Toughest certifications

DeathgomperDeathgomper Member Posts: 356 ■■■□□□□□□□
in General Certification
I hear a lot of how hard certian cert tests are. I am just asking the opinion of everyone "What brand of cert tests on average are the toughest to pass?" Cisco, Microsoft, CompTIA, and any others I am leaving out. Let's hear 'em.
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  • electricityelectricity Member Posts: 15 ■□□□□□□□□□
    Dont have anything useful to do on a Friday night?
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  • networker050184networker050184 Mod Posts: 11,962 Mod
    electricity wrote: »
    Dont have anything useful to do on a Friday night?

    I guess about as much as me and you if we are both on here reading this lol.

    In my defense, I'm about to start a maintenance in 15 minutes. Whats your excuse ;)
    An expert is a man who has made all the mistakes which can be made.
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  • kevozzkevozz Member Posts: 305 ■■■□□□□□□□
    electricity wrote: »
    Dont have anything useful to do on a Friday night?

    Do you?
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  • rsuttonrsutton Member Posts: 1,029 ■■■■■□□□□□
    electricity wrote: »
    Dont have anything useful to do on a Friday night?

    Pot, kettle, black? It IS Friday though, if only I could find that bottle of Canadian Mist.
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  • jeanathanjeanathan Member Posts: 163
    I had to work. So I don't. Cisco Lab Test & Red hat Lab Test get my vote.
    Struggling through the re-certification process after 2 years of no OJT for the CCNP.
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  • dynamikdynamik Banned Posts: 12,312 ■■■■■■■■■□
    electricity wrote: »
    Dont have anything useful to do on a Friday night?

    Wait, after convincing women to leave the bar with you, you don't bring them back to your place and attempt to win them over by showing them your post count? icon_redface.gif
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  • mikej412mikej412 Member Posts: 10,086 ■■■■■■■■■■
    Deathgomper wrote: »
    "What brand of cert tests on average are the toughest to pass?"
    I'm not sure if there's a specific brand.... but I'd say the hardest certification exams are the ones on subjects you have no interest in.

    And the 2nd hardest certification exams are the ones where you have no talent or skills in/with the technology being tested and no capability to ever acquire the talent/skills.

    And 3rd are probably the ones where you may have to sit for 6 hours answering vague multiple choice questions on a large number of different subject domains. I like Cisco, but there's no way in heck I'd ever sit 3 CCIE Written exams back-to-back -- so I'm not sure how people make it through the CISSP exam. icon_scratch.gif At least in an 8 hour CCIE Lab exam you get a nice lunch -- plus they've made it easier by breaking it up in a 30 minute open ended question portion, 2 hour troubleshooting sections, and a 5-1/2 hour configuration section.
    :mike: Cisco Certifications -- Collect the Entire Set!
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  • Forsaken_GAForsaken_GA Member Posts: 4,024
    rsutton wrote: »
    Pot, kettle, black? It IS Friday though, if only I could find that bottle of Canadian Mist.

    Canadian Mist.... <shudder> *that* brings back memories.

    So glad I can afford real liquor now hehe
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  • veritas_libertasveritas_libertas Member Posts: 5,746 ■■■■■■■■■■
    mikej412 wrote: »
    I'm not sure if there's a specific brand.... but I'd say the hardest certification exams are the ones on subjects you have no interest in.

    I agree, I can't imagine studying for the SCJA, or any programming exam for that matter.
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  • earweedearweed Member Posts: 5,192 ■■■■■■■■■□
    I agree with you VL. I have to take the CIW Javascript exam next week and I see no use in it and hopefully I pass it the first time. If it weren't required by WGU there is no way I would take it.
    Certs you have no interest in are definitely the hardest.
    No longer work in IT. Play around with stuff sometimes still and fix stuff for friends and relatives.
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  • SephStormSephStorm Member Posts: 1,731 ■■■■■■■□□□
    Agree with the above CCIE & CISSP= Not likely. CIW database design= have to, but no interest.
    http://www.ethicalhacker.net/forums/index.php - sectestanalysis.blogspot.com
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  • earweedearweed Member Posts: 5,192 ■■■■■■■■■□
    My program at WGU dropped the CIW Database and Web Design courses. They say because it makes their program match up more to a regular 4 year program. IMHO it's because students had so little interest in these courses and did poorly.
    The degree program should be well rounded but should be more rounded in the areas of written communications and less in the area of having a few certs which are not worth much and basically take up more of the students time.
    Big plus to WGU dropping a few requirements is I'll be done with BSIT in the next year!
    No longer work in IT. Play around with stuff sometimes still and fix stuff for friends and relatives.
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  • SephStormSephStorm Member Posts: 1,731 ■■■■■■■□□□
    written communication?! *cringes* You had better not be talking about pen and paper!
    http://www.ethicalhacker.net/forums/index.php - sectestanalysis.blogspot.com
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  • petedudepetedude Member Posts: 1,510
    earweed wrote: »
    . . . IMHO it's because students had so little interest in these courses and did poorly. . .

