[English] CEH Practical Certification Exam Experience
Introduction
This is my personal experience taking the CEH Practical exam—shared for anyone who is preparing for or considering the certification.
I first learned about the CEH Practical Scholarship in 2020, which reduced the exam fee to around $99 (from ~$550). I followed the instructions, received an Aspen dashboard code, and secured a scholarship slot toward the end of 2020.
I didn’t take the exam immediately because I was focused on OSCP. I activated the Aspen code around June 2021 and finally sat the CEH Practical near its expiry window.
CEH Practical Overview
The CEH Practical is a proctored exam (e.g., via Aspen) with real-world scenarios instead of multiple-choice questions.
Key Specs:
- Exam Title: Certified Ethical Hacker (Practical)
- Number of Practical Challenges: 20
- Duration: 6 hours
- Availability: Aspen – iLabs
- Test Format: iLabs Cyber Range
- Passing Score: 70%
- Open Book: Yes
Unlike the CEH (ANSI) multiple-choice exam (4 hours), the Practical runs in Aspen iLabs, providing two machines—Parrot OS and Windows 10—for you to investigate and submit answers during the session.
Topics commonly covered:
- Network scanning to identify live hosts, ports, and services
- OS detection and enumeration of active hosts
- System hacking, steganography, cryptography
- Packet sniffing and deep packet inspection of
.pcap/.pcapngfiles - Web application security (e.g., SQL Injection)
- Hash and password cracking
Tools I used (examples):
- Scanning & Reconnaissance:
nmap - Sniffing: Wireshark,
tcpdump - Web App Attacks: Burp Suite, OWASP ZAP,
sqlmap - Brute Force & Cracking:
hydra, John the Ripper - Cryptography: HashCalc,
md5sum, VeraCrypt, CryptoForge, BCTextEncoder,SONAR.exe, CrypTool - Steganography: OpenStego
Supporting tools (Linux RDP/remote): Remmina, xfreerdp
Exam Preparation
Here are the practical things that helped me:
- Stable internet is crucial. In my case, the Parrot OS and Windows 10 VMs in Aspen iLabs felt slow, so patience mattered.
- Read and follow the proctor’s instructions and rules carefully.
- Proctoring setup. I used GoToMeeting installed on my laptop. The proctor monitored via webcam, screen share, and microphone.
- Use a compatible browser (Firefox/Chrome) to access iLabs.
- Open book is allowed. Prepare reference sites or your favorite cheatsheets. Googling for commands and docs is permitted within the rules.
- No discussions with others. Keep your phone away and make sure you’re alone in the room.
- Break time: You get 15 minutes for a quick rest or restroom break.
During the exam, respect all rules, stay patient with the lab performance, and focus on each task.
After finishing, talk to the proctor before clicking “Submit.” Your result appears on your Aspen account shortly after, along with the exam transcript, PDF certificate, digital badge, and the CEH Practical logo.
Notes & Disclaimer
- This post reflects my personal experience and timeline.
- Tools and topics listed are examples, not an official syllabus.
- Always comply with laws and exam policies.
- Content is shared for educational purposes only.