From: Brian Dennis (bdennis@internetworkexpert.com)
Date: Tue Nov 20 2007 - 10:36:19 ART
Simon,
If you would like I could have you take two mock labs (no charge) and
personally look over your results to see if I can determine why you didn't
pass the real lab. One of the mock labs I would have you take (mock lab
5) is relatively new (couple months old) and is written in a totally
different style then the regular workbook labs.
Just let me know and I'll have someone get you signed up.
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)
>----- Original Message -----
Subject: RE: Difference in Exam
Date: Tue, November 20, 2007 2:46
From: "Simon Grace" <SimonG@pcsystems.gr>
> It's very tough to know where to study from, okay, you have the blue
> print but that pretty much covers everything.
>
> I've not had formal training (too expensive for my company and
> especially me), I've only found this forum a few months back. So I
> looked at what was available.
>
> I used the IE lab books as I assumed that if you used them to find out
> what to study then you should cover things. First time round (doing the
> workbook) I just tried to get through them, second time around I really
> started reading into the technologies fully, understanding fully why
> certain things did certain things. Third time around I played, mixed and
> matched and fine tuned anything I wasn't too sure on. For the first exam
> the workbooks were a very good study aid.
>
> Seems a silly question but do people actually start with the UNIVERCD
> web page and just read the whole lot. I've read the stuff I come across
> in the work book and always use it to investigate things I've got stuck
> on, but I've never sat down and read it from start to finish and to be
> truthful even if I did I couldn't remember everything.
>
> My main shock was the difference in difficulty in the exam. They weren't
> even similar.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Gary Duncanson [mailto:gary.duncanson@googlemail.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, November 20, 2007 12:29 PM
> To: Simon Grace
> Cc: ccielab@groupstudy.com
> Subject: Re: Difference in Exam
>
> 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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>
> _______________________________________________________________________
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