Cisco's $10 Million in Scholarships for Cyber

RollTideND

trojin wrote: »

It's not. I know few more demanding exams but you really have to know your stuff. There is no space for mistakes

To clarify, my comment on difficulty was relative to the SECFND vs SECOPS, not to all security or IT certifications out there.

shimasensei

I moved back my start date too, to Q3 2018...

josephandre

mikey88 wrote: »

I signed up to be notified for the next opening. Any ideas when that may be?

they just sent emails out today for applications for next months cohort

Svoboda

josephandre wrote: »

they just sent emails out today for applications for next months cohort

I also just received the initial survey after signing up a couple months ago.

Pseudonymous

Same. Just received the email today. I signed up a few months ago. Hopefully we all get approved.

PC509

I hope I get in this time! I don't get a lot of exposure to Cisco where I'm at, but I want to get back into it. I really miss the Cisco side of things!

orcwar

Yep just got my invite too! Fingers crossed.

EnderWiggin

I'm glad I read this thread, I deleted Cisco's email yesterday thinking it was just a generic spam email from them But I found it in the trash and have applied, thanks for the reminder y'all!

orcwar

Got the email for part 2 - scored 80% - all of the wrong answers were my stupid mistakes, I was in too much of a hurry

Read the complete answers before choosing the right one - sometimes, the first half of the answer makes sense, the second part doesn't.

Best of luck to all.

McElhinney

Sat the entry test this morning scoring 81.05%. Suppose it's a waiting game now..

SleepCZ

Yey, got the exam done as well. Percentage does not matter, even though I would say few questions were very tricky for me. Anyway, I would say that questions are not exactly entry level. I would guess, quite nice portion of newcomers could fail. Good luck to all.

LSagee

I agree. I just took it and passed but some of those questions would be very easy to miss for people with basic IT knowledge.

relegated

I applied last week and got denied over the weekend, it said I was denied because I did not agree to one of the following. I know I said I didn't want to provide a success story. It said I could reapply in 60 days, I guess I will say sure next time.

1. they are planning a career in it cybersecurity
2. they will complete the full scholarship program in the allotted 4 months of dedicated time
3. they will provide a success story

mikey88

LSagee wrote: »

I agree. I just took it and passed but some of those questions would be very easy to miss for people with basic IT knowledge.

Bunch of linux command line questions and some are quite in depth like wtf Cisco

hxhx

I seem to be on the same timeline as the recent batch of people. Got an email last week. Filled out the form. Got an email about the assessment last night.

I've read through a lot of this thread. They now clearly state that 75% is passing. I got an 83.3. Hopefully that's good enough.

People have asked why people would want this cert. It has nothing to do with the credential for me. The subject is an area where I need to improve. Free, top quality training is what motivates me to pursue this. I would be putting off other studies to do this.

I'll try to update this thread when I have more info.

Here are the two emails I received so far:

You're Invited!

Hello-

It’s been a little over a year since Chuck Robbins sponsored the Cisco Cybersecurity Scholarship Program, where we aim to certify and/or train up to 10,000 applicants by August 2018!

You are receiving this message because you have expressed interest in applying for the Cisco Global Cyber Ops Scholarship.

If you are still interested in pursuing this please see the directions below.
Yes, I still want to apply for the Cisco Global Cyber Ops Scholarship


This is a 3-Step process that typically takes most candidates approximately 1 month to complete. Candidates must meet the minimum requirements for each step before moving to the next step of the application process.

Step 1: The Candidate Intake Survey. Please complete the survey included in this email. Results for this survey are processed every Monday. Candidates must meet the minimum eligibility requirements outlined in the Official Program Rules to be invited to Step 2. Candidates will be sent a confirmation email with directions on next steps.

Step 2: The Prequalification Exam. If you are approved to move forward, you will be invited to take the Prequalification Exam. Results for this survey are processed every Monday. Candidates must meet a minimum score of 75%, and complete the exam in the 45-minute window to be invited to Step 3. These candidates will be sent a confirmation email with directions to complete the final step of the application process.

Step 3: The Student Preference Survey. If you are approved to move forward, you will be invited to complete the Student Preference survey. In this survey, you will choose your Cohort start date, and share your study preferences. Results for this survey are processed every Monday. Candidates will be sent a confirmation email with directions regarding their Cohort start date and how to prepare for the beginning of the cohort.

