I'm very glad I waited until I did a couple dozen of TJNulls list before buying the PEN200. Around when I finished is when they changed the format, so I waited; And I'm very glad I did!
All the complaints around the course changes, the cost of the course, the lack of participation from OffSec. It really feels like they're bleeding us for cash... Pay harder!
This course isn't worth it, and I don't think the company doesn't deserve our money. There are cheaper courses that do a good job that are recognized in the industry... I would get them first.
/Rant
Edit: My goal isn't to ridicule OffSec, but to warn new up and coming security researchers that may be on the fence of spending everything they have on this certification. Don't do this cert unless you can afford the three months, have the time to finish the report, and can swallow 2 retake attempts to get the pass after hitting the impossible AD set.
I never felt more of a dumbass in the pen testing world than when i passed oscp. I tried luckier and got easy boxes for my exam. People who got harder boxes than me and passed are much more oscp than me. Then I saw all the higher level certs after oscp offered by SANS and offsec.
I also realized all the real world black hat shit and real world pen testing stuff that oscp does not teach you, or discourages you from using on the exam, such as arp poisoning, metasploit, etc. Plus pwning the AD set in the exam (or at least the labs and the easy AD set) is very bare basic bones of whats needed and theres so much more that goes into conquering AD. Oscp can teach you the bare basics of pen testing and enumeration, but is not the highest best end all be all master hacker cert that some people think it is. But HR certainly thinks so.
Maybe but nothing feels better when you pass it and no there aren't many other certs with same HR recognition
Is OSCP worth it?
The OSCP certification is considered highly valuable in the cybersecurity industry. It demonstrates a professional's practical skills and ability to perform real-world penetration testing, making it a sought-after credential by employers. The certification can lead to better job opportunities, higher salaries, and increased credibility in the field.
How do I earn an OSCP certification?
To earn the OSCP certification, candidates must complete the Penetration Testing with Kali Linux (PEN-200) (QAOFSECOSCP) course and pass the 24-hour hands-on exam. The exam involves compromising a series of target machines within a virtual lab environment.
What topics does an OSCP certification cover?
The OSCP certification covers a wide range of topics, including network security, web application security, buffer overflows, and various exploitation techniques. It emphasizes practical, hands-on experience in identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities.
I recently cleared OSCP+ and wanted to share some lessons that genuinely made a difference during preparation and the exam itself. This isn’t about shortcuts or magic tools, it’s about process, discipline, and mindset.
1. Enumeration > Exploitation (every single time)
Avoid the habit of randomly throwing exploits at a target.
Proper enumeration:
• Builds a mental model of the system • Narrows realistic attack paths • Saves time by eliminating guesswork
Poor enumeration leads to rabbit holes, repeated loops, and unnecessary stress.
Take notes for every enumeration step, even findings that look boring. Many exploitation paths only become clear when small details are connected later. And sometimes, once you step back and review your notes, you realize the solution is actually simpler than it first appeared.
2. Notes are non-negotiable (during prep and the exam)
A common mistake:
“I’ll solve a few machines first and organize notes later.”
Avoid this.
Why? • You forget why you ran a command
• You repeat the same dead ends • You lose time rebuilding context
Instead:
• Take notes while solving • Record commands, outputs, assumptions, failures, and conclusions • Write why you ran something, not just what you ran
For preparation, keep structured long-term notes (Notion, Obsidian, OneNote your preference).
During active solving, use fast local notes (CherryTree, markdown, etc.).
Structure matters more than the tool.
3. Learn concepts, not just tools
Tools help, but they don’t replace understanding.
• Don’t depend on one tool • Learn what the tool is doing underneath • Know when, why, and with which options to use it
Blindly running commands rarely works unless enumeration already pointed you there.
4. Community resources worth using (responsibly)
These were genuinely helpful during preparation:
• Lainkusanagi • TJ Null • Offsec Discord • s1ren & IppSec: walkthroughs with strong emphasis on reasoning and note-taking
5. Manage your mind, not just the machine
OSCP+ tests mental endurance as much as technical skill.
• Take frequent short breaks • Eat properly (don’t skip meals) • Step away when stuck clarity often returns • A short nap can be more effective than hours of brute forcing
6. Exam-day issues: communicate early
If you hit any technical issue:
• Inform the proctor immediately • Even if they say everything looks fine and the issue persists from your side, request technical support • Let them investigate don’t silently struggle
7. The community matters more than you think
The OSCP / infosec community deserves special mention.
Blog posts, forum discussions, Discord conversations, walkthrough explanations, and shared methodologies shaped how I approached problems. Even when you’re stuck alone late at night, knowing others faced the same challenges helps push through.
Learn from the community but always understand why something works.
Tools worth looking at (For faster workflow)
These aren’t “magic” tools, but they genuinely helped improve speed, clarity, and focus during long OSCP+ prep and exam-style sessions:
• Penelope — useful for managing shells and sessions; always use OSCP-safe flags and understand what it’s doing under the hood • eza — a modern ls replacement that makes directory structures, permissions, and context easier to read during enumeration • bat / batcat — syntax-highlighted cat, great for quickly reviewing configs, scripts, and output without losing readability • ripgrep (rg) — extremely fast searching through files and loot; very helpful when reviewing enumeration output or notes • fzf — fuzzy finder that helps quickly navigate files, commands, and notes when context switching • fd — a faster, more intuitive alternative to find for locating files during enumeration • Shell aliases & small functions — customizing common commands (filtering, formatting, quick parsing) often removes the need for extra tools like jq and speeds up analysis • Terminal quality-of-life tools (tmux / Terminator / solid shell setup) reduce friction, improve context switching, and help maintain focus during long sessions
None of these replace methodology or understanding but they reduce cognitive load, which matters a lot during time-constrained exams.
As always: tools should support your process, not define it.
Final thought
OSCP+ rewards:
• Calm, structured thinking • Thorough enumeration • Strong note-taking habits • Conceptual understanding over randomness
Build these habits early and the exam becomes far more manageable.
Hope this helps and best of luck to everyone preparing. You’ve got this
Try Harder Try Smarter
Edit: This is my first Reddit post. I wanted to give something back to the OSCP community the blogs, walkthroughs, discussions, and shared methodologies here played a big role in helping me clear OSCP+.
I also have a neurological disorder, which sometimes makes it harder for me to express my thoughts clearly. Structuring information like this genuinely helps me communicate better. To help with that, I used GPT to organize the post but all the lessons and recommendations come from my own preparation and exam experience.
I know how intense the period before the exam can be the stress, self-doubt, and constant overthinking Am I ready? loop. Trust me, once you’re done with OSCP, you really do feel lighter, almost like starting fresh .
The goal here is simply to share what I learned and hopefully make someone else’s OSCP journey a little easier.