I keep thinking that I need to have a place for all the indexing information that I end up sharing on LinkedIn and various social media, so I’m finally doing it!
Things you may want to invest in: binders for your index (I have at least 3 per GIAC subject, 2-inch minimum: book index, definitions, labs, extra resources), post-it note flags (any brand, but flags of some sort, varying colors & sizes), highlighters (beyond standard colors is my preference), pens, pencils, etc. I have a ton of supplies (see images below) and in one course or another, I’ve used so many of these. I like my books to be colorful.
For GSEC, I color-coded my books in ROYGBIV. Then, my index for each book was in that color-coding (so, background shading = pale red, orange, yellow, etc), and darker shade for text of that section’s color, so I’d know where to find something by sight. The bottom of the books I used colored markers to better identify them as well. I print all of my items in landscape mode with customized margins (very narrow) so I can maximize my space. Since most of what I print is in Excel, I use custom footers with book subject page numbers at the bottom, in the format of Page X of XXX. Oh, and an important note: you might choose to alpha sort your entire index, or just per book. Or, not alpha sort at all. Think about how you want to organize and reference your materials. I have 6 columns, for example, where I have the Page, Book #, Main [Topic], and Sub [Topic], Term, and Detail. Term is always more than a word or phrase - I put in each column what makes sense, and I often put the same information in several rows, worded differently, bc I may think of things differently depending on wording of the question, the topic, etc. When I print my index, I will alpha sort on the Term, so those rows with identical info but worded differently, will show up in different places when I print. This is a very personal part of the process. Whatever works for you is what you should do, and you can fiddle around with it while studying. I will tell you that some folx do not create an index. I would urge you to at least create something to reference, and, IMO, the more info you can get into your index, the better. Tab your index adequately as well. I use A-Z binder tabs, and if a particular section is very thick, I’ll add flags to denote letter groupings within a letter section.
Lastly some students prefer to have their items professionally printed and bound, but I have a great Epson eco-tank printer and found it to be quite satisfactory and less expensive in the grand scheme of things.
First up on resources: Lesley Carhart’s timeless indexing information, Better GIAC Testing with Pancakes. This is where I began. Next, Stefani Guimaraes Lima’s post, How I Prepared for My SANS Courses: My Indexing System for GFACT, GSEC, and GCIH. Stephanie has great tips. Finally, a video by Kryptstar Mack, How to Index for the Sans GSEC exams. There are so many resources out there, but these are a good beginning.
Remember, you can do this. Index like whoa, study harder than you think you need to, take your practice tests, and then study up on anything 3 stars or fewer from those tests (I nearly doubled my index after taking the first practice test because I needed to better word some things). Then, go in there and do the thing. Not everyone passes on their first try, and that’s ok! You can try again. Good luck! 🍀
As always, stay safe out there, friends.
-bk
SEC401 books tabbed at 20-page increments
Pens, pencils, highlighters, flags - entirely too many but I love options!