From: Darby Weaver (darbyweaver@yahoo.com)
Date: Fri Jun 16 2006 - 09:32:00 ART
As if my title did not say enough about my point:
BTW - Thanks Godswill and Gordon...
I am trying to say I have spent the better part of 6
years under the impression that a lot of bright guys
toiled away at a keyboard to go to to "LAB" only to
come back holding their own head with brains
exposed...
Nothing and I mean nothing could be further from the
truth.
The fact is:
The test is in ENGLISH. Meaning that if they ask you
something like:
I want to use any two numbers and get the sum of 4.
However, you cannot use 0 + 4 = 4 and you cannot use 1
+ 3 = 4. And the two numbers must be the same.
What do you have left?
Now you might ask the proctor:
Sir, I know there are several ways to derive the sum
of 4 from the given question...
And the proctor might answer:
You can do it anyway you like as long as you answer
the question, but I won't tell you how to the answer.
(I basically asked this question and I got nearly the
exact response from the proctor).
Nothing mean and nothing vague about it. Simple and
clear as can be.
And yes I brought my lab book and my diagram with me -
just in case.
(Know your options?) This is my analogy of the
dificulty level of a CCIE Question. No magic, no
evil, just English.
The vendor prep labs are extremely difficult in terms
of comparison (but if you can do them easily, then the
lab should be that much easier). I will say that I
have known people who have complete the labs from
vendors and yet still did not pass the lab (I cannot
explain this entirely, but being that I have trust in
the people who have told me so, I'm going to go on
what they said they did).
I will say that I did let a few questions trip me up
and I did this due to some of the prep materials that
I had read very similar "experiences" from and I read
too much into questions as a result. We've heard that
before.
It can and does happen.
I can also think think about methodology and speed in
accomplishing certain tasks as part of my own
downfall.
But when I read stories of the lab as being overtly
difficult and when I read about the proctors being
extremely rude (and I have heard THESE things face to
face)...
I have to say in no uncertain terms, I did not
experience these things.
So when I see people coming back failing and it
sounding like they spent a year or more engrossed in
study and seem to be repeatedly failing (not saying I
won't repeatedly fail).
I see a few basic issues:
1. Some people just don't take tests well and never
will and let's face it this test can be very stressful
(and all the ghosts I saw at RTP proved that to me
beyond a doubt).
2. Some people either read to much or don't read
enough of the questions (and sometimes reading between
the lines is a BAD thing).
3. Some people do not / did not / and cannot prep
well. I actually have specific examples here and I
would recommend professional help - If you are reading
this, then you know who YOU are. Get help.
4. Perfect practice makes perfect. I see many people
throwing out misconceptions and not all of the answers
and sometimes they think they are correct when
sometimes they are not. There are lots of materials,
trainers, and resources available for this exam and
therefore there is little excuse any more - We all
know the rewards this lab exam can likely bring, so
consider it an investment.
5. Some people think they can pass the exam when in
truth, they should spend more time to know they can
pass.
6. Some of us fools (like me) simply go for reasons
like: my 18 months is expiring, I want to see the lab
and find out what it is really like, etc. Great but
understand if you are not 100% prepped, then it is
100% likely you will not pass this exam.
Let me define prepped:
1. You have practiced EVERYTHING on the Outline and
you can reproduce mostly any configuration while
speaking or better yet on paper. Any options you do
not know off the top of your head, you at least should
vaguely recall how the technology works and what it is
supposed to accomplish. This means you have the ? and
it also means that you have the DOC CD for ready
reference. In the event you think the question is
vaguely written then you have your proctors to help
you. THEY WILL NOT GIVE YOU THE ANSWER OR LEAD YOU
DOWN ANY PATH. I can say that with certainty.
2. You can configure Basic Connectivity on the fly
with a router or with a pencil and with close friends
nearby in a conversation. This means the Frame, the
3550, Bridging, Inter-VLAN Routing, Virtual Templates,
Tunnels, BVI, etc. It also means Trunking, Assigning
ports to VLANS, PPP, Frame Relay DLCI's, EtherChannel,
VTP, etc. You should be familiar with NAT, FHRPs,
DHCP, IPv6, Multicast, ACLs (9 ways to Sunday),
Summarization, Route Maps, QoS, IGPs and BGP. I'm
saying you need to have a quick config that works for
all of these and be able to configure them anywhere
and at any time, and what's more you should be able to
debug them if they are not working properly and you
should be able to confirm your configuration quickly.
3. These things are well known and are written in and
given in most every courseware available.
No secret here. Know yourself and know your
technologies, the lab is just a step in the whole
process.
I promise you it is more urban legend than it is
difficult. Just read the questions and do what they
ask, hopefully you can do these things quickly and
have enought time to build and verify as you do.
Naturally if you complete all of your questions, then
you have a much better chance if passing the lab.
And let's be honest with ourselves, if we are not
properly prepared, then any exam, will appear that
much harder. This lab is no different.
If I ask you a question, and I did ask some not long
bask, do you realize that not one person answered
them...
I was not asking questions I needed the answer to. I
was hoping that people on the list would use them
internally and think about them.
One person of everyone responded that that he/she was
attempting them and had not yet asnwered them.
Think about that.
