Well, Ive been an avid reader of this forum throughout my CCIE studies and promised myself that, if I were to ever get through the lab, then Id make a post so here goes ...
Did the exam last week and am still coming to terms with the fact that I made it through first time round. I still check the Cisco site daily to make sure that they haven’t made a mistake. Start to finish took me about 9 months (inc written) on top of 7-8 years experience. I made the decision to hit the exam hard rather than dragging it out. First bit of advice I can give is not to under estimate the amount of time, energy and work that this track entails. This exam has dictated my life throughout with waking up early before work to get an hour in followed by more time in the evenings. Weekends were planned round study. Friends/family/partner also felt the pain that the exam brings
Ive read blogs where people have somehow managed to make the exam a secondary concern. I did it the other way round based on the info given to me from other candidates. Fortunately there are three other CCIEs in the office so they were a great source of advice on how to approach the CCIE. I was also lucky enough to be able to take two months off work (unpaid) so have spent that time doing 14hr days surrounded by only books and routers.Anyway, the new format. When they first introduced it I tried to cancel the lab and get a refund. There was that much fear. To be honest, Id never thought Id be saying this, but Im now an advocate of the open ended questions. When I heard I split my study 50:50 between theory and practical. The theory has obvious benefits to the practical and I was a better candidate for it. If it stops people cheating their way through then this is a good side effect. Its also hugely beneficial for candidates. Theres no other part of the lab where 21 points can be gained in just 30 minutes. Get this right and thats almost a quarter of the points obtained before 9 o clock. As Cisco state, a well prepared candidate shouldn’t fear these questions. (Please don’t ask for the actual questions – this exam has drained me and Ive no intention of breaking the NDA and giving it up).
Actual lab itself can be daunting. Ive watched the class on demand videos and read advice on what to do (ear plugs/diagrams/TCL etc etc) and I went into the lab telling myself Im going to do XYZ. Its easy to think this with a calm mind but can be in a different proposition with adrenaline. To be honest, as soon as I got in the lab the only thing I did was read the exam from cover to cover to try and catch any requirements that had dependencies further on. Diagrams were already done for you and the exam room was quiet enough. Dont get me wrong – I can see the benefit of doing diagrams but for me this would have wasted unnecessary time. Just my opinion. Another thing to remember is not to be complacent about time. Eight hours goes amazingly quickly. I also promised myself not to get dragged in to wasting time on any single questions. If it didn’t work then move on. Easier said that done and I fell into this trap and it almost cost me. I finished with just 10 minutes to go. Ive also read that the exam is about speed. This, in my opinion is incorrect. Speed is worth nothing if its wrong. Accuracy is whats important. Getting it right first time is half the battle and will save time and troubleshooting.
With regards to prep – used the IEWB labs and bought all the gear of Ebay and managed to scratch enough together to get some 2600s, 2520s for the frame switch, a term server and 4 3550s. If I were to do it again then Id probably add at least a couple of XMs and a 3560. These all cost extra money and my set up did 90% of what was on the blueprint. The other 10% I learnt the theory and then made use of ccierack.co.uk to get some exposure to the 3560s and unsupported features on the 2600s (good set up and Marks a helpful guy). Also invested in the CiscoPress TCP/IP vol 1 and 2, CCIE R&S guide, QoS and internet routing architectures. All great books esp TCP/IP. If buying only two books then make sure its these. I also spent a lot of time reading the Cisco Doc CD. Print it out, read and reread. This has the obvious benefits of learning the technology and knowing where to look if called upon in the exam. There were a couple of times that I needed this just to double check.
I was freaking out with a couple of days to go before the exam. Its difficult not be nervous. Best bit of advice I had was to “expect to fail the first time, enjoy it, take in the environment and to allow for a second attempt – only be nervous if its attempt 5 or 6”. In retrospect this was spot on although thought it strange at the time. Most exams it would have been words of encouragement. When I left the lab I wasn’t sure how I did but was strangely confident that Id make it through if I had to do it again. First time round theres a lot of additional stress such as dealing with the topology and coping with an unknown exam format and procedures. Giving up after just one go just wasn’t an option with the amount of time and energy invested.
Results came through within about 12hrs. Time seems to stand still while the page comes up and when it does theres an initial feeling of disbelief followed by a sense of sheer exhilaration and relief. The last few days have been a bit strange .. theres suddenly a concept of free time. In retrospect wish Id have done the exam earlier in my career. I always thought the CCIE is an unachievable goal held by a few network gods. The CCIE has improved me tremendously as an engineer and actually made life at work easier . Do I consider myself a network god .. not a chance. It just takes time, motivation and a hell of a lot of dedication ..
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