Steps To...

General Instructions

To attain a GIAC Silver Certification, you must complete one exam.
Exams are taken online via the GIAC web site and administered in a proctored environment. For complete details regarding the GIAC Proctor Program please see http://www.giac.org/proctor/.
Depending on the Silver Certification you are attempting, the time limit for the exam ranges from 4 to 5 hours. For more details on the breakdown of your exam and subjects covered on each, please review the Certification Information Read Me First section in your online account.

All GIAC-related correspondence is sent to the email address you provided when you registered. If your email address changes, be sure to update your email address by clicking on the "Preferences" link at the bottom of your portal home page.
Your login information will be emailed approximately 7-10 days after the conference, or within a few days of Self Study registration. Local Mentor students will receive their notification by the start of their 2nd class session. SANS@Home students will receive notification with their login information a day or two before the first scheduled webcast.
Your login information will be emailed to you approximately 7-10 days after the conference, or within a few days of an online registration.
All training and certification is conducted through the portal account system. Use the portal to log in to your personalized portal account.
Once you log in, you will have links for Certification Attempts and/or Self Study Files as appropriate to your registration.
You can access your certification information by logging in to your portal account and clicking on the Certification Attempts link. Your deadlines will be clearly displayed in the certification grid.
Please be sure to read the "Certification Information READ ME FIRST!" page which includes the examination description.

Certification must be added or dropped by the last day of a conference.
Deadlines are displayed in Universal Time (UTC), also known as Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
For Silver certifications, the exam deadline is four months from your start date. The exam deadlines are clearly displayed within the certification grid in your portal account. The STAR assessment test deadline is 10 weeks from your start date.
The exam deadline is clearly displayed within the certification grid in your portal account. For conference students and Local Mentor students, the deadline is stated in the email notification you received with your login information.
If you do not complete the certification, you may take it at a later date by registering for Challenge Certification. (Regular pricing for Challenge Certification is $899. For alumni of a specific course, the fee is $599).
If you do not pass a portion of the certification requirements you may pay to retake the item that you failed and complete the rest of the requirements.
Your exams must be completed OR payment for a retake must be received by your final exam deadline.

The GIAC certification program is challenging and we want to help you succeed! We offer the following advice when pursuing your certification:

Plan your time carefully. Don't postpone until the last minute.
Plan to spend some "hands on" time with the technology. GIAC does not formally require experience in the field in order to take the GIAC certifications. However, keep in mind that by design GIAC focuses on and tests your ability to apply your knowledge and skills in practice. You will have a much easier time with the certification process if you've spent some time working with the tools and technology.
Please send any questions to info@giac.org. In order for us to provide faster service, include your curriculum User ID or your portal SD number and what certification you are attempting so that we can easily reference your account.