Scheduling the 1st lab attempt

kwftide

Do you think it is better to schedule the 1st attempt ASAP and risk a crash and burn or wait an additional block of weeks for a better showing on the 1st try?

I ask because I have concerns about getting a 2nd or 3rd attempt in by the end of the year. I'd like to complete the journey before Cisco fundamentally changes the lab in January (as is rumored).

Any feedback is welcomed.

Webmaster

Tough choice. Considering most people don't make it the first time anyway you could just go for it, but then you might as well save the money and go for the cheaper Assessor lab instead:
www.cisco.com/web/learning/le3/ccie/preparation/index.html

Good luck whatever your decision will be!

mikej412

It's probably smarter and cheaper to try an InternetworkExpert Mock Lab or NetMasterClass CheckIT lab -- if you're talking about the R&S Lab.

If you're talking about about one of the other Labs -- have you gotten a workbook and tried the practice labs? If you're not even coming close to passing those, I'm not sure the experience of failing a Lab is worth the travel, time and money.

As for rumors -- um, I usually just check the Cisco CCIE Cert pages for the real updates. What rumors are you talking about?

Security Lab changes on 2 Jan 2007. I'm planning to hopefully allow for 2 attempts this year -- but if I'm not ready I'll save my money and then worry about the V2 Lab next year.

Service Provider is changing to a single written exam somewhere between November and February.... Don't recall seeing any Lab changes mentioned.

R&S Lab is getting new hardware but proabably won't make any difference initially to the lab exams.

Voice is always crazy and changing.

kwftide

Sorry, I didn't say it was the Routing & Switching track.

Good points about the Assessor and/or the Check-IT labs. That would save a trip to RTP.

Thanks for the replies!

keenon

i'm a while from there but i'm thinking on doing some mock labs until test time comes... but this is good stuff to consider when moving to the top of the game

mikej412

I'm planning on trying the Cisco Press Practice labs first (after going back through the Practical Studies books).... and not worring about the time. Internetwork Expert even has their plan where they recommend doing their first 4 labs not worrying about time...

Cisco Press Routing & Switching Practice Labs
http://www.ciscopress.com/bookstore/product.asp?isbn=1587051478&rl=1

and Cisco Press Security Practice Labs
http://www.ciscopress.com/bookstore/product.asp?isbn=1587051346&rl=1

Right now I'm leaning towards the Internetwork Expert workbook and Core Lab workbook (and maybe even the R&S Technology Labs)... and NMCs DoITs and tech Lib. Bundlewise, I may try the CheckITs first..... but I think I'm only going to get one attempt at R&S this year if I plan to allow for 2 shots at the Security Lab.

And, if I'm not ready for the Security Lab, I'll eat the loss on the lab equipment.... but it was worth it just for the CCSP.

Since the current Version 1 of the Security Lab has a bunch of R&S stuff, I'm going for one attempt at R&S first..... if I'm close, I'll switch to Security to try and beat the January 2nd 2007 change.... otherwise I'll take the hit and fall back and regroup for Security next year and focus on R&S (and a number) this year.

If it weren't for this darn CCVP that's run a "month over plan" -- my feet wouldn't be touching the ground. Such is the realization that I am in the running for the CCIE this year. And such is the trepidation that work will interfere with my CCIE plans

wildfire

A word of warning to the R&S pracitce book from Ciscopress, this is outaded and about 40% of the book is no longer relevant. One of the CCIE's from work lent me the book, I spent half the time trawling out the ISDN, ATM, IS-IS, and VOIP stuff. Whilst Im not saying its not a good book, your money may be better spent elsewhere!

mikej412

wildfire wrote:

A word of warning to the R&S pracitce book from Ciscopress, this is outaded and about 40% of the book is no longer relevant. One of the CCIE's from work lent me the book, I spent half the time trawling out the ISDN, ATM, IS-IS, and VOIP stuff. Whilst Im not saying its not a good book, your money may be better spent elsewhere!

Feel free to toss out any other good tidbits you learn from your CCIEs at work.

I think the R&S book was reviewed as 1/2 the labs were good, and 1/2 were bad (I'm guessing the single switch labs are the bad ones?). I think I knew it was for the old requirements when I bought it. Since I have the eqipment (LS1010, Voice stuff, and ISDN Simulator) I'm going to go through them as is. My expectation for this book is to get a cheap idea of what a lab might look like.

I got the InternetworkExpert audio class to listen to in the car -- and so far I've forgotten to bring my MP3 player everytime I've had to drive to/from Chicago.... but the ones I've listened to on the computer are better than the sample I had listened to online -- the online sample had annoying pauses that made me think my internet connection was dead.....

These guys also had a special on their workbook and class-on-demand -- but after 18 minutes in the IPv6 sample, they still hadn't said anything about IPv6 other than "learn the technology, not the vendor implementation" -- about 3 or 4 times. I don't think I could put up with 80 hours of that. The price was right (hopefully it isn't just an end-of-month special, incase someone here says those are old samples).... but the 2 samples they have online make it sound like there is a lot of filler to go through -- and its not even background type info.

I've gotten the R&S Technologies Labs, the R&S Core Workbook Labs and the Security Lab Workbook. I figure since I'm going to get the Netmasters DoIT and some CheckITs -- maybe I won't need the R&S Lab Workbook from InternetworkExpert.

wildfire

Feel free to toss out any other good tidbits you learn from your CCIEs at work.

hope your not jibiing me Mike!! haha

No I took the book cos he leant it me for free, saved me $60's. The consensus amoung the guys seems to be the IPexpert lab workbooks.

I have also been given CCIE practical studies I and II which also look a bit outdated but are on the Ciscopress reccomended reading list. The problem seems to be knowing which to filter out. I think though you can never know too much, just becuase it isnt on the lab doesnt mean its no use!

the problem I have is Im trying to do my DP exam, whilst doing CCIE labs, whilst trying to design and implement 6 projects all at once.

for the IPv6 Theres a good CBT nuggets supplement, which I found very usefull.