Re: I Passed

Way to go, man!

Congrats and enjoy the number's benefit. :D

--
Regards,
Moses
CCIE#21883
On Wed, May 6, 2009 at 1:06 PM, Nick <ccieaz_at_googlemail.com> wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> I passed my CCIE Tuesday on my 4th attempt.
>
> I thought I would take the time to tell you my story. During my
> studies I always found reading other peoples stories gave me
> motivation.
>
> I started studying for the CCIE written back in early 2007. For this I
> mainly used the usual CCIE books:
>
> Routing TCP 1 & 2,
>
> CCIE Exam Certification Guide
>
> And many others,
>
> While studying for the written I really only studied the theory, I
> think this was why it took longer for me. I should of been backing up
> my theory at this stage with lab time this would of speed things up
> and help it to sink in quicker :)
>
> I passed in Nov 2007 and went on to the lab.
>
> I started out using Dynamips for a month or two then was lucky enough
> to be able to build a lab at work with some pretty good gear.
>
> From start to finish I pretty much only used Internetwork Expert
> materials (Vol 1 - 3, audio classes, 5 or 6 mock labs, CK Sim) The
> additions to this is 1 IPexpert mock lab, the CCIE ASET labs, and the
> both the CCIE Assessor labs. I didn t pass any of my mock labs, but
> that wasn t my aim. My aim for the mock labs was to really understand
> each question and to take my time and to look into the detail. They
> also helped me get used to spending 8 hours configuring and
> troubleshooting and a good feel for my timing and speed.
>
> I took my first attempt in July of 2008. I wasn t ready for the exam
> if I am honest but was pushed into taking a stab at it early on. I
> went in with no real hope of passing. But on the day I was surprised
> that the lab was not as bad as I thought it could of been. I didn t
> pass on this attempt but went away knowing that it is possible to pass
> in the future.
>
> I booked my second attempt for Sept 2008 and prepared my self to give
> it my best shot this time. The exam went well and I nearly passed on
> this attempt. I spend too long troubleshooting one area and lost time.
>
> My third attempt was in Oct 2008 and was a big shock to me. I walked
> out at the end of the exam and thought that I had passed this time but
> when the score report came in it was bad news. I took a big hit from
> this and thought about giving up. I didn t really know where I went
> wrong and still don t to this day. I was so sure that everything was
> good.
>
> I took some time out for a couple of months and went back to the books
> to check I really knew my stuff. I decided that I would give it one
> final attempt. So from Jan to May 2009 I studied for every spare hour
> I could find. It was pretty hard finding the time at weekends due to
> family life so spend the evening every night in the office studying in
> 3-4 hours stints. I must have spent at least 200-300 hours in addition
> to the hours of my previous attempts. I had to give it my all as I
> couldn t afford to do it a 5th time.
>
> One of the best things for my study on my 4th attempt was Internetwork
> Expert Vol1 Workbook Version 5. It is so detailed and covers
> everything in easy to understand steps. It really filled in my weak
> areas and gave me the knowledge I needed. For anyone that is studying
> I would highly recommend this workbook. My only problem was it wasn t
> finished before my exam. :D
>
> While doing each section in the workbook I tired to find each task in
> the doc-CD and read the section there as well. This was another great
> tool. I mastered the doc-cd doing this and was able to find most
> topics in under 1-2 minutes at most.
>
> To study for the open ended questions I used a few things: CCNP books,
> CCIE Books, CCNA Books, IP Expert Quizzer, Internetwork Expert CK
> Simulation. I was really worried about these questions going into the
> lab. You just don t know what is going to be asked until the day.
>
> Also in my last month or study I used group study for any questions I
> had. I have been subscribed to the list for 3 years or so now and any
> question I had I just searched my gmail archive of mails and for 95%
> of my questions someone had already asked it before or the answer was
> there in another form. Group Study is a very good resource when used
> in this way. Also I found gmail search tool to be better then the
> Group Study archive search tool.
>
> So I went into the lab as prepared as I could be. I was very nervous
> about the open ended questions but once I saw them I was pretty
> surprised how easy the four I got were. I would personally say they
> are on a CCIE level and if you have studied for the lab well then you
> have nothing to fear at all. I answered these in around 5 minutes,
> went back to review, and reviewed once more.
>
> After the questions, I read the lab in detail and drawled my diagrams.
> I must have spent 30-40 minutes doing this.
>
> The lab went well though out the day. I finished with around 2.5 hours
> left to verify everything again. I went through and found at least 2
> stupid mistakes that would have cost me a few points. I skipped two
> questions.
>
> During the trip home I believed I had passed but during the wait for
> the results I was starting to doubt myself in a couple of areas. I got
> my email at 5am and told to check my results online. I thought the
> worst now. I had heard that you get another email to say congrats on
> passing if you passed. But I just got the one mail and feared I had
> failed once again. I checked online and there was my number. I
> couldn t believe it, all the pain and late nights were worth it in the
> end.
>
> There are a few people I would really like to thank:
>
> Paul Borghese - Thank you Paul for maintaining Group Study. Its one of
> the best free resources for CCIE studies.
>
> Scott Morris (Internetwork Expert)
> Anthony J. Sequeira (Internetwork Expert)
> Jared Scrivener (IP Expert)
> Narbik Kocharians (MicronicsTraining)
>
> Thanks guys for posting so often to group study. Your replies are
> extremely helpful. Without these posts group study would not be such a
> great resource.
>
> Thank you to IPexpert for giving away your Quizzer for free. It was
> great to be able to have this tool and to give it away free was a
> brilliant idea guys!
>
> Also thank you to everyone else that also takes the time out of their
> day to reply to group study. Thank you everyone.
>
> And my final thank you is my biggest and most heartfelt. I want to say
> thank you to my wonderful Wife and Daughter for their support. I spent
> countless hours in the last 2 years away from home studying in the
> late hours of the evening and early morning. I never had enough sleep
> because of this and was always tired. Without your support I would
> never have been able to pass the exam or even study for it in the
> first place. Thank you so much.
>
> So, what next? How do I fill the gap of the studies everyday? Well
> first off I want to get my life back for a while. I need to get fit
> again and catch up with friends and family that i haven t seen for a
> while. After that, well I would like to look into CCIE SP but I am in
> no rush for the second. Maybe next year :)
>
>  I am so glad it s all over for now. It was really going to be my last
> attempt and with the changes coming in Oct I am glad I got through it.
>
> One final tip, don t take the exam on a Friday! :D
>
> My third attempt was a Friday and I had to wait till Monday for the
> results. All weekend I didn t really sleep well. I hate waiting and I
> would never take the a CCIE on a Friday again
>
> Thanks everyone. Sorry for the long post.
>
> Nick Stobbart
>
> CCIE # 24303
>
>
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