I took the CompTIA Security+ exam first and found that exam to be extremely difficult. I used multiple books (All-in-One and Mike Chapple's Security+ practice tests) and online training videos (Lynda.com, UDemy and Cybrary). Some of the books came with access to online testing programs. These were the MOST helpful. The time allotted for the Security+ exam was barely enough to complete the multiple choice questions and then you had the performance questions to complete as well. The questions felt more like they were testing my reading speed and comprehension rather than my knowledge of the material. I took someone's advice on skipping the performance questions and answering the multiple choice questions first which was a great test strategy. I highly recommend it. I was able to budget my time this way. Even though I passed the exam by a good margin, I found the exam experience to be unnecessarily stressful and frustrating. 90 questions in 90 minutes wouldn't be bad if they were straightforward but these questions were lengthy and complex. You have to sift though the unimportant information to get to what the question is really asking. Another tip would be to read the answers first and then read the question. This can help it go a bit faster. The experience was so stressful, I will not take another CompTIA Exam!
A few months later, I took the SSCP exam and passed as well. The content in the two exams were very similar but the SSCP had a few additional items which needed to be studied (Access control models: Biba, Bell-LaPadula, etc.) The questions were straight-forward and there was more than enough time to complete the exam. I had a firm understanding of the materials being questioned, the exam experience was much more relaxed as a result. I currently studying for CISSP and CRISC Certifications. Good luck!
