My eJPT Experience: First Offensive Security Certificate

I passed eJPT a few months ago, but I wasn't active on Medium back then. Now that I'm documenting my journey more consistently, I wanted to go back and share this experience properly.

Background

Before eJPT, my main experience came from TryHackMe, where I'd completed most of the available rooms. I'd also done around 30% of PortSwigger's labs. I chose eJPT specifically because, among entry-level certifications, it's one of the most respected while still being reasonably priced. Anything beyond it — OSCP, for example — sits in a different price and difficulty tier entirely, so eJPT made sense as the logical starting point.

Preparation

I didn't use INE's official course material. My existing background from TryHackMe and HackTheBox was enough to pass without it. The difficulty was moderate — not trivial, but not overwhelming either. Looking back, it's genuinely an ideal certification for someone starting out.

Exam Format

The exam consists of 45 questions, and you're given 48 hours to complete it. Some questions are open-ended, others are multiple choice. One thing I'd stress to anyone attempting it: pay close attention to reconnaissance. Everything that follows in the exam builds on what you find during recon, so rushing through that phase makes everything after it harder than it needs to be.

Exam Experience

This was my first time working on a network of that scale, so there was some initial anxiety. Early on, I was tense — second-guessing my answers, changing them repeatedly, never fully confident I had the right one. At some point I stopped, slept, and came back to it. Everything changed after that. The stress was gone, and I started working at a much higher, more efficient pace.

That shift taught me something I didn't expect going in: knowing when to step back is as much a part of the exam as the technical skills.

I ended up passing with an 88% score.

What It Gave Me

eJPT built the foundation I needed for tackling harder certifications. Going into eWPTX now, I feel noticeably more prepared and comfortable with the exam format and pressure that comes with it.

Who Should Take It

I'd recommend eJPT to anyone with at least 6 months of hands-on experience in the field. As a first certification, it's a strong choice — practical, fairly priced, and a good measure of whether you're ready to go further.