I recently missed my CEH theory exam by 3 marks. And for a moment, it shook me — which is strange, because I…
Biswadeb M. — Security Engineer & Independent Researcher
I recently missed my CEH theory exam by 3 marks.
And for a moment, it shook me — which is strange, because I have submitted independent forensic investigation reports to the Government of India. CERT-In acknowledged my report within days, assigned two case references, and escalated it to the concerned organisation. The report covered passive forensic analysis of PAN and Aadhaar portals — critical national infrastructure that serves over a billion people.
I've mapped global infrastructure from my laptop. I've enumerated college networks while my peers were socialising. I've been doing this since before it was part of any curriculum — not because someone told me to, but because this is where I genuinely live.
So why did 3 marks on a theory paper rattle me?
Because I had never been measured by someone else's ruler before. My whole journey has been self-defined — I set the scope, I defined success, and the results spoke for themselves in the real world. A certification exam flips that. Someone else decides what matters, how it's weighted, and what counts. That discomfort is unfamiliar for someone who's spent years operating outside any frame.
But here's what I've realised: the practical exam is closer to my world than the theory ever was. No multiple choice, no ambiguous phrasing — just a machine, a network, and execution. That's the territory I've always worked in.
I'm not chasing the cert to prove my capability. I already know what I'm capable of — and so does CERT-In. I'm going for it because at this point, it's simply a formality.
To anyone in cybersecurity who has felt shaken by a score, a rejection, or someone else's metric — your real work is your proof. Certifications are tools, not verdicts.
Keep going.
#CyberSecurity #EthicalHacking #CEH #CERTIN #InfoSec #PenTesting #GrowthMindset
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Topics: #ceh, #ethicalhacking, #certin, #infosec, #growthmindset, #cybersecurity, #pentesting