From: Scott Morris (swm@emanon.com)
Date: Tue May 30 2006 - 10:27:51 ART
Congratulations!
Scott
-----Original Message-----
From: nobody@groupstudy.com [mailto:nobody@groupstudy.com] On Behalf Of Pal
Sent: Tuesday, May 30, 2006 6:56 AM
To: ccielab@groupstudy.com
Subject: Passed CCIE in Brussels yesterday.
Just got the results from my lab in Brussels yesterday and I am happy to say
that I passed.
I'm not sure that I am qualified to do so but I would like to share some of
my thoughts in the hope that it will help someone.
1) The CCIE lab is very much achievable. Rather than concentrating on
questions it is better to learn and understand technologies. It is possible
to do this through practice labs but quality of study is paramount - not
quantity!
2) The resources available are excellent. I used Internetwork Expert and was
very pleased with the way in which the workbooks highlighted areas to focus
on. No workbooks are perfect but its important not to miss the point - they
are there to help you learn. Equally some of my study partners have
commented on other vendors and how good they are. Bottom line is - its up to
you, no one will spoon feed the technology into your head - you have to put
the hours of quality study in.
3) Groupstudy was informative and inspiring but some postings could be
easily avoided by simply reading a book or checking on CCO. We all have to
start somewhere but its a big responsibility to guide someone and I feel one
should be very careful. Amongst others I would like to thank Brian, Scott M,
Petr, Dave S, Victor and Godswill - your postings have been very useful.
4) I was greatly inspired by the stories of failure and success on GS. I
admire the tenacity of some individuals. Some of the people who failed have
been my greatest inspiration. It takes real guts to keep going, which is
admirable. Saying that - if you fail it also takes real bravery to analyse
within and re-create a gameplan. Its easier to blame someone or something
else instead of your lack of study or lab technique.
5) I tried the lab 5 years ago after studying one textbook and a handful of
poorly written self created labs. I came close on my first attempt and
thinking that I wasn't far I tried a few weeks later. I failed miserably and
hung up my gloves for a while. The recent upturn in the industry and the
inspiration that I received from my friends gave me belief and allowed me to
create a new gameplan and have another go.
6) I found it best to ignore all the "shortcut/cheat sheet" type materials.
Its better to know your stuff and this needs detailed analysis. Use good
materials and text books, create your own set of notes and keep these
updated. Study in a group.
7) As far as lab technique is concerned I rehearsed the same approach
several times before the real thing.
a) Create 2 diagrams (BGP and IGP) and a vlan table.
b) Read all the questions, jot the answers down and also make notes on the
diagrams - take time to do this - maybe 30-45 minutes at the start.
ASK YOURSELF "HAVE I FULFILLED THE REQUIREMENTS OF THIS QUESTION?"
c) Start work, verify everything all the way through. If you get stuck for
more than 10 minutes move on and return later.
d) Save often, I used a technique that I would not minimize my terminal
window unless I had saved.
e) Try to get into or complete BGP by lunch and then run TCL scripts.
f) Re-verify everything at the end.
Most of this might appear as common sense. General approach is to ask the
proctor whenever you are unsure. Never assume anything and use the CD if you
need to at will.
Its a test and if you remove the pressure its much easier - so stay calm,
but focused.
8) When studying learn and drill the basics, tricks and corner cases are
good to know but these should follow the fundamentals. Know the basics
inside out.
Use the CD to cover all options and know where to find stuff on the CD. I
made a list something like this:
Configuration Fundamentals - Autoinstall, Menus & Banners, Config & IOS
management Dial - Backup, Media Independent PPP compression, dhcp,
pap&chap Addressing Services - DHCP, DNS, NAT Application Services - ICMP,
DRP WCCP, Accounting, ACLs (time, options, flags), TCP features, SLB, FHRP &
Object Tracking Network Management - Logging & SNMP, CDP, Small Services,
NTP/Time, RMON, Security - AAA, Radius, PAM, Reflexive, Lock & Key,
Intercept, Secure Infrastructure (Privilege) WAN Configuration - Frame,
PPPoFR, FREEK
9) More preparation - from beginning to end I took 3 months to study and
pass. I had a plan for what to do in case of failure as well as success.
I used a wallchart with the areas of study and the milestones. Its important
to study the areas you are least comfortable with and make these strong.
The final 3 weeks I had the flu so I hadn't done any full labs for a while,
this bothered me a little but was soon forgotten when I got into the
questions.
It's harder with a young family - I involved them in the process and that
helped a lot.
Lastly I want to thank the powers that be, my family, my essential study
circle pals (Neil Dearman, Chamandeep Singh Gill and Mike Harries - THANKS
GUYS!!) and all my other friends who've supported me. I also want to extend
a special thanks to Brian Dennis of IE and Paul Borghese for GS.
I realise I have more to learn now than when I started studying. If I can
pass you certainly can too.
I wish everyone on this group the very best in their study, career and
personal lives.
Pritpal Singh Sehmi (Pal)
CCIE #16300
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