Please Note: We are actively accepting applications for Cohort 5 which begins December 28, 2017 and ends April 28, 2018. If you would like to participate in this cohort you will need to complete the entire application process no later than December 8, 2017.



















How Do I Get Started? Complete the Candidate Intake Survey.

We’re asking all of our Candidates to take 5 minutes to determine if you meet the scholarship eligibility requirements. Results for this survey are processed every Monday. Candidates must meet the minimum requirements outlined here to be invited to Step 2 in the application process.

Please complete this survey no later than December 1, 2017.



















Answering Your Frequently Asked Questions


When will I hear back with the results of the Candidate Intake Survey I just took for the Cybersecurity Scholarship program?

We process all Candidate data on Mondays, so you can expect to receive directions regarding your application status and the next step in the process within a week of your submission. The entire application process takes approximately one month to complete.

Some Candidates have a longer application experience if they take more time to complete the directions outlined in each step. You can always find your candidate status at the very bottom of our emails.

Is there a time limit on the Application process?
Yes. We ask all candidates to take no more than 30 days to complete each step of the application process or 90 days to complete the entire application process.

We will do our best to reach out to any candidates that appear to have stalled in the application process. If it is determined that you have stalled, your application will be marked as “Inactive” and you will need to contact us in order to have it reactivated.

Our records indicate that you’ve successfully completed Step 1: The Candidate Intake survey.

We are now inviting you to Step 2 of 3 in the Cisco Global Cyber Ops application process, the Prequalification Exam.
This exam contains 62 questions.
The exam includes questions regarding the following topics: Windows, Linux, Cyber Security, and Networking.

Candidates must complete this exam with a score of 75% or higher.
Candidates must complete this exam in 45 minutes or less.

You will be granted only one attempt. Candidates that do not meet the minimum criteria stated above will not be accepted into the Scholarship program at this time.

Please complete this exam not later than December 6, 2017.

Please Note: We are actively accepting applications for Cohort 5 which begins December 28, 2017, and ends April 28, 2018. If you would like to participate in this cohort you will need to complete the entire application process no later than December 8, 2017.


Please Read the Following Frequently Asked Questions

I submitted my exam - does this mean I'm accepted to the program?
No, Candidates must complete all 3 Steps of the application process before they will be accepted into the program.

When will I hear back regarding the results of the prequalification exam?
Results for this Exam are processed every Monday and Thursday, candidates must meet a minimum score of 75% and complete the exam in 45 minutes or less to be invited to Step 3. Accepted Candidates will be sent a confirmation email within a week of their submission with directions to complete the final step of the application process.

The entire application process takes approximately a month to complete. Some Candidates have a longer application experience if they take more time to complete the directions outlined in each step.

I received a score below 75%, I need to retake the exam.
Unfortunately, we cannot allow Candidates to retake the exam. Candidates that receive a score below a 75% on the exam will be sent an email with details regarding their options to reapply for the program again in the future.

I disagree with the answer or have feedback on the prequalification exam questions.
It always helps to have a second set of eyes. We really appreciate receiving feedback from our Candidates to improve the application experience. Please fill out the form at the end of the exam to submit feedback.

We will review each comment on a case-by-case instance with our Subject Matter Experts. The acceptance of feedback will not impact the scores of Candidates that have already completed the exam.

What if something goes wrong?

Create a ticket here: https://ciscocert.secure.force.com/english/MainPage. It will be filed with the right person to help you with your question. We are in this together!

LSagee

mikey88 wrote: »

Bunch of linux command line questions and some are quite in depth like wtf Cisco

This is accurate.

hxhx

mikey88 wrote: »

Bunch of linux command line questions and some are quite in depth like wtf Cisco

Around half of my wrong answers came from Linux questions. Someone that knows Linux fairly well should have no problem with those questions.

squidjr

just got done doing the prequalification test from cisco for the cyber security scholarship, scored an 83%, hopefully that will be enough for me to get accepted into the program, already have the CompTIA A+, Net+ and Sec+

nisti2

I forgot to fill the survey for the last step!!

Does anybody know if that could be an issue? I'm starting in December.

Please let me know.

Regards!!

BuzzSaw

I'm probably getting dropped

I'm smack in the middle of the OSCP and don't have the time for both. I requested a move, but was denied. Oh well ... OSCP >> CyberOps I guess ...

IronmanX

What kind/type of questions do they ask you in the "survey exam"?

Not asking for a brain **** or anything remotely close to that just curious to the type of questions.
Is it CISCO specific?

