From: briapolo@wm.com
Date: Mon Mar 19 2007 - 17:31:12 ART
Like many who have posted on GS, I came up short on my 1st attempt Friday at RTP. Things looked promising at the beginning though. After one hour into the lab, I had read twice through the lab, spotchecked the issues, drawn all diagrams I would need and came to a startling realization there was hardly anything unfamiliar blocking my path to the magic number. Trying to contain my excitement, I began to score points. Shortly after, I ran into a major issue, definitely not one of those "duct-tape and move on". I had to resolve it to have a chance at passing. I will spare you the painful details, but I wasted 1.5 hours to finally get this working properly. This was devastating and by now I found my excitement being rapidly erased by a feeling once experiences when running late for an important appointment - realizing it is mathematically impossible to make it there on time. To make the long story short, I punched and kicked quite well in round 2 and 3, but the heavy hemo!
rrhaging I sustained in round 1 left me incapable to secure enough points in the remaining time to win the fight. So sad...
Groupstudy archives contain encouraging replies of those who failed at one time yet pressed on to claim the prize - I do not seek those at this time, though I do appreciate the kind intent as well as time spent. This time, I would like to solicit advice from the alien species living among us who manage to mysteriously finish up the lab before lunch or so (we know who some of you are and that your stories are true, not legends or myths). How Does a Mere Mortal Get to Be Even Just a Little Bit Like You? I know what it will take for me and scores of others to get the number - SPEED (not the mind-altering substance). I have read a considerable amount of the nebulous "to get faster you need to get better" posts (i do not mean to offend anyone). What are some of the techniques do you, superior forms of life, use to get there?
I have studied for about 10 months, am armed to teeth with worn-out Cisco Books, DOC CD (which I navigate faster than the corporate network), two workbooks (pretty sure do not need more), approximately 600 hours of personal lab time, attended a bootcamp, completed numerous vendor labs, set up even more of my own scenarios to gain understanding and speed. My biggest issue - most of the time, after carefully dissecting a particular technology, getting it to work, making notes, after 2 -3 weeks (when I have moved on to other problems) I find myself rusty with the technology I felt so comfortable 2 -3 week earlier. I am too painfully familiar with this scenario from my own studies - to forget is human. At the same time, someone finishes the lab by lunch...
Can those who have passed share what got your faster (or better, whatever you want to call it) and put your over the top? Specific examples/strategies would be wonderful. I really think there are many (including myself) studying for the lab who cannot quite work out how to be faster at OSPF or how to be faster at Layer 2. How does one jump from doing the lab in 8 hours to finishing in 4 - that is a significant leap that seems indeed superhuman to those of us unable to defeat the exam. How can a mere mortal jump from being able to configure networks to making them appear in front of your eyes in a matter of minutes/seconds (that is with verification)? My post is not that of desperation (possibly more of frustration of not being able to squeeze more out of myself). Those that pass after 4 hours are doing something different from what I am doing. For instance, there are guys at my work working on their CCNPs. I had to pass it once and know there are longer roads and short!
er roads (not shortcuts) to get somewhere. For the most part, I have had to take many longer roads only to discover that there is a shorter, less traveled road. As someone said, "the secret of walking on water is knowing where stepping stones are." Your thoughtful comments will be appreciated.
A less intelligent form of life,
Homo sapien, no CCIE #.
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