What to Do After Professor Messer Videos: Next Steps

Finishing Professor Messer's video course is a milestone — but it's the midpoint of your study journey, not the end. The biggest mistake post-Messer candidates make is treating completion of the videos as readiness for the exam. It's not. Video comprehension and exam performance are different skills, and the gap between them is where most first-try failures happen.

This guide gives you the exact post-video sequence that turns "I watched everything" into "I passed on the first try."

The 5-Step Post-Video Sequence

Step 1 — Take a baseline practice exam. Full-length, timed, untimed by-domain summary. Don't study for it. The point is to find your actual starting score, not impress yourself.

Step 2 — Add a second practice source. Messer's 270 questions aren't enough exposure. Add either Jason Dion's Udemy practice pack or a free adaptive tool. Variety > volume from a single source.

Step 3 — Do dedicated PBQ practice. Messer's content skips this entirely. Use CompTIA's free PBQ samples, Dion's practice exams, or TryHackMe rooms for the relevant cert. 5–10 hours minimum.

Step 4 — Review weak domains. For any domain where you scored below 80%, rewatch the corresponding Messer videos at 1.5x speed. Then take 30 fresh questions on just that domain. Repeat until you're consistently above 85%.

Step 5 — Book the exam. Only when a fresh, full-length practice exam from a source you've never seen scores 85%+. Schedule 5–7 days out. Use that week for light review and sleep, not cramming.

What Not to Do

Don't rewatch every video. A second full pass is the lowest-yield use of your time. Use practice questions to identify the 10–15% of content you actually misunderstood, then rewatch only those.

Don't cram new sources in the final week. Switching practice tools 3 days before exam day adds anxiety without adding readiness. Pick your second source early.

Don't skip PBQ practice because Messer didn't cover them. This is the single most common reason post-Messer candidates fail.

Don't take the same practice exam twice. You're measuring memorization, not mastery. Always use a fresh exam for readiness checks.

Exam Week Checklist

The 5 days before exam day: - Day -5: Last fresh full-length practice exam. Must score 85%+. - Day -4: Review wrong answers only. Build a one-page "things I got wrong" sheet. - Day -3: Light review of that one page. PBQ practice (1 hour). - Day -2: Re-read your own acronym sheet. No new material. - Day -1: Rest. Confirm exam logistics (ID, location/online setup). Sleep 8 hours.

If your day -5 practice score is below 80%, push the exam by 1–2 weeks. The reschedule fee is dramatically cheaper than a retake.

Pro Tips

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Frequently Asked Questions