Steps To...

General Instructions
Access to Self Study Material and Exams
Deadlines
Tips for Success and Where to get Help

General Instructions

GIAC Certification exams are taken online via the GIAC web site and administered in a proctored environment. For complete details regarding the GIAC Proctor Program please see http://www.giac.org/proctor/
Depending on the Certification you are attempting, the time limit for the exam ranges from 4 to 5 hours. For more details on the breakdown of your exam and subjects covered on each, please review the Certification Information Read Me First section in your portal account, once the certification attempt has been activated.

Access to Self Study Material and Exams

All GIAC-related correspondence is sent to the email address you provided when you registered. If your email address changes, be sure to update your email address by clicking on the "Preferences" link at the bottom of your portal home page.
Once you log in to your portal account, you will have a link for Certification Attempts and/or Self Study Files as appropriate to your registration.
You can access your certification information by logging in to your portal account and clicking on the Certification Attempts link. Your deadlines will be clearly displayed in the certification grid.
Please be sure to read the "Certification Information READ ME FIRST!" page which includes the examination description.

Deadlines

Deadlines are displayed in Universal Time (UTC), also known as Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). The exam deadlines are clearly displayed within the certification grid in the GIAC Certification Portal.
Both GIAC Certification attempts will be available in candidates' accounts for 4 months.
If you do not pass a portion of the certification requirements you may pay to retake the item that you failed and complete the rest of the requirements.
Your exams must be completed OR payment for a retake must be received by your final exam deadline.
The option to purchase an extension will become available on the day your attempt expires, giving you the chance to extend your deadline 30 days. Once those 30 days have passed, your ability to purchase an extension will expire.

Tips for Success and Where to Get Help

The GIAC certification program is challenging and we want to help you succeed! We offer the following advice when pursuing your certification:

Plan your time carefully. Don't postpone until the last minute.
Plan to spend some "hands on" time with the technology. GIAC does not formally require experience in the field in order to take the GIAC certifications. However, keep in mind that by design GIAC certification exams test your ability to apply your knowledge and skills in practice. You will have a much easier time with the certification process if you've spent some time working with the tools and technologies associated with the certification objectives.
Please send any questions to info@giac.org. In order for us to provide faster service, include your curriculum User ID or your portal SD number and what certification you are attempting so that we can easily reference your account.

Here are some additional study tips that may help you as you prepare for your GIAC certification exam:

Become familiar with the certification objectives for the certification you are attempting. For a list of objectives for the certification you are attempting, see http://www.giac.org/certifications/
Take both of your practice tests, but only after familiarizing yourself with the certification objectives and significant study time. Practice tests serve to get you familiar with the types of questions you can expect to see on the certification exam, as well as the testing interface in general. When taking the practice tests, you should pace yourself and practice using your books and any other references you plan on bringing with you to the testing center. They are more beneficial when they are used like a dry run prior to the real exam. The practice tests are also a good learning tool, as GIAC gives you the option to display the correct answer for missed questions. Don't waste them by blowing through them before studying, or not taking them at all.
When you complete your first practice test, print out the report at the end of it. The report tells you how well you did on each certification objective for your exam. If you have less than four starts for any certification objective you might want to consider refocusing your remaining study time in that area.
Study every day rather than all at once. This will give the material you are learning time to sink in and help keep you from burning yourself out. Don't wait to the list minute to begin studying!
Use a highlighter on books you are bringing with you to the test center to help the keywords in your index stand out when you are "under fire" in an exam situation.
According to a survey we conducted the average GIAC certified individual spends an average of 55 hours of study time in addition to any classroom training. If you are familiar with most of your certification objectives, that might be sufficient. If you are just learning the material for the first time it could easily take three times that much to master the certification objectives or more. Be prepared to spend the time required for mastery. If you don't spend time outside of class studying, you should not expect to pass.
If you haven't taken a multiple choice exam in a while familiarize yourself with multiple choice test taking strategy though various on- line searches. Some of the tips you find will not help you with GIAC exams, because of the extraordinary review process our questions go through. However some tips, like making sure you read the question and all answer option carefully, will always be applicable.
Use online resources to help address gaps in your knowledge. Search by certification objective topic areas, or specific tools or concepts. If you are a candidate for a technical certification, completing hands-on exercises and lab work in this area of study will be a benefit.