But for those who don't …. what are y'all even doing ?

Go show Jason Vorhees some love and see the movie or try the game haha

I'm excited to share that I officially passed the eJPT (eLearnSecurity Junior Penetration Tester) certification!

And want to write this as a way to reflect on the journey.

The "Why": Testing My Limits

After passing CompTIA Security+, I realized I wanted something more.

I didn't want another standard, theoretical exam where I just checked boxes; I wanted to see if I could actually do it.

After spending significant time in various practice labs and CTF rooms, I wanted to put myself in a hands-on situation to see if I was truly capable of handling a professional-grade practical challenge.

That's when I discovered the eJPT v2.

Disclaimer: The views and experiences shared in this article are purely my own. The eJPT is a certification where opinions on preparation, resources, and difficulty vary. This is simply my candid, personal journey, and if sharing my story helps even one person on their path, I'm genuinely happy.

Preparing for the Exam: The 8-to-6 Grind

Working a demanding role meant my "9-to-5" was actually an 8-to-6.

Finding time to study wasn't easy.

I had to make time wherever I could — sometimes in the early morning before anyone was up, and often late at night after a long day at the office.

I set a hard deadline for myself, which forced me to be more efficient.

I started finishing my daily tasks faster so I could jump straight into my practice materials.

My biggest piece of advice? Take extensive notes.

I documented every scenario and every "Aha!" moment during my prep. Those notes became my ultimate weapon when the clock started ticking.

The Strategy:

The INE course is often cited as the gold standard for eJPT prep, boasting 150 hours of video lectures.

While it's recommended to go through every lesson, I took a different approach: I skimmed the theory lightly and jumped straight into the CTFs to solve them.

However, life happens. I was traveling and lost access to the official materials after a couple of weeks, so I had to get resourceful.

I curated a list of TryHackMe rooms aligned with the course topics. Covering and understanding them is usually enough to build the necessary flow and confidence for the actual exam environment.

Resources:

This is my github repo I created with some resources covering the eJPT which you all can see if you need some reference:

https://github.com/5kullk3r/eJPTv2

Some of the TryHackMe Rooms:

1. https://tryhackme.com/room/wordpresscve202129447
2. https://tryhackme.com/room/investigatingwindows
3. https://tryhackme.com/room/ultratech1
4. https://tryhackme.com/room/ice
5. https://tryhackme.com/room/poster
6. https://tryhackme.com/room/colddboxeasy
7. https://tryhackme.com/room/toolsrus
8. https://tryhackme.com/room/goldeneye
9. https://tryhackme.com/room/relevant
10. https://tryhackme.com/room/gamingserver
11. https://tryhackme.com/room/surfer
12. https://tryhackme.com/room/intermediatenmap
13. https://tryhackme.com/room/expose
14. https://tryhackme.com/room/publisher
15. https://tryhackme.com/room/chocolatefactory
16. https://tryhackme.com/room/jokerctf
17. https://tryhackme.com/room/source
18. https://tryhackme.com/room/picklerick
19. https://tryhackme.com/room/basicpentestingjt
20. https://tryhackme.com/room/h4cked

Also, some knowledge on the following without which it will be hard:

nmap

dirb

burp

mysql

ftp & SSH

sqlmap

hydra

enum4linux

metasploit

wordpress & drupal ( CMS )

RDP

The Exam: Surviving the Legendary Friday the 13th

I started my exam on Friday, March 13th.

Honestly, I think Jason would have approved of the timing.

While he was busy with his machete at the lake, I was busy stalking my targets through rounds of enumeration on the network.

The only real difference? My "kills" resulted in a passing score, not a horror sequel!

While I can't disclose technical specifics, here was my tactical schedule:

Day 1 (Friday the 13th):

• I kicked off at 10:00 AM.
• I took solid breaks to reset and clear my mind.
• By the evening — much like Jason at the end of a movie — I had already appeared right where I needed to be, securing two major milestones.
• I finally stopped at 11:00 PM for some much-needed rest.

Day 2 (The 14th):

• I resumed at 09:30 AM and secured my final goals by the morning.
• I spent the afternoon revising every single answer before finally hitting "Submit" at 2:15 PM.

Final Thoughts

Unlike other certifications, the eJPT doesn't feel like a standard CTF; it's a structured and scoped pentest.

It forces you to understand the "why" behind every attack.

Whether it was identifying a specific Windows Server version or exploiting a CMS, the devil was truly in the details.

If you're a professional balancing a job and wondering if you can make the jump into something new: Set a deadline, trust your notes, and take breaks.

My Final Score was 82%, while it was a great experience I still have a lot to work on

I'm grateful to have this under my belt, but I'm far from done.

I'm ready to get my hands even dirtier for the next endeavor!

I'm currently selecting my next goal and am open to recommendations .

I'm happy to answer any questions about my preparation in the comments below.

All the best to everyone planning to take it up — you've got this!

Also, you can find all of my writeups and future ones on my GitHub:

https://github.com/5kullk3r/eJPTv2

Also, do follow me on Tryhackme:

Cheers!

P.S Apologies for the delayed post as I was wrapping up the exam and getting back on track 😬