From: Brian Dennis (bdennis@internetworkexpert.com)
Date: Sun Feb 18 2007 - 18:29:58 ART
I'm not sure if you've looked over the new labs but you maybe in for some
curve balls. Here is why I'm saying this. First off planning for 20 to 25
minutes in switching could be a little low depending on what you get. We
have anywhere from 7 to 30 points per lab related to switching. That's on
top of any troubleshooting issues that may need to be resolved prior to
starting. Also don't count on always having the easy points (basic
switching, IGP, BGP, etc) to pickup in the beginning. You could find a lot
of it done for you in the initial configurations.
--Brian Dennis, CCIE4 #2210 (R&S/ISP-Dial/Security/SP) bdennis@internetworkexpert.com Internetwork Expert, Inc. http://www.InternetworkExpert.com Toll Free: 877-224-8987 Direct: 775-745-6404 (Outside the US and Canada)
On 2/18/07 1:07 PM, "Darby Weaver" <darbyweaver@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Lab Approach - Getting Ready for the 3rd Shot At The > Title > > By the time you are actually ready to pass the lab, > you will probably be able to complete the lab in under > 8 hours with or without aliases. > > Create yourself goals and work to them. > > Example: > > Read the whole lab (about 17-25 pages with diagrams) - > Figure about 15-30 minutes - you may want to draw > diagrams or create lists with areas for points to mark > off as you progress. > > Frame Relay: 10-15 minutes with verification > > Switching: 20-25 minutes with vertifcation > > IGPs: (RIP/EIGRP/OSPF/ODR/IPv6) 30-60 minutes with > verification (includes like filtering and > summarizations as well) > > ================================================ > Usually this should be done within about the 2nd hour > or so and any "issues" if you have any should also be > completed by this time. > ================================================ > A 3-5 minute quick TCL script for routers and a macro > for switches will quickly enable you to verify full > connectivity. Sometimes you may or may not wish to > include BGP in this step - so you could wait a bit and > do it after BGP. > ------------------------------------------------ > > BGP: 30-60 minutes with verification (assume 10-15 > minutes to configure any iBGPs and eBGP neighboging > relationships and the bulk of the time to work on > whatever real problems you may be asked to perform or > solve). > > Multicast: 20-30 minutes with verification (enable pim > 3-5 minutes, figure out what they are asking and solve > the problem) > =============================================== > > Right about now you may want to reload your routers > and run your TCL/MACRO scripts again - just so you > know where you are. > > If you started at or about 7:30am - it should be > around 11am or 11:30 about now... > > If you are not here and your head is not clear - your > chances of passing are probably rapidly diminishing. > > I'd say at this point, you would have completed some > 60-70% of your exam and this is probably where you are > feeling either very relieved or very stressed and the > world is closing in on your very, very fast... > > > *********************************************** > About time for Lunch > 30 Minutes > > If you look at yourself and you are as pale as the > corpses around you, start thinking about what you are > going to tell everyone about how you almost past the > lab this time but you failed on some 5-6 point > non-essential task. They will comfort you. > > If you are wide-eyed and bushy-tailed wondering what > your favorite selection of alcohol might be to > celebrate and where you are finally going to go in > Hawaii snce you finally tamed the beast - you are in > pretty good shape. > > In either event, you need to have taken a look at any > security, ip miscellaneous tasks, and qos items so > that you are thinking about how you are going to > approach them when you get back in the ring. > > Remember at this point, you have probably 10-20 points > needed to pass but you want to treat each one like it > is the one that will put you over the edge, finally. > *********************************************** > > Re-run the scripts again - sanity checks are nice and > if they worked before they will now as well. Double > check everything - since this was probably 60-70% of > the exam and likely the easist part so far - why lose > 2 or 3 points here and there because you assumed > something... > > So you get back in the ring and you have about 4 hours > left - choose wisely, but do not forget the DOC Cd if > you do get stuck and ask the proctors about anything > in the qos or security you still do not understand or > may have mis-interpretted. > > Don't make hasty changes that might break your work so > far. > > Just thinking - Gotta update my final checksheet aka > modified Jung Soo's Checklist... > > ===================================================== > > Today is February 18th and the while I have scheduled > my lab for a few dates this year, I have re-scheduled > for May 22nd 2007 at the moment - but I am keeping it > tentative pending my ability to get my graded labs > over the 80 point mark consisently and really aiming > for the 90th percentile to account for any > uncertainties that may occur. > > I have spent this weekend working out some weak points > and I must thank InternetworkExpert for their website > filled with so many items that I have been deficient > on; I have to