    I've WGU dropped those sections because they were were redundant, e.g. Oracle Database Administration exam and CIW Database. Although I'd have to think Oracle is the more rigorous of those two exams.

    Why students did poorly on these? Because they were too tough-- I doubt most were disinterested.
    Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.
    --Will Rogers
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  • Paul BozPaul Boz Member Posts: 2,620 ■■■■■■■■□□
    CCIE (any of them), GSE, and high-end Juniper exams represent what I would consider personal technical challenges.
    CCNP | CCIP | CCDP | CCNA, CCDA
    CCNA Security | GSEC |GCFW | GCIH | GCIA
    pbosworth@gmail.com
    http://twitter.com/paul_bosworth
    Blog: http://www.infosiege.net/
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  • dynamikdynamik Banned Posts: 12,312 ■■■■■■■■■□
    Paul Boz wrote: »
    CCIE (any of them), GSE, and high-end Juniper exams represent what I would consider personal technical challenges.

    Maybe adding RHCE onto that list, or MCA/MCM, but those are almost too obscure to even be relevant.

    Certifications that test your knowledge in written and lab-based exams are definitely where it's at.
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  • PlantwizPlantwiz Mod Posts: 5,057 Mod
    The certification NOT taken is the toughest icon_study.gif
    Plantwiz
    _____
    "Grammar and spelling aren't everything, but this is a forum, not a chat room. You have plenty of time to spell out the word "you", and look just a little bit smarter." by Phaideaux

    ***I'll add you can Capitalize the word 'I' to show a little respect for yourself too.

    'i' before 'e' except after 'c'.... weird?
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  • Forsaken_GAForsaken_GA Member Posts: 4,024
    dynamik wrote: »
    Maybe adding RHCE onto that list, or MCA/MCM, but those are almost too obscure to even be relevant.

    Certifications that test your knowledge in written and lab-based exams are definitely where it's at.

    I honestly don't think the RHCE is all that tough. Someone left the Robert Jung book laying around the NOC last week, and I started skimming through it out of curiosity, and all they really expect you to be able to do is be a config and break/fix monkey. It's just not that hard. I'm absolutely certain that with a month of study, I could pass the exam, and I probably would if it wasn't for the $800 price tag associated with it, since I have no desire to return to the ghetto of system administration
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  • Paul BozPaul Boz Member Posts: 2,620 ■■■■■■■■□□
    Forsaken_GA wrote: »
    since I have no desire to return to the ghetto of system administration

    This made me chuckle - well played ;)
    CCNP | CCIP | CCDP | CCNA, CCDA
    CCNA Security | GSEC |GCFW | GCIH | GCIA
    pbosworth@gmail.com
    http://twitter.com/paul_bosworth
    Blog: http://www.infosiege.net/
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  • CCIEWANNABECCIEWANNABE Banned Posts: 465
    surprised no one has said the CCA yet. Cisco Certified Architect. It is actually above the CCIE. Check the link below:

    https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/community/certifications/cisco_certified_architect/syllabus


    The prerequisites:

    1) You have to be a CCDE

    2) You have to apply and Cisco has to accept your application

    3) You have to take a board exam and pass.

    Oh yeah, did I mention it costs $15,000.

    Don't think there is any other cert that comes close to this.
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  • CNECNE Member Posts: 15 ■■■□□□□□□□
    Novell CNE 5 was my toughest certification!
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  • Paul BozPaul Boz Member Posts: 2,620 ■■■■■■■■□□
    CCIEWANNABE wrote: »
    surprised no one has said the CCA yet. Cisco Certified Architect. It is actually above the CCIE. Check the link below:

    https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/community/certifications/cisco_certified_architect/syllabus


    The prerequisites:

    1) You have to be a CCDE

    2) You have to apply and Cisco has to accept your application

    3) You have to take a board exam and pass.

    Oh yeah, did I mention it costs $15,000.

    Don't think there is any other cert that comes close to this.

