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My Experience with the Blue Team Level 1 (BTL1) Certification
A Broad and Professional Blue-Team Skillset
If you’re exploring entry-level cybersecurity certifications and wondering if the Blue Team Level 1 (BTL1) Certification is worth your time and effort, this article may help you decide.
Here, I’ll share my personal experience with the BTL1 certification , what it covers, how it compares to others, and why I believe it’s a great starting point for anyone aiming to work in a Security Operations Center (SOC) or related blue team roles.
Hands-On, Practical Skills That Matter
One of the most compelling features of the BTL1 course is its strong emphasis on hands-on labs. Unlike many certifications that rely heavily on theory, BTL1 offers real-world exercises using industry-standard tools in the domains of Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR).
These labs are not just academic tasks, they simulate realistic scenarios you’re likely to face in a SOC role, giving you relevant, job-ready experience.
Going Beyond Beginner-Level Content
While courses like the Google Cybersecurity Certificate are excellent for beginners, BTL1 dives deeper. It focuses on more advanced tasks a SOC analyst or cybersecurity professional may encounter daily. It bridges the gap between foundational knowledge and true operational capability.
This makes BTL1 a natural step forward for those who have completed entry-level certifications like CompTIA Security+, or for those with a basic understanding of cybersecurity who want to level up their skills.
A Broad and Professional Skillset
BTL1 covers a wide range of technical and investigative skills across different cybersecurity domains. Some of the practical topics include:
- Email Forensics
- Disk and Memory Image Analysis
- Log Analysis
- Advanced SIEM Querying
- Network Traffic Analysis
- Case Management and Report Writing
The structure and content of these labs gave me a better understanding of real-world workflows, helping me feel more prepared to handle complex and diverse challenges in a professional setting.
Solid Cybersecurity Theory (Not Just Using Tools)
BTL1 doesn’t neglect theory , quite the opposite. The theoretical content is comparable in depth to what I encountered while preparing for CompTIA Security+, but with a more practical focus and relevance to real-life blue team operations.
If you’re already Security+ certified, BTL1 can help you:
- Refresh essential knowledge
- Apply frameworks like MITRE ATT\&CK in a real-world context
- Understand how concepts connect to the tools and procedures used daily in SOC environments
This combination of theory and practice really helped me internalize both the “how” and “why” behind each task.
The Final Exam: 100% Practical
The BTL1 exam is a 24-hour practical test with 20 randomly selected scenario-based questions.
You’ll use the same tools and techniques learned in the course to investigate incidents and answer questions. You can revise your answers throughout the 24-hour window before submitting. Results are delivered instantly upon submission.
Tips before taking the exam:
- Make sure you’ve completed all labs confidently.
- Be comfortable navigating and using the tools learnt, specially the main ones such as Splunk, Wireshark, etc.
- Understand how to correlate evidence.
Still Unsure? Try the Free Intro Course First
If you’re just beginning your cybersecurity journey, or want to try out the teaching style before committing, SBT offers a free junior-level course:
➡️ Blue Team Junior Analyst (BTJA)
This introductory course provides a great overview of blue team fundamentals and helps you get familiar with their platform and content quality, making it easier to decide whether BTL1 is right for you.
Final Thoughts: Was It Worth It?
For me, completing BTL1 was an incredibly valuable experience. It helped me:
- Develop real-world, practical blue team skills
- Understand how to work through incidents from start to finish
- Connect theoretical knowledge to real tooling and workflows
- Feel more confident as a cybersecurity practitioner and job-ready
I strongly recommend BTL1 for anyone interested in roles such as:
- Security Analyst
- Incident Responder
- Threat Intelligence Analyst
- Digital Forensics Analyst
- Cyber Defense Analyst
- SOC Tier 1 / Tier 2 roles
If you’ve already earned certifications like Security+ and want to gain hands-on, practical experience in a blue team context , BTL1 is an excellent next step.
Ready to Dive In?
If you’re serious about building real, job-ready skills in cybersecurity, I highly recommend checking out the official course page:
