From: Gary Duncanson (gary.duncanson@googlemail.com)
Date: Tue Nov 20 2007 - 07:29:08 ART
Sorry to hear that Simon.
A lot of folks bank on workbooks getting them through these days. You say on
the second attempt a good proportion of the questions you were seeing first
time. Do I take that as meaning from the labbook you have been practicing
with? What about the command references and configuration guides in DocCD
and the books you must have poured over this last year?
Perhaps cisco are simply trying to beat the labbooks. Who knows.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Simon Grace" <SimonG@pcsystems.gr>
To: "Cisco certification" <ccielab@groupstudy.com>
Sent: Tuesday, November 20, 2007 10:10 AM
Subject: Difference in Exam
> Hi Guys,
>
>
>
> I've left this a few days before I wrote it as I needed to calm down.
>
>
>
> Back in September I took my first lab exam. I used the Internetworking
> expert labs and due to me not being quick enough and not leaving myself
> enough time to work on the real tricky questions I just missed out.
>
> Okay, no problems with that, I didn't deserve to pass and needed to up
> my game a bit.
>
> Without going into details that by knowing the stuff on the IE labs and
> the various areas covered you should be okay in the lab. There were a
> couple of new questions I'd not seen but that's to be expected. The lab
> was of a fair level.
>
>
>
> Okay, I got back on the study, got my speed up and basically hit it at
> 150%. I carried on with the IE labs but really nailed them, I also
> checked out a lot of the things that came up here and lab'd stuff up
> that I'd not seen before.
>
>
>
> Went back last week, knowing that nothing is certain but knowing that my
> skill level was much higher than the first time around and I only just
> missed that.
>
>
>
> I was blown away, firstly the exam was much, much harder than the first
> one. I read through the exam and realised that a good proportion of the
> questions I was seeing for the first time. Not to mention the way the
> questions were asked. Once again without going into details it wasn't a
> case of configure this it was put in such a way to make it as difficult
> as possible to ask a question. Not just once, twice but once again, many
> difficult questions. I couldn't help but feel that they had made the
> exam so difficult that they were really trying to stop people from
> passing. Going by the exam 2 months before and then this one, they was
> absolutely no comparison, the second was just mind blowing.
>
>
>
> Now, I'm no Einstein, but I did work very hard on this and I know my
> stuff, but when the score report comes back I really can't help but feel
> that something really isn't quite right, I feel like the goal posts have
> been completely moved. Plus I know the stuff was working and I know
> where I dropped points but the score report doesn't reflect that.
>
>
>
> I got chatting to a guy after the exam who'd had the same lab. He'd also
> sat one a couple of months before and had been studying about the same
> amount of time and talking to him I get the idea that he too knows his
> subject. We both agreed fully that it was just on another plane and
> couldn't understand how two exams could be so different in expected
> level of knowledge.
>
>
>
> So, I'm writing this not in a lets go on a burn and pillage rampage but
> rather has anyone else had similar experiences, do you feel a bit let
> down by the fact that there appears to be no standard level for the
> exam. I'm trying to speak with our Cisco guys here to see what can be
> done. Obviously Cisco own it and do with it what they want but I don't
> like to be treated unfairly and will try and do whatever is in my power
> to get things sorted. The price of the exam including flights etc isn't
> cheap and we deserve a level playing field.
>
>
>
> Please unicast me, no need to go into details but more on the lines of
> found the exam to be fair or totally different levels, whatever you feel
> relevant.
>
>
>
> Oh well, I'm gonna take a few weeks off, think about things and then I
> suppose get back into it.
>
>
>
> I wish you guys who are going to take the exam all the luck and don't
> worry, if you get something on the lines of the first one you are
> getting a fair crack of the whip.
>
>
>
> Cheers,
>
> Simon.
>
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