    GSE is the only one I can think of with anywhere near that cost. You need three SANS certs at $4k a pop plus two gold papers at $500 a pop, then you have to pay the $1000 to sit the GSE multiple choice test, THEN pay for the lab. That and there are 12 people on earth with it.
    CCNP | CCIP | CCDP | CCNA, CCDA
    CCNA Security | GSEC |GCFW | GCIH | GCIA
    pbosworth@gmail.com
    http://twitter.com/paul_bosworth
    Blog: http://www.infosiege.net/
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  • Forsaken_GAForsaken_GA Member Posts: 4,024
    CCIEWANNABE wrote: »
    surprised no one has said the CCA yet. Cisco Certified Architect. It is actually above the CCIE. Check the link below:

    The CCA also isn't really intended for tech types. It's more of a meta-cert, in that you're a nerd, but you're also really good at playing the executive game
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  • RouteThisWayRouteThisWay Member Posts: 514
    CCIEWANNABE wrote: »
    surprised no one has said the CCA yet. Cisco Certified Architect. It is actually above the CCIE. Check the link below:

    https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/community/certifications/cisco_certified_architect/syllabus


    The prerequisites:

    1) You have to be a CCDE

    2) You have to apply and Cisco has to accept your application

    3) You have to take a board exam and pass.

    Oh yeah, did I mention it costs $15,000.

    Don't think there is any other cert that comes close to this.

    Microsoft Certified Master exams cost $18,500.

    There are five MCM certifications:
    • Microsoft Certified Master: Microsoft Exchange Server 2007
    • Microsoft Certified Master: Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007
    • Microsoft Certified Master: Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007
    • Microsoft Certified Master: Microsoft SQL Server 2008
    • Microsoft Certified Master: Windows Server 2008: Directory
    I believe you have to attend a 3-week training class at Redmond on the Microsoft campus, and then pass the multiple exams and lab while you are there.
    "Vision is not enough; it must be combined with venture." ~ Vaclav Havel
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  • RouteThisWayRouteThisWay Member Posts: 514
    Forsaken_GA wrote: »
    since I have no desire to return to the ghetto of system administration

    Touche! icon_cool.gif

    But you know, sitting around in a NOC, staring at lights all night, with the spare time to read through books that are left behind sounds exhilarating! icon_twisted.gificon_thumright.gif

    I do hear Network guys are the playboys of IT though.
    "Vision is not enough; it must be combined with venture." ~ Vaclav Havel
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  • networker050184networker050184 Mod Posts: 11,962 Mod
    RouteThisWay wrote: »
    I do hear Network guys are the playboys of IT though.

    You hear correct icon_cool.gif
    An expert is a man who has made all the mistakes which can be made.
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  • Forsaken_GAForsaken_GA Member Posts: 4,024
    RouteThisWay wrote: »
    Touche! icon_cool.gif

    But you know, sitting around in a NOC, staring at lights all night, with the spare time to read through books that are left behind sounds exhilarating! icon_twisted.gificon_thumright.gif

    It beats working for a living ;)
    I do hear Network guys are the playboys of IT though.

    Network engineers are like that insurance company in The Rainmaker. Step 1 is to deny all culpability. Can't be the network, it's a server problem! Then after you make the admins spend hours scouring the server to prove it's a network problem, you spend a few minutes executing your idealized tests to prove it's not a network problem.

    Eventually, when your boss gets around to telling you to fix the network problem, you roll your magical neteng excuse dice and tell your boss that it's:

    1 - Cisco's fault, and you have a TAC ticket open
    2 - Juniper/Force10's fault due to interoperability bugs with Cisco, and you have a ticket open
    3 - It's a peers fault, and you have a ticket open
    4 - It's a provider's fault, and you have a ticket open
    5 - It's hardware failure, and you're having a replacement overnighted in
    6 - It's the customers fault, they need to open a ticket with their provider
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  • Hyper-MeHyper-Me Banned Posts: 2,059
    I would love to do an MCM Directory Services rotation some day, but im not anywhere that good yet, and I dont have 20 grand to blow on it.

    On and Forsaken; Networkers are just the grunts, something of a technological janitor. (kidding of course).

    But for me, I didnt want to pave the roadway (network), i wanted to drive the sports car (servers) on it.
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  • mikedisd2mikedisd2 Member Posts: 1,096 ■■■■■□□□□□
    Hyper-Me wrote: »
    On and Forsaken; Networkers are just the grunts, something of a technological janitor.

    Networkers are the plumbers of the Internet. That's why they're always blocking access and performing DNS flushes (push, push those packets through).
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  • laidbackfreaklaidbackfreak Member Posts: 991
    mikedisd2 wrote: »
    Networkers are the plumbers of the Internet.

    Funny you should say that way back in time when I first mentined I wanted to be a network engineer, my colleague at the time said smmit along the lines of "the world will always need plumbers." Pretty fair analogy I guess.

    As too the original question I'd probably agree with Mike and say the ones you have no interest in.
    if I say something that can be taken one of two ways and one of them offends, I usually mean the other one :-)
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