SleepCZ

Same as it's stated in the overview of the scholarship. Windows, Linux, Network and Security. Some questions from Windows were ridiculous. General questions though, nothing related to Cisco products. AD: Yeah, actually I recall one question related to Cisco Networking terminology, do not know whether it's a industry standard or really Cisco question.

mikey88

IronmanX wrote: »

What kind/type of questions do they ask you in the "survey exam"?

Not asking for a brain **** or anything remotely close to that just curious to the type of questions.
Is it CISCO specific?

Network+, linux+ type of questions. Definitely not noob questions.

IronmanX

SleepCZ wrote: »

Same as it's stated in the overview of the scholarship. Windows, Linux, Network and Security. Some questions from Windows were ridiculous. General questions though, nothing related to Cisco products. AD: Yeah, actually I recall one question related to Cisco Networking terminology, do not know whether it's a industry standard or really Cisco question.

Overview of the scholarship? are you talking about the following qualifications?:

"Basic technical competency (possess one or more of the following):

• Cisco certification (Cisco CCENT certification or higher)
• Relevant industry certification [(ISC)2, CompTIA Security+, EC-Council, GIAC, ISACA]
• Cisco Networking Academy letter of completion (CCNA 1 and CCNA 2)
• At least three years of combined experience in approved U.S. military job roles
• Windows expertise: Microsoft (Microsoft Specialist, MCSA, MCSE), CompTIA (A+, Network+, Server+)
• Linux expertise: CompTIA (Linux+), Linux Professional Institute (LPI) certification, Linux Foundation (LFCS, LFCE), Red Hat (RHCSA, RHCE, RHCA), Oracle Linux (OCA, OCP)

"

So i take it the pre enrollment "exam" asks questions that as to do with what they have outlined in the qualifications.
Makes sense. I guess I should just do it and find out for myself.

esr0159

It was a good thing that I checked my email last week. Took the exam yesterday got 79%, did not realize that I missed out in answering some of the questions.

They are evaluating the exams every Monday and Thursday.

SleepCZ

Well, yeah generally you are right, although I meant something else. There were specifically mentioned 4 topics (as I wrote) in the first email, or somewhere. But you really do not need any of those certification to pass. I just think that even though CCNA:Cyber Ops should be entry level, they required those certification to raise a bit requirements, so only people really interested in the topic will pass. I honestly think, that one year ago I would not pass. And same thinking about the most of freshmen from universities.

Anyway, exam questions in Windows really did not need certification - very easy, Linux was tricky, but the most should be answered by a regular Linux user, networking quite tough for me - but my weak topic, and security part, I honestly do not remember any question which made me stressed. So the conclusion? You really do not need any of the certification, but really newcomers will fail at the end and will have to pay for the exam. :]

kasgaromeo

IronmanX wrote: »

Overview of the scholarship? are you talking about the following qualifications?:

"Basic technical competency (possess one or more of the following):

• Cisco certification (Cisco CCENT certification or higher)
• Relevant industry certification [(ISC)2, CompTIA Security+, EC-Council, GIAC, ISACA]
• Cisco Networking Academy letter of completion (CCNA 1 and CCNA 2)
• At least three years of combined experience in approved U.S. military job roles
• Windows expertise: Microsoft (Microsoft Specialist, MCSA, MCSE), CompTIA (A+, Network+, Server+)
• Linux expertise: CompTIA (Linux+), Linux Professional Institute (LPI) certification, Linux Foundation (LFCS, LFCE), Red Hat (RHCSA, RHCE, RHCA), Oracle Linux (OCA, OCP)

"

So i take it the pre enrollment "exam" asks questions that as to do with what they have outlined in the qualifications.
Makes sense. I guess I should just do it and find out for myself.

I don't have any of these certifications, but I got invited because of OSCP. I will start this in December with OSCE.. but have to make it though.

EnderWiggin

The pre-test took me about fifteen minutes, and I got an 85%. If I had taken my time and read each question thoroughly, I would've broken 90%. I thought the test was fair in terms of the questions. Yeah, some of them were beyond entry-level for their respective subjects, but you only need a 75% to pass. You could bomb one of the subjects, and still pass the test.

squidjr

anyone heard back yet today?

PC509

Nope. Last email was for the assessment (came at 8:45PM PT on the 5th of November). I was hoping to hear something last night. But, been checking email all night waiting for a word on it.

Still nothing.