Re: Failed Again!!!

My statement that the lab is now easier really was intended to convey
that the more difficult and relevant part is now smaller, and therefore less
of a measure of ones expertise.

Consder the exam before the OEQs were added consisted of only practical lab
questions, totaling 100 points (+/- a few). Now they total 79 points. How
were the other 21 points freed-up for the OEQs? They could either keep the
same number of questions on the practical exam, and reduce their
relative point values, or reduce the number of questions and keep
the relative point values. Given that the exam time has not increased,
we're left with the latter option. It stands to reason that if the
practical portion of the lab is the real measure of one's expertise, as I
believe is commonly agreed to by most members of this forum, and is the
'difficult" part of the overall exam, then reducing the number of question
on the practical exam would make it less 'difficult' and less of a measure
of one's expertise when compared to the previous version.

Since the 21 points were moved to the OEQs, and the OEQs
are commonly referred to by proctors (to me personally) and by passing
candidates as 'easy' and 'CCNP level', the overall exam is now less of a
measure of ones Cisco expertise than it once was. Don't get me wrong..it's
still a decent measure, just not as decent as it once was.

Failing the OEQs doesn't mean you're not well prepared. I don't believe
CCIE candidates are expected to be able to answer 100% of the OEQs. If
there is a pool of 1000 questions, and the best of us can answer 98% of them
correctly, there's still a chance that 2 out of the 20 you can't answer
correctly will appear on your exam and you'll fail the OEQ, and don't get
your number. Anyone who plays poker knows how it feels to lose on the river
even if you played the hand by the book. Should the CCIE exam really feel
like a gamble? I don't think so.

There are lots of proposals out there, but to the best of my knowledge Cisco
isn't considering them. Personally, I think that if the OEQs are going to
remain on the exam, they should provide 10-12 questions, and the candidate
can choose which 4 or 5 to answer.

On Tue, Sep 8, 2009 at 8:53 PM, Tony Varriale <tvarriale_at_flamboyaninc.com>wrote:

> That's an interesting comment. How many times did you take it and when?
>
> Are you considering the lab is easier based on? Your level? Or the
> content
> is really easier (for example going from complex OSPF situations to 1 VL
> LOL)?
>
> tv
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nobody_at_groupstudy.com [mailto:nobody_at_groupstudy.com] On Behalf Of
> Josh
> Fleishman
> Sent: Tuesday, September 08, 2009 4:38 PM
> To: Rick Tyrell
> Cc: Alexei Monastyrnyi; Dennis Worth; <ccielab_at_groupstudy.com>
> <ccielab_at_groupstudy.com>
> Subject: Re: Failed Again!!!
>
> For what it's worth, I totally agree. Having had a similar experience of
> passing the lab but not the OEQs, I'm not inclined to taking it again until
> the OEQs are gone.
>
> Also, considering that (based on my experience) the lab portion is actually
> a lot easier now than it was before the OEQs were added, I personnally do
> not look at someone with a CCIE in the 24000+ range as having accomplished
> nearly as much as those with numbers below 24000. 21% of their
> accomplishment is based on them being able to answer 3 out of 4 'easy'
> questions. Not exactly a testament to their expertise IMO. Those who pass
> should feel a little cheated too.
>
> -Josh
>
>
> Blogs and organic groups at http://www.ccie.net
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Received on Wed Sep 09 2009 - 10:55:01 ART