Re: Experience with the new R&S Lab - Fail !!!

Hello Dennis!

Let us celebrate this failure since it will certainly help you to succeed in
your next attempt! To quote one of our former American leaders, Colin Powell:

"There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work,
and learning from failure."

For the benefit of GS, I would like to make a couple of comments and
suggestions based upon your observations:

1. The lab did not seem that difficult to you - excellent - do not focus on
that point as a reason for frustration. Instead, embrace this fact as it is a
very strong indicator that you will pass on your next attempt.

2. Task interpretation is a key skill that you must develop. This is one of
the "art forms" for mastering the exam and it can be one of the toughest
things for us CCIE Trainers to teach. It requires a tremendous amount of study
and practice of the technologies and their many nuances. Unfortunately, it is
also made much more difficult for non-native English speakers. I am currently
learning Spanish and I shudder to think about having to sit a Spanish Lab Exam
right now. Some readers just rejoiced at the thought! Excellente!

3. If you went to the proctor and they "played dumb" about how to fix the
problem, it is most likely that you were asking about a built-in
Troubleshooting component of the Configuration section. The proctor is not
going to want to provide a hint about fixing any issue here since it is an
intentional exam component. Students should remember that Troubleshooting is
not going to relegated to the Troubleshooting section alone. Core Knowledge
and Configuration can each have their share!

4. You should be able to develop a strategy that assists you to ensure that no
one command can fail your entire lab exam. What vendor are you using to help
prepare for this lab exam? Make sure they are teaching you proper exam
strategy along with everything else they teach or they are doing you a
tremendous disservice.

5. Several training vendors on this list are producing or have produced
training materials targeted directly at the tough Troubleshooting section. In
fact, just after writing this email, I am returning to my students in an
online Advanced Troubleshooting Bootcamp <shameless plug>. While some students
have the innate abilities required for the TS section based on their years of
experience in the field, other students do require training on developing a
logical and systematic approach to the Trouble Tickets. This training is so
critical because of the INTENSE time pressures placed on us in this lab exam
section.

6. I hope your levels of frustration have already subsided and have been
replaced with sheer excitement for your preparation and your eventual success
in your next attempt. Thank you for having the sheer courage to share your
experience with this list.

Warmest Regards,

Anthony J. Sequeira, CCIE #15626
http://www.INE.com

On Mar 5, 2010, at 1:39 AM, ccie_ka_at_gmx.de wrote:

> Hi GS,
>
> I tried the Lab and failed...
> I'm so frustrated because the lab seems to be not pretty difficult.
> But some of the questions are not carefully worded...so maybe this was also
a reason why I failed.
> Also If I asked the proctor for a question...for my understanding it seems
to be that he also has no knowledge how to solve this problem.
> And as an additional one of configurations seems to be not working on the
lab router ( sorry I don't want to say what..because of the NAD).
> I try it on the home lab and it works. So this command ruined my whole
lab...;-(
>
> And also I just want to say something about the TS Section....this is really
hard...because there are about 11 tickets and you should solve it between 2
h..for me it was not possible..so prepare..for troubleshooting...or better
"fast" TS...;-))
>
> Regards from a frustrated
>
> Dennis
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Received on Fri Mar 05 2010 - 12:14:47 ART