add NMC and their wondrous tech library > since it holds more wonders than one can ever hope to > understand in just one sitting; I have to thank NLI > for their workbooks and their per-topic content > guides; and of course IPExpert for their magical > e-Scenarios that bring a lot of topics home. > > Basically, this weekend was spent analyzing all the > mistakes I made last year, thankfully as time passed I > also spent time doing more research on each problem > area and hopefully I have grown to understand all or > most of all of them by now. I still have a couple of > items I am contending with but they are fast becoming > strengths instead of just weaknesses. > > In light that while I have closed some gaps since my > first and last showing at RTP, I also realize that I > have not spent so much time doing full scale labs and > only a very few "Core-Labs == Thanks to IE for making > these gems - 2 hours of speed drills". > > So I decided to go to another round of Mock Labs this > year and due to my work schedule and vacation package > I had to wait a bit, but March is only a few days > away, so this time I figured I'd start out with Mr > Heinz Ulm and so he let me in and I've paid and booked > to see the German born CCIE-Maker himself. > > To prepare for this meeting and his arsenal of Mock > Labs, I decided to set a bit of a nightmare schedule > for just doing labs, as I get better and better with > more practice and practice under stress. > > So here's what I decided for a warm up scedule: > > Feb 19-23 ~6 hours of labs per night - NMC Workbook > Feb 24/25 ~36 hours non-stop labs - IE Workbook > Feb 26 - March 2nd ~ 6 hours of labs per night - NMC > Workbook > March 3/4 ~36 hours of non-stop labs - IE Workbook > March 5-9 ~6 hours of labs per night - NMC Workbook > March 10/11 ~36 hours of non-stop labs - IE Workbook > March 12-15 ~6 hours of labs per night - NMC Workbook > March 16th - Quick Read during trip of NLI Workbooks > March 16th - NMC-1 Cat-QoS Labs that night till about > midnight or so. > March 17th - NMC-1 BGP/Multicast Labs Review > March 18th - NMC-1 QoS Labs Review > > At this point, I should have covered a lot of ground, > be ready for a lot of topics and also be pretty well > warmed up for whatever I might encounter during the > week with Heinz Ulm. > > As far as I know the week will cover 4 challnging lab > scenarios and I believe he is said to supply one more > for the road. > > Immediately after this battery of stress tests, I > expect to want to rest after class - and get some > sleep. > > Till the morning of the 24th, I thought I might try > and schedule both CCIE Accessors and see where I am > with Cisco's own labs. > > The 25th I'd be traveling again and reading my lab > workbooks from NLI - Love the Q/A guys - keeps me > humming along. > > The immediate week after, I expect to be fairly weary > but at the same time would have time to adjust my > schedule for my lab and/or make appropriate plans for > further study. > > If by some stretch if the imagination, my scores are > in the high 80's or even 90's on average, then, I > expect my lab date would be modified to the earliest > available date. However, if they are not then, I > might try to take some more Mock/CheckIT Labs to > conduct further analysis of my remaining deficiencies. > > In any event, I am expecting to be able to afford at > least 2 - 4 more weeks of classes either prior to May > 22nd or thereafter, since my co-worker is starting his > own study as well and two of my former co-workers are > as well, chances are one or more of them may accompany > me at a class. > > So this is about where I am after getting serious > about my studies this time last year. > > I still remember speaking with Bruce Caslow at NMC-2 > later in April of last year and actually believing > Imigh actually close about a 25-point gap in about 2 > months or so... > > Actually to be truly lab ready I would have required > more like 35+ points and these points would be a bit > harder to amass than the previous 55 points had been. > > I did have warning signs with both the CCIE Accessor > and with IE's Mock Lab Workshop where my scores did > not fare much better again being about in the mid 50's > - even on the 8 hour timed level (recall at NMC - I > had a bit more time and more access to help so my some > of my points would have been artificially elevated as > a result). > > All of the warning signs for a lab failure, but I was > naive as many of us are, my lab was then within the > 30-day window and my written 18-month period was ready > to expire soon after the lab attempt on June 16th... > > So like many of us I tried anyway and I went again in > October, though truthfully the only thing I had > improved upon was a little speed and the ability to > attain a Golden Moment. I left a few critical areas > areas behind in my studies and they did not magically > appear to save the day when I was in my hour of need > during the my seocnd lab attempt either. It just does > not work that way. > > Well that's it... for now. > > Let's see how many hours I can actually clock > according to my stated timeline and if I actually can > close my own known gaping holes before I meet Mr. Ulm. > > _______________________________________________________________________ > Subscription information may be found at: > http://www.groupstudy.com/list/CCIELab.html
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