eJPT - Exam Review

My eJPT Exam Review

first

I started my eJPT exam prep way back in September, 2024 and started my exam on January 7, 2025. And received a much awaited email the next day stating:

Hello Abdullah, Congratulations on receiving your INE Certified Jr. Penetration Tester

Background:

In the summers I was waiting for the right discount to buy the voucher. When the June Sale arrived I thought this is the right time to buy the INE Fundamentals Annual. At that time it was coming with free eJPT and ICCA exam vouchers. So without any further a do I bought the INE Fundamentals Annual bundle.

So, after I bought the bundle I kept my eJPT prep on hold for a few days and started the preparation for ICCA. I took the preparation seriously because I didn’t wanted to waste this chance and a month after I cleared my ICCA exam.

About the exam:

INE Security’s eJPT is for entry-level Penetration testers that validates that the individual has the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to fulfill a role as a junior penetration tester.

This certification exam covers Assessment Methodologies, Host and Network Auditing, Host and Network Penetration Testing, and Web Application Penetration Testing.

This exam is designed to be for someone with knowledge of cybersecurity, simulating the skills utilized during a real-world engagement. This exam truly shows that the candidate has what it takes to be part of a high-performing penetration testing team.

Preparation:

As a 5th semester cyber security student and a guy who plays CTF regularly attempting the eJPT, I found it relatively easy to follow along with the video content. However, for those who are new to structured learning through lectures, I highly recommend adopting three key practices: note-taking, hands-on lab work, and consistency. If you already have a working methodology for tackling long courses, like 20-hour lectures, stick with what works for you. But if you’re unsure, here’s what helped me:

First, make detailed notes while going through the course. If you’re not experienced in note-taking, don’t worry — this course includes a guide on how to do it effectively. I personally recommend using the Obsidian app for notes; it’s user-friendly, organized, and genuinely makes the process enjoyable. There isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t open Obsidian.

Second, attempt every lab independently before watching the solutions. The Host & Network Penetration Testing module in PTS contains two critical labs just before the Privilege Escalation section. Dedicate at least 20 hours to solving these before checking the solutions. Even if you solve them quickly, review Alex’s solution videos to understand his methodology.

Finally, establish a daily study routine with a minimum time commitment of at least 60 minutes. Some days, motivation may run low, but it’s crucial to stay consistent and not skip a day. On days when you’re feeling motivated, take full advantage and study for as long as you can. Consistency is key to mastering any skill!

Tips:

These are tips that I didn’t include in my advice as I learned this from other reviews and started the exam following it but in the end none were actually followed. But still mentioning as it did help a bit.

Create separate desktops for different target machines which you are going to hack.
Do not approach this exam as CTF, it’s not.
Tools are not the most important things in hacking so make sure you understand what you do.
The INE’s course is really enough to pass the exam : do not rush to finish the course, take your time to understand every technique.
Make a structured cheat-sheet — Note taking is one of the most important things in your hacking. I use Obsidian for mine.

Notes That I Took:

Following is the link to my github repo with the cheat-sheet that I compiled during my exam prep.

Walkthroughs of some of the Labs from the course are in this repo.

Resources:

Notes

Another reviews

Videos on specific topic

Search for following on youtube

I hope this blog is enough to provide you the guideline you needed. At the end here is my shiny certificate xD.