CCIE: Talk about a stress test

Anthony Sequeira knows a little bit about stress. His 35-year-old network from Tampa, Florida, said his instructor intentionally stalled a single-engine plane five times in a row as part of an effort to get his pilot's license. I have. He is also a world-class poker player. But his adventurous exploits did nothing to prepare him for the pressure of taking his CCIE lab exam.

“In piloting, you overcome fear by eliminating the unknown. Fear of the unknown is something you face all the time at CCIE. Sequeira passed lab exams in January, joining 12,967 network engineers and passing the rigorous field test with flying colors.

In most cases, passing a CCIE lab exam takes up to 1,000 hours of study and maintaining a laser-like focus, leaving your spouse, kids, and hobbies aside. With workbook purchases, prep courses, racks of Cisco equipment, exam fees, and travel costs up to $20,000, lab exams can also be expensive.

Laboratory testing is so difficult that it has reached mythical proportions in the networking industry. CCIE talks about how physically demanding the process is and ranks it as one of its greatest achievements. His Sequeira, Senior Technical His Instructor at Thomson NETg in Scottsdale, Arizona, said: 15626 owned.

"Everything I've done so far has been great. If you had told me I would fail CCIE four times before I passed, I would have said it was impossible," he said. say. When Rus Healy learned in August 2005 that he had passed his CCIE lab exam on his fourth try, he was speechless. Healy, CCIE No. 15025, is a program manager for technical training and certification at Microwave Data Systems in Rochester, NY,” Healy says. "I called his wife and cried. I have never felt anything like this before. It was an incredible sense of accomplishment. ”

Since its inception in 1993, CCIE has been considered the most difficult certification in the IT industry. It consists of two parts, a written test, and a practical test. CCIE comes in his 5 tracks of routing and switching. Security; Service Provider; Storage Networking; and Voice. The most common traces are routing and switching. "Throughout the duration of the program, the overall pass rate was typically 26%," said Mike Reid, senior manager of his CCIE program at Cisco, who declined to disclose last year's pass rate. . "We aim for expert-level material. Pass rates are secondary."

The written exam, which includes multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions, is relatively easy and is usually passed on the first or second attempt. Each year, approximately 12,000 people take the CCIE written exams offered at Pearson VUE or Prometric testing facilities.

“Written exams are easier because they are more traditional,” says Reid. “This is a test of the theory. People generally try to study it by sitting with a book and reading it. Before you can take the lab exam, you must pass a written exam. Approximately 8,000 people take the CCIE lab exam each year. There are people who failed even after trying 19 times.

Lab exams are more challenging as they test your practical problem-solving skills. Candidates spend eight hours in the lab properly configuring and troubleshooting Cisco network devices. To pass, you must get 80% of the possible points. Passing the clinical exam requires hands-on experience, speed, and the ability to remain calm in the face of extreme stress.

“By the third and fourth attempts, I had the knowledge, but I lacked the speed, task analysis, and troubleshooting skills,” says Sequeira. "If there is a problem with the rack, it will take him less than 15 minutes to find it. He should be able to find and fix this problem literally in minutes."

Network engineers who pass the CCIE exam are given a specific number to use on their business cards and email signatures. You'll also receive a Cisco badge and be eligible to purchase CCIE office supplies and apparel. Cisco sponsors CCIE's online forums and automatically routes you to our experienced technical support staff.

CCIEs must pass a written exam to renew their certification every two years. But you'll never have to take the dreaded lab exam again. He rarely passes the CCIE lab exam on the first attempt. But that's exactly what happened to Wendell Odom who got his CCIE number. Owned in 1624. He passed the exam in 1995 after studying for his day.

“I prepared you perfectly to pass the exam,” says Odom, who works as a lead instructor for CCIE's Skyline Advanced Technology Services in Campbell, California. He also does corporate consulting work.”

Odom says he was lucky to take the exam that focused on IBM protocols. The test was so easy for him that he finished the advanced part of the exam an hour and a half early. “The next day he would have failed DEC or he would have taken an exam focused on Apple's protocols,” he says. Most of his CCIEs require him to work harder than Odom to pass the lab exams.

Robert Yee studied 5-6 hours a night and 16 hours a day on weekends in the months leading up to his lab exam. He purchased a rack of his Cisco equipment and installed it in his home. He took his week off and attended his CCIE boot camp. He passed the clinical examination on his second trial in May 2003. “The last months of my studies have been very intensive,” says Yee, who is now an engineering manager for networks at J2 Global Communications in Los Angeles.

Yee has 9 years of experience in the IT field, and 4 years of working with Cisco routers, switches, and firewalls before deciding to take the exam. Yee has her CCIE number. 11716. Yee says his wife Sara, an insurance agent, supported him during the months he was studying for his exams. "She knew this was going to be a big test, and if I passed, it would be a big deal," he says.

Yee estimates he spent $16,000 on the CCIE exam, including Cisco equipment, boot camp courses, books, and exam fees. His employer at the time did not reimburse the employee for his CCIE-related fees or give him a bonus for passing the exam. "It's a big investment, but I knew it was an investment in me and my family," he says Yee. Candidates will receive an email notification within 48 hours of passing or failing the exam. People react differently to passing exams. Many people shed tears. Others get drunk. Most people celebrate with their loved ones.

Kathe Saccenti, product manager for Cisco's CCIE program, said: "He said the next step after passing the exam would be engagement."

Maurilio Gorito, account manager for Cisco's CCIE program, took his family to his home country of Brazil for a 20-day vacation after passing his lab exam. Gorito spent eight months studying up to 40 hours a week in order to pass the written and lab exams. He took the written exam his fifth time and passed in December 1997. He took the CCIE lab exam twice and passed it in June 1998.

"After I passed, my wife was working so hard while I was studying, so I felt a little nauseous," CCIE no. 3807 owned. "I had my sons aside, who were 7 and 8 at the time. We needed to relax as a family." Passing the

exam brings fame and money to most networks his engineer. According to Cisco, a 2004 study found that 80% of network engineers who passed the exam came from improved reports. Job status, 75% receive cash rewards

"After I passed, my wife was working so hard while I was studying, so I felt a little nauseous," CCIE no. 3807 owned. "I had my sons aside, who were 7 and 8 at the time. We needed to relax as a family." Passing the exam brings fame and money to most networks his engineer. According to Cisco, a 2004 study found that 80% of network engineers who passed the exam came from improved reports. Job status, 75% receive cash rewards

One of the first 15 CCIEs in Brazil, Gorito received a job offer as soon as he passed his exams. He joined his NCR and worked in support of Merrill Lynch in New York. From there he moved to Cisco. He has written a book on CCIE Routing and Switching lab exam preparation for Cisco Press.

“For me, the career impact was huge,” Gollito says. “By completing the process, you have learned a lot with different levels of knowledge and skills. That is the great advantage of CCIE.”