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Starting CCIE Written. Just had "the talk" with Mrs. Zartan.

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    down77down77 Member Posts: 1,009
    Feels like it's been forever since I last updated. Haven't done anything with my blog either. Just been focused on lab time the last month or so and I'm feeling pretty worn out. Thankfully I passed my lab so I don't have to worry about that for a while. I plan on keeping up with my flashcards though since I'd hate to forget all of that stuff.

    And which lab would that be icon_wink.gif
    CCIE Sec: Starting Nov 11
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    ZartanasaurusZartanasaurus Member Posts: 2,008 ■■■■■■■■■□
    down77 wrote: »
    And which lab would that be icon_wink.gif
    icon_lol.gif

    R&S lab of course. 5 days shy of 1 year from when I started this thread.
    Currently reading:
    IPSec VPN Design 44%
    Mastering VMWare vSphere 5​ 42.8%
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    jdballingerjdballinger Member Posts: 252
    Holy hell, like the actual one and not a mock? That was the most subtle "I am now a CCIE" post I've ever seen!

    I hope I'm not reading that wrong and congratulating you for no reason! Jeebus the number of TE guys knocking this down is incredible! I've said it before and I'll say it again, thank you to all of you who post publicly about your journey to get the digits. It keeps me motivated in my own quest to advance my knowledge and be a kickass network engineer! You are all truly an inspiration!

    Or you were joking and I'm gonna edit this in a minute...
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    down77down77 Member Posts: 1,009
    Congrats on passing the lab! I smell a group celebration!!!
    CCIE Sec: Starting Nov 11
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    QHaloQHalo Member Posts: 1,488
    icon_lol.gif

    R&S lab of course. 5 days shy of 1 year from when I started this thread.

    Oh snap man, nicely done.
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    reaper81reaper81 Member Posts: 631
    Congrats and welcome to the club! :)
    Daniel Dib
    CCIE #37149
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    ZartanasaurusZartanasaurus Member Posts: 2,008 ■■■■■■■■■□
    Narbik brought the proctor in here at RTP and we had 30-45 mins to ask him questions and hear him speak. I'll summarize what I think was the most interesting.

    The grading script pretty much uses verification commands (show, ping, whatever) and is results oriented to give you points. As long as it can make the verification and you didn't break a restriction, you get the points. If you don't have enough points to pass, he does a manual review of only questions you didn't get points for to see if you solved it in a way the grader didn't expect until you either make the cut score or he runs out of missed questions.

    Couple of other things I learned about the grading script during our lunch break.

    The script takes 5-10mins to complete based on the track. Voice and Wireless take two hours. Those racks are basically left alone for 24 hours, unlike the other racks which are reset and used daily. There are parts of Voice that are not graded by the script and he has to go in and verify them manually. The manual process takes about 20 minutes. So for you Voice and Wireless guys wondering why it takes so long to get your score, that's why. It's probably impossible for San Jose to grade your rack the day you take it because they only have 3 hours of time left from the time the RTP lab ends, so you're waiting for Sydney (the first CCIE lab to start on a calendar day).

    Also, regrades are a waste of money. He's only had one fail overturned in the 15 months he's been a proctor.
    Currently reading:
    IPSec VPN Design 44%
    Mastering VMWare vSphere 5​ 42.8%
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    reaper81reaper81 Member Posts: 631
    My friend passed on a regrade just a couple of weeks ago :P That was in Brussels though. Not sure what happened because he was sure he passed config and then got a bad score in a section. Then it came back with a pass. No debugs running or anything funky like that.
    Daniel Dib
    CCIE #37149
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    bryguybryguy Member Posts: 190
    Well done, sir!
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    ZartanasaurusZartanasaurus Member Posts: 2,008 ■■■■■■■■■□
    reaper81 wrote: »
    My friend passed on a regrade just a couple of weeks ago :P That was in Brussels though. Not sure what happened because he was sure he passed config and then got a bad score in a section. Then it came back with a pass. No debugs running or anything funky like that.
    One of the other guys taking his lab mentioned something similar. A guy he knew asked for a regrade because he got a 0 in one of the major sections. Even if it was an error with the grader, the manual review of the missed sections should've uncovered it. Do you get a refund of the $350 if the regrade passes you?
    Currently reading:
    IPSec VPN Design 44%
    Mastering VMWare vSphere 5​ 42.8%
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    reaper81reaper81 Member Posts: 631
    One of the other guys taking his lab mentioned something similar. A guy he knew asked for a regrade because he got a 0 in one of the major sections. Even if it was an error with the grader, the manual review of the missed sections should've uncovered it. Do you get a refund of the $350 if the regrade passes you?

    Yeah, you get the money back from the regrade. But think for a sec if he didn't go for that regrade then he wouldn't be a CCIE now and would have to spend 1500$+ on another attempt. So even though very very few pass on a regrade imagine that there are probably some people out there that would have been CCIEs if they asked for a regrade, some people might even have given up and never gotten it.

    One day he noticed that score report was gone and replaced by a -. I've heard others that said that this usually means it was changed to a pass but it's not like it's a certain sign. He was very happy when he passed anyway.
    Daniel Dib
    CCIE #37149
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    mhonskymhonsky Member Posts: 47 ■■□□□□□□□□
    icon_lol.gif

    R&S lab of course. 5 days shy of 1 year from when I started this thread.

    Congratulations!!! Enjoy your magic number :)

    Any advice on the candidates that are still on track like us? ;)
    Reading Hrs for Lab:60
    Lab Hrs: 200

    Goal 2013: CCIE R&S ( ) | ITILv3 Foundation ( )
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    ZartanasaurusZartanasaurus Member Posts: 2,008 ■■■■■■■■■□
    mhonsky wrote: »
    Congratulations!!! Enjoy your magic number :)

    Any advice on the candidates that are still on track like us? ;)
    Probably nothing that hasn't been said a thousand times. Just be prepared for the time investment and the mental and physical drain you have to endure putting in the lab hours. I feel exhausted. But at the time time it feels weird not coming home and having something to study. I will enjoy the vacation while it lasts. I have some loose ends to tie up at work and I need to start looking for a new job/state to live in. :)
    Currently reading:
    IPSec VPN Design 44%
    Mastering VMWare vSphere 5​ 42.8%
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    mhonskymhonsky Member Posts: 47 ■■□□□□□□□□
    Just be prepared for the time investment and the mental and physical drain you have to endure putting in the lab hours
    Thanks for this advice and good luck to your future job!
    Reading Hrs for Lab:60
    Lab Hrs: 200

    Goal 2013: CCIE R&S ( ) | ITILv3 Foundation ( )
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    spiderjerichospiderjericho Registered Users, Member Posts: 890 ■■■■■□□□□□
    Zartan, I just noticed your accomplishment. Congrats on obtaining that number and hopefully, it makes your wallet fatter.
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    BlackoutBlackout Member Posts: 512 ■■■■□□□□□□
    Congrats man! I cant imagine how good this accomplishment feels. Enjoy it you conquered the beast!
    Current Certification Path: CCNA, CCNP Security, CCDA, CCIE Security

    "Practice doesn't make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect"

    Vincent Thomas "Vince" Lombardi
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    Master Of PuppetsMaster Of Puppets Member Posts: 1,210
    Amazing! Huge congrats, indeed icon_cheers.gif
    Yes, I am a criminal. My crime is that of curiosity. My crime is that of judging people by what they say and think, not what they look like. My crime is that of outsmarting you, something that you will never forgive me for.
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