So I passed ISCW today...

Pulled out a 926.

Implement basic teleworker services: 100%
Implement frame-mode MPLS: 100%
Implement a site-to-site IPSec VPN: 44%
Describe network security strategies: 100%
Implement Cisco Device Hardening: 100%
Implement Cisco IOS Firewall: 88%
Describe and configure Cisco IOS IPS: 100%

So apparently I still suck at IPSec, but I kind of figured I was going to get nailed on that going in. Deemed it an acceptable risk.

I did have one scary moment... my second question was the sim. And when I clicked on the button to bring up the console..... the bottom half of the screen was cutoff. I literally could not see the prompts or what I was typing. I had to hit enter repeatedly to get the help information and then after I entered a command, I had to hit enter to see if it actually took or if I managed to typo something.

And this was the second question of the exam.

I debated stepping out of the room and saying to the proctor's 'Yeah, this ain't quite right, y'all mind fixing this?' But figured they wouldn't know what to do, so I just toughed my way through it. Took a half hour to get everything right. Thankfully, I knew the rest of the material well enough that time wasn't an issue and I still finished with a good half hour left on the clock.

For those curious, my study material was the Cisco Press Exam Certification guide for the majority of ISCW, and the Cisco Press Cisco Router Firewall Security book. This may or may not be enough study material for most people, I spent years supporting cable and adsl customers, so the majority of those concepts I didn't need to study for. The Exam Cert guide covers MPLS well enough for ISCW purposes, both book cover the IOS Firewall aspects plenty enough. Judging by my score, the Exam Cert guide is not a very good resource for IPSec (that's probably my own fault though, I didn't spend alot of time doing VPN labs)

My overall impression of the exam is that it was more annoying than difficult, especially if you're more at home in a commandline environment as opposed to point-and-click. I found it more difficult than BCMSN, but not terribly more so.

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Comments

nel

Congrats great score!!!!!!!!

astorrs

Yeah great score. Congrats on the pass.

gojericho0

awesome score. Congrats!

mikej412

Congratulations!

I had one funky SIM once where the network graphic was twice the width of the computer screen.... and it took a while (and a few rude comments made with the comment button) before I finally figured out the 1 pixel line at the bottom of the graphic was actually the scroll bar.

And it wasn't until after the exam that I finally figured out it may have been a new ungraded SIM they were trying out.....

Forsaken_GA

mikej412 wrote:

Congratulations!

I had one funky SIM once where the network graphic was twice the width of the computer screen.... and it took a while (and a few rude comments made with the comment button) before I finally figured out the 1 pixel line at the bottom of the graphic was actually the scroll bar.

And it wasn't until after the exam that I finally figured out it may have been a new ungraded SIM they were trying out.....

I said something to the staff on the way out, they mentioned they'd seen it before and it's cisco's software not properly adjusting for the screen resolution. It was just making assumptions that the screen was at a higher resolution. I spent at least 5 minutes trying to find a way to increase the window size, but there just wasn't anything there. Of course all the *other* windows had resize or maximize options, but not the ones I need to actually do any work with.

I think when I go back for ONT, if they try and sit me at the same workstation I'll just politely request that they don't do that. This is the first time I've had any technical difficulties with the actual exams before.

netwayne

Congrats and way to stick with it and not let that problem on the 2nd question mess up your whole exam.....Great job!!

miller811

Congrats.
great score.
I hope to start this one soon.

Slowhand

Congratulations on the pass, not a bad score-sheet at all.

Plazma

Haha.. you nailed it man.. 100%'s everywhere.. reminds me of a health food commercial .. or .. something... yea... Sunny-D maybe?

jamesp1983

nice score man! congrats!

Forsaken_GA

Well, checked the cert tool today to make sure my ISCW posted (it did). Unfortunately, my BSCI credit is gone. Not wholly unexpected, but kinda sucks, back to being 2 more exams to go, one of which is Satan's Spawn Itself.

Now I just need to decide whether I'm going to continue with my plan to blitz through ONT as soon as possible to get it out of the way, or if I'm going to divert and redo BSCI right away (I want to be able to take BSCI with the second chance option still available)

scheistermeister

Congrats on the ISCW pass. I would blitz through the ONT (because that is what I did do actually). Without ever touching the material before I studied for a week, sat the exam, missed it by a few points, rescheduled the next week and easily passed.

The material in the ONT is really light and there isn't nearly as much to it so I would just get it out of the way then focus on the BSCI.

Forsaken_GA

scheistermeister wrote:

Congrats on the ISCW pass. I would blitz through the ONT (because that is what I did do actually). Without ever touching the material before I studied for a week, sat the exam, missed it by a few points, rescheduled the next week and easily passed.

The material in the ONT is really light and there isn't nearly as much to it so I would just get it out of the way then focus on the BSCI.

That's what I was thinking. I'd already ordered the ONT cert guide (couldn't find one local for the life of me), but from looking over it from previous visits (when the store did have it, of course they're sold out when I actually want to buy one!), I saw an awful lot of overlap with BCMSN.

And I figure that with ONT out of the way, being one exam short will be a bit of a motivator to not be lazy. At least this time, I don't have the sense of dread at the thought of taking BSCI. I've beaten it once, so I already know I can do it.

APA

Congratz and great score!!!!

Sitting mine on Monday!!!

tciscoccnp1

Friends,

I am new to this forum, am planning to take ISCW in 2 week time, could some one help me whether there are any simulation question in the exam and about what?

Heap thank in advance

mikej412

tciscoccnp1 wrote: »

could some one help me whether there are any simulation question in the exam and about what?

No -- because that would violate the NDA and Cisco Candidate Conduct Policy.

Cisco Candidate Conduct Policy

No candidate will take any action that will compromise the integrity or confidentiality of a Cisco Certification examination or otherwise compromise the integrity of the Cisco Certification program. Such actions include but are not limited to:
• Disseminating actual exam content via web postings, discussion groups, chat rooms, study guides, etc.

Cisco Career Certifications and Confidentiality Agreement

You agree that the contents of the exam are confidential and that the disclosure of that information could compromise the integrity of the Program and of Certifications. Cisco makes exams available to you solely to test your knowledge of the exam subject matter for which you seek Certification. You are expressly prohibited from disclosing, publishing, reproducing, or transmitting any exam and any related information including, without limitation, questions, answers, worksheets, computations, drawings, diagrams, length or number of exam segments or questions, or any communication, including oral communication regarding or related to the exam (known collectively as “Proprietary Information”), in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, oral or written, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose, without the prior express written permission of Cisco.

Mrock4

Congrats!!

If I had the BSCI and ONT to go, I would probably opt for the BSCI and have the second chance available, that thing saved my butt!! Of course, I haven't took the ONT, but the general consensus seems to be it's not as difficult as the BSCI.

Forsaken_GA

tciscoccnp1 wrote: »

Friends,

I am new to this forum, am planning to take ISCW in 2 week time, could some one help me whether there are any simulation question in the exam and about what?

Heap thank in advance

Can't talk about exam specifics, big no no in Cisco land.

You will do yourself a very large favor if you study for all cisco exams as if all possible types of test questions will be thrown at you.

And damn, I can't believe it's already been 5 months since this. Had to shift gears and get in some work specific training, just now getting back to ONT.