I think I should post the difference between the various CERTs mentioned here (CEH, OSCP,GPEN) as i have archived them.

CEH - I would rate this as 5 on a scale of 10. The reasons being its very heavy on tools. It tests the individual on the theoretical knowledge of tools and its options. If you memorize the function of the various tools and the options available you are golden. But achieving CEH does not proof that the holder has practical knowledge. I would place CEH at  entry level of the Pen testing / Ethical Hacking cert.

OSCP - This is great course though the lecture portion of it is only 7 hrs but the labs are just amazing. Its a tough course and assumes prior knowledge of a lots of important concepts to get the maximum out of this course. Its more on practical side and if you are going for cert challenge you better be good at networking concepts and windows/linux command line. Still this course does not deal with business aspects of the Pen Test. But its a great valve for the money.

GPEN - Amazing course, very well structured, covers the business aspects and methodologies of Pen test which I believe no other course/cert talks about. In my opinion this is very important  because you could be very good technically but if you cant deal with the business side, you will not be able to provide the true value of the services you have provided. It is very balanced on tools, concepts and labs. Does not Deal with with lots of tools but the tools discussed there are in depth providing deep insights and tips and tricks from trenches on using them. The philosophy of this course is different, in that it focuses on developing the skills on tools and tricks which are natively available on the OSs, with a rationale that when you are performing a Pen Test you most likely have the liberty to install tools on the Target.

Just my 2 cents.

Thanks
VJ

Dark_Knight,
I was thinking about taking this course.  I do mostly computer forensics stuff.  I'm CHFI certified and have taken the CEH class (did not take the test because of the $250 fee.  I bought some equipment instead  ).  Do you have to have a great knowledge on the subject?  Can you do the course on your own time?  I read the info on the course on the Offensive Security web page, but I would like to get your input, since you are taking it now.
Thanks in advanced,
Chuck378   

so.. 'host -t ptr 1.2.3.4 ip.of.dns.server' is giving no joy?

Are you sure you've found a legit DNS server?

...Just make sure you add it to the top of the list for speed

...or query the DNS server you found directly with the host command (nice opportunity to test your newly found bash-fu )

Dark_Knight,

Hope you enjoy the OSCP. From my experience it was a great course and I learned a lot (and confirmed a lot of stuff I 'sort of' knew from other sources). My lab time (took 60 days) finished around a month ago and I have the exam scheduled *soon*.

I'd advise not taking your foot of the gas (as I did) if you start to get through the material quickly. Some of the final challenges and extra miles can be challenging and time consuming. Plus I would have liked to have spent more time 'playing' in the lab after completing the required exercises.

Let us know how you get on, specifically I'd be interested to see how the material compares to the CEH you've already got, as it's on my list of potential 'nexts'....

<Edit> as a side note, any advice from those already passed the exam would be appreciated as I'm starting to get slightly nervous...</Edit>

Dark_Knight, congrats!! Well done


I just want to add a little to this... a successful course also depends on the instructor as well. Be sure to ask the training center for information about the instructor prior to attending the course. You'll want to make sure that the course material is reflected in their experience.

BillV