Me during a quick nap during the exam.
Took a break till 2:00 AM with 20 points in hand
* **18 Aug, 3:00 AM** – Foothold on Standalone Server-2 (+10 → total 30) * **18 Aug, 3:30 AM** – Fully pwned Standalone Server-2 (+10 → total 40) * **18 Aug, 5:00 AM** – Foothold on Standalone Server-3 (+10 → total 50)Long break till 11:00 AM, fresh with 50 points secured
Me during a quick nap during the exam.
At this point, I may or may not have danced around the room.👾🥹
Took a break till 1:00 PM with 70 points secured
> Then came the tricky part: setting up a tunnel between the internal network and the DMZ where the DC server was hiding. That little headache kept me busy for almost 3 hours (from 1 PM to 4 PM). The good thing was, I wasn’t panicking — by then I already had 70 points and knew I had technically passed. Still, I didn’t want to just stop there, so I kept poking at it until I finally got it working. Looking back, I’m really glad I started with the standalone machines first. That early boost gave me the points (and the confidence) to stay calm when things got messy later. * **18 Aug, 6:00 PM** – Pwned AD Machine-2 (+10 → total 80 points). At this stage, I had officially passed with a comfortable margin. With about 3 hours left, I decided to double-check all my PoCs, and flag submissions. By 8:30 PM, I wrapped up the exam—1.5 hours early—and finally got some much-needed sleep. 💤 > During the exam, I managed to root most of the machines, but I missed the **Domain Controller server machine**. I believe I had identified the vulnerability that could have been exploited for full control, but at that point I chose to **focus on the reporting part** instead. > > By the end, my mental state wasn’t great—I hadn’t had proper sleep for more than 30 hours, and I couldn’t think clearly anymore. So I decided to end the exam about **1.5 hours early** and finally get some much-needed rest. That way, I could tackle the **report writing** the next day with fresh mind, focus and energy. ## Post-Exam Reporting On **19th August**, I sat down to craft my full exam report—and let me tell you, this part is *just as important* as the hacking itself. Many people underestimate it, but the report is what OffSec actually reviews, so it deserves proper time and attention. Here are a few things I’d *highly recommend* keeping in mind: * **Take the report seriously.** Don’t rush it — I spent about 4–5 hours polishing mine. It’s what they actually grade, so treat it like part of the exam. * **Use a template you understand.** I used OffSec’s report template because it’s straightforward, but you can use whatever report template you like. * **Write steps someone else could follow.** For every flag, list the commands and steps clearly — imagine you’re teaching a friend how to reproduce it. * **Keep PoCs tidy.** Put screenshots and commands in the exact order you ran them. No jumping around — make the flow obvious. * **Proofread twice.** Check screenshots, command snippets, and formatting. Small mistakes can make a PoC hard to follow. I completed and submitted my report to the OffSec portal around **3–4 PM IST on 19th August**. The official line was that results could take up to *15 business days*. But to my surprise, the very next day—**20th August at 1 PM IST**—I received the results email from OffSec: ✅ **Passed!**\ 🎓 Earned my **OSCP and OSCP+ certifications**! And then... the celebrations began! 🍕🥂This was me after passing!!!