card - Break Down
Note passing is 70% Overall
- Wireless Network Attacks and Threat Assessment 85%
- Monitoring & Management 85%
- Security Design and Architecture 93%
- Security Policy 100%
- Fast Secure Roaming 100%
Thank you CWNP
I want to thank all the good folks at CWNP for putting together a great exam and study guide. Also the fine authors - Coleman, Westcott, Harkins and Jackman for a job well done on great material.
CWSP is by far my personal best 802.11 security book ever read. Ive read it over 20+ times. Great read ...
I also want to mention --- thanks to Marcus for answering my, "HUH" questions and letting me bounce random and sometimes confusing thoughts off of him. I really appreciate it.
I also want to thank Kevin for keeping CWNP relevant and restructuring the certification path and keeping the exam material relevant and up to date. I appreciate your dedication to the WiFi community.
Reader Comments (7)
Congrats! Curious to know your inputs between Cisco and CWNA certs?
How much does CWNA certs help in achieving CCIE wireless?
Congrats on the pass! 91% is an awesome score.
Are you going to be tackling the CWAP or CWDP in the future?
THANKS GUYS!
So will the CWNP help with the CCIE. I havent obtained the CCIE, yet! But I will say having CWNA certs can only help! I already started by CWAP. What about you Steve?
I can only compare against the CCNA: W, which focused really on Cisco equipment only. I learned much more from the CWNP material concerning 802.11.
I've actually got all the CWNP books (Bough the library deal a long time ago) and read through CWNA, CWAP, CWSP, but I changed jobs some time ago which has pulled me away from Wireless (Which is a shame because I really do miss it) and throws me into a heavy route/switch environment. So onward to CCIE: R/S I go :-)
I've actually been following this blog for a few years (Learned many great things along the way!), and I'm sure you'll end up with your CCIE.
Good luck on CWAP, it's definitely a deep dive into the operation of Wi-FI!!
Congrats on passing. Wireless security is fun, ain't it?
Thank you so much for your reading list, after I get my ccnp out of the way I intend to gear up for CWSP, and this post has helped immensely. I've already read Implementing 802.1x Security Solutions, by Geier which definitely helped me understand EAP, so for anyone else out there, in the same boat, add that one to the list.
Great post and I look forward to reading your other CSWP journey posts for additional study resources. I totally agree with your assessment of the CWSP study guide, I have read through it twice and it is full of awesomeness! Thanks - Dale