Story of TunerX

Congrats TunerX

Equipment used -
2x 3560-24TS
2x 3550
Dynamips to emulate R1-R6 and BB1-BB3 (emulated 2691 with WIC-2T)

Material used -
INE dynamips labs
INE V4.1 workbooks 1-3
INE V5.0 wokbooks 1-2
Cisco DocDVD
CiscoPress quick reference guide
CiscoPress official written certification guide 3rd ed
INE Mock labs 2-7
INE COD
IPexpert COD
CBT nuggets

Time involved -
Jan 20 - Jun 18 (6-14 hours per day)

I started January 20th by watch the INE COD and finished those up in about 1 week. Then I switched to watching CBT nuggets. Once I finished the CBT nuggets I did the nuggets practice lab. About the beginning of February I started the INE dynamips practice labs, and finished those in about 2 weeks.

After finishing the dynamips labs I stated INE V4.1 workbook one. I finished those in about a week.

I spent the next 3 weeks doing the INE V4.1 workbook 2 practice labs. Once I finished those I did the V5.0 workbook 1 technology labs. I spent about 4 days doing those then did all of the V5.0 workbook 2 practice labs over the next 5 days.

I then watched the IPExpert COD and went back to the INE V4.1 workbook two labs. I spent the entire time trying different methods to complete the same tasks. This really helped with finding many of the Cisco one liners and doing complex redistribution.

I then went over V5.0 workbook 1 another time.

Then I completed INE mock labs 2 and 3. The results weren't as expected but I knew exactly where my mistakes were.

After finishing workbook 1 I went back to V4.1 workbook 2 and completed labs 1-14. My goal again was to find different methods for completing the same tasks. I packed up my lab on June 18th to send home. I didn't do anymore reading. I figured that if I know it I know it. My goal during my last month of preparation was to be able to do any tasks without having to use the cisco documentation.

Between June 27-30th I completed INE mock labs 4, 5, 6, 7. I scored over the recommended 60 percent on 2 of them. Scored in the 50s on 1 and actually passed one. Again, I spent no time reading. Between July 1 and 8 absolutely no studying went on.

-Lab Day
I woke up at 5:30 ate some breakfast. Yogurt, banana, eggs, and one sausage. Followed with some OJ and a black coffee. I took the shuttle to the Cisco building at about 6:45 and waited outside for about 15-20 minutes. The cisco building is literally 5 minutes away from the comfort suites. I also brought a box of "commits" cherry nicotine lozenges (I am a smoker). Those really helped. I guess I can finish the box and try to quit now.

I finished the OEQ in about 2-4 minutes. Those things really are CCNA level. If you read the books and practice the tech then you shouldn't have a problem with them. I was worried about one of the questions because I thought about it later and thought that I should have added a little info to help clarify.

We started the lab at 7:35. By lunch time I only had one task left. I didn't eat, I just drank some water. After lunch I verified connectivity with a TCL script and finished the last task. After that I re-did the whole lab from start to finish, with verification using the cisco documentation... I did find some mistakes and some areas where I could shorten my configurations; I also used the Doc Site to verify everything. I finished at about 2:00PM. The DocSite probably put me over the top with needed points. There was only one task that I read and felt like a moron for not knowing what to do. It was a minor task so I saved that one until after lunch.

After I finished I felt like I failed. I called my wife to come pick me up and waited by the road until she came. We took the kids to see Ice Age 3 and then went to eat at Chilis. I was worried the whole time and started planning in case I failed. I was going to do the 360 program from start to finish. At about midnight there still wasn't any word in my email. I fell asleep and woke up at 6AM. When I checked my email I saw that my report was available. After logging in I was happy to see my new number and some congradulatory info from Cisco.

-Written
Sometime during the first week of April I started studying for the written again. I spent 1 week and only used the Cisco Press official study guide and DocDVD. I scored a pretty high.

- Final thoughts
The lab is much easier than the INE practice labs with a difficulty of 7-10. This is only if you can complete the labs without having to research anything. The only caveat here is that I have been working with Cisco for the last 14 years. I have studied and passed multiple tests and have gotten certs on my way. In 2004 I started studying for the CCIE reading all of the recommended books and doing practice labs. One of my coworkers failed so I put it off. In 2006 I started studying again this time using IPexpert and NMC DoIt labs. Again a coworker failed so I put it off once again. This time I figured that I would actually start and finish in 2009.

I am well versed in Cisco tech since I have a long history of working with the equipment. I don't know if only having a couple months or even a couple years of experience and using my study plan will help anyone but me.

Dates available only in Japan

Dates available only in Tokyo.But after august almost all dates were filled

CCIE lab booking only few more days

Only few more days to go ..i think by july 18 almost all dates will be over