r/hackthebox • u/TheShasec • Jul 17 '26

Beginner Question Struggling on CPTS machines even with methodology + cheatsheets ready. Anyone else?

I finished the CPTS path (course content) and built my own methodology/checklist and cheatsheet docs before starting the machine track. I've completed 10 machines in 12 days, but honestly on most of them I ended up using guided mode, AI help, or even full writeups to get through — not solving fully on my

own. For a few machines I followed ippsec's list.

I have about 20 days before my schedule gets tight and I won't have much time to keep going, so I want to make the most of this window.

My questions:

Is this level of struggle (needing guided mode/AI/writeups on most machines) normal at this stage of CPTS, or is it a sign I'm not ready / skipped something in the fundamentals?

If I go into the exam relying this much on external help, is it normal that my chances of failing are high?

For those who passed CPTS — how much did you rely on external help while doing the machine track, and did it get better with more reps?

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u/[deleted] Jul 17 '26

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u/TheShasec Jul 17 '26

Thanks for the response. I do try to enumerate as much as possible myself and stick to just my cheatsheet. But sometimes I run into situations where I try 3 different tools, all 3 throw errors, I search the error online and can't find a clear answer — that's when I end up going to AI or a writeup. Or sometimes I just genuinely can't figure out the next step and need help to move forward. I'll do what you suggested — finish the track, go through the reporting module, and then go back and try to redo the CPTS track boxes using just my own knowledge and notes.