Of Messer's three paid products, the Course Notes are the easiest to evaluate because they have a single clear purpose: turn the video curriculum into a searchable text document. The question is whether the selected edition’s digital or physical price is the right price for a text version of free material.
This review walks through what's actually inside, who genuinely benefits, and the free alternatives that work for everyone else.
The SY0-701 Course Notes are a 96-page guide. Prices checked September 8, 2026 were $30 for digital and $50 for physical, which includes the PDF. Consider them if you learn better from text, want a single searchable document, or plan to study without internet access. They're not worth it if you're a pure visual learner — the same material is free on YouTube.
What's Actually Inside
The notes are organized by exam domain and follow the exact video order. Each section includes:
- Concise paragraph-form explanations of every key term - Diagrams (network topologies, OSI layers, attack flows) - Acronym summaries at the end of each domain - Cross-references back to the relevant video number
They are not a transcript. They're distilled — typically 1 page per 15-minute video. That density is the main value: you can review an entire domain in 20 minutes that would take 4+ hours of video to rewatch.
Who Should Actually Buy Them
Buy them if: - You learn better from text than video. - You study during commutes or on a phone where video isn't practical. - You want a single document to annotate, highlight, and review the week before the exam. - You've tried watching videos and don't retain well from that format.
Skip them if: - You'll only watch the videos. - You're comfortable taking your own notes (often more effective for recall). - You're on a strict budget — compare whether notes or additional practice will address your current study gaps.
Free Alternatives That Cover the Same Ground
Several free resources overlap heavily with what the Course Notes provide:
- Community Anki decks built from Messer videos (search r/CompTIA for shared decks). - Darril Gibson's free chapter samples for Security+. - CompTIA's official exam objectives PDF (free) — pair it with your own bullet notes as you watch the videos. - PrepForCerts study guides — domain-by-domain free written breakdowns.
The honest truth: taking your own bullet notes while watching Messer videos produces better retention than reading someone else's pre-made notes — even Messer's. But if you simply won't take notes yourself, the current listed price PDF is a reasonable shortcut.
Pro Tips
Buy the digital version, not the print — searchability is the notes' #1 advantage.
Highlight as you read in a PDF reader that syncs across devices (Apple Books, Adobe).
Use the notes for final-week review, not primary learning — videos are stronger for first exposure.
If you buy the notes, skip the Success Bundle — you don't need duplicate offline video files.
Pair the notes with a free Anki deck for the strongest active-recall combo.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Buying the physical edition when you'll mostly study on a phone or laptop.
Using the notes instead of watching the videos — they're designed as a supplement, not a replacement.
Highlighting everything yellow — defeats the purpose of selective review.
Not pairing notes with practice questions — passive reading alone is the lowest-yield study method.
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