If you see questions here on this list and options are
not popping out of your head like a bunch of balloons
around a porcupine...
You might not be ready for the lab yet...
It is like that...
The lab will ask similar questions and you will have a
certain amount of time to answer them.
You migh have "x" number of topics, graded as "y"
number of topics so at least 2 were combined into the
morass.
Now if you took each major section and the 2 that were
combined, roughly you might have about 1 hour per
section.
So ask yourself can you do everything in under 1 hour
per section of your lab books that you bought and use?
If not ask yourself why? Some things you will gain
speed on. But let's take BGP. Can you configure all
of your BGP tasks in 1 hour and verify them in that
same 1 hour?
Take any section and do the same.
You only have 8 hours + lunch.
Time management can and will be a very critical skill
in this game.
--- Gordon Mac Donald <gordonccie@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Ai....do you really think it was his intention to
> come forward as the keeper of the NDA with his
> mail....?! Hmm, could've gone the other way as
> well......maybe you should your own post again and
> look back to what he wrote....I don't think he meant
> any harm with his.....
>
> G.
>
> Godswill Oletu <oletu@inbox.lv> wrote:
> Sean,
>
> > I can't imagine you're breaking a NDA by admitting
> there was a worm on
> your
> > lab PC at RTP.
>
> I hardly see this as breaking the NDA. He did not
> tell you want he got in
> the exam, etc, he simply said, he had a worm. If you
> are of the view that,
> anything and everything that happenned in the lab,
> should remain there and
> attempts to share experiences not related to the
> actual exam will amount to
> breaking the NDA; then discussing what kind of food
> you got for lunch; jokes
> at the break room, etc could also be called
> 'breaking the NDA'. And those
> people who after their experience come forward to
> share how they approached
> the exam from the moment they got into the lab, will
> also be breaking the
> NDA.
>
> The 'worm' was not part of his exam, if it were the
> proctor will not come
> running to assist. He was just telling people his
> experience.
>
> If you read his post, I believe he was trying to
> dispute a contrary opinion
> that, he might have heard somewhere, that ".....RTP
> was a cold place with
> EVIL PROCTORS.."; thus giving wanabes that, hardward
> related
> fast-responding-help will alway be available if we
> so need them during our
> lab at RTP. He also gave Howard and Cisco a little
> PR boost.
>
> > .................Any idea what worm was on your
> PC?
>
> Why ask him to give you an idea about the 'worm'
> that was on his PC, if you
> have adjoined him to have broken the NDA in the
> first place? Or do you want
> to be an accomplice to the "crime" that you alleged
> took placed?
>
> Thanks.
> Godswill Oletu
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Sean C."
> To: "Darby Weaver"
> Cc:
> Sent: Thursday, June 15, 2006 9:36 PM
> Subject: Re: My own lab experience - Compliments to
> Howard - A compliment to
> the CCIE Program.
>
>
> > I can't imagine you're breaking a NDA by admitting
> there was a worm on
> your
> > lab PC at RTP. Any idea what worm was on your PC?
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Darby Weaver"
> > To: "Cisco certification"
> > Sent: Tuesday, June 13, 2006 1:03 AM
> > Subject: My own lab experience - Compliments to
> Howard - A compliment to
> the
> > CCIE Program.
> >
> >
> > Howard, the proctor, was a really nice guy. I only
> > had question he answered it very quickly, without
> > giving away anything.
> >
> > The guy did everything he could to make everyone
> feel
> > at ease and comfortable. I bet he a psychologist
> or
> > something.
> >
> > He told soothing stories before the lab and durng
> the
> > lunch that were light-hearted, relevant to
> whatever
> > was going on and generally very upbeat and
> relaxed.
> >
> > I thought this man must be a either a natural
> > comunications expert or he has been
> trained/seasoned
> > very well.
> >
> > In any event, he was simply masterful.
> >
> > Everything from the shorts/sandals, to the story
> about
> > the how the rain demolished his retaining wall,
> and he
> > was pelted by hail the night before in an effort
> to
> > calm his horses.
> >
> > Love that guy. One of my classmates from NMC-1
> said
> > he was like that with everyone.
> >
> > I do not know where anyone ever got the idea that
> RTP
> > was a cold place with EVIL PROCTORS... Maybe they
> got
> > someone else. Tomwas there too, I did not speak to
> > him but for a few minutes at the end. He was both
> > very courteous, polite, and professional.
> >
> > I even had the misfortune of having a worm crash
> my
> > computer, and Howard came literally running to the
> > rescue, (I think he hopped over the desks?). He wa
> > there quick.
> >
> > I only had 1 minute from the time it popped up to
> > quickly save my screens (just in case) and run to
> get
> > him and for him to come immediately to the rescue
> and
> > still have about 10-15 seconds to actually see it.
> >
> > Again he was very calm, professional, and
> reassuring.
> >
> > Wow! Now that is a very professional gentleman.
> > Never lost his cool, never saw him sweat. I was
> > impressed at how he handled the whole thing from
> the
> > moment he introduced himself till he left for the
> day.
> >
> > My compliments, Howard. You made things easy for
> > everyone. More than they had to be.
> >
> >
>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.4 : Sat Jul 01 2006 - 07:57:33 ART