Advice from the Experts to Frustrated CCIE Candidates

The path to a CCIE certificate is not easy and can lead to a lot of frustration and disappointment. Recruiter Eman Conde collected current CCIE advice to help those who may feel depressed.

After my last post on CCIE’s certification value, I received a letter from a very depressed CCIE candidate. I feel that the crying of this kind of pain is universal enough to tell you about it and to help those who are working to get the CCIE certification. Any certification will be a challenge, and CCIE certification is just one of the causes of this pain.

I decided to proceed with the help of some friends. I observed a lot of other people’s persistent ideas, yes, and even some failed. But since I’m not a CCIE, I ask a few CCIE-certified friends to share their views and suggestions for the next letter.

In the past three years, I have spent more than 3000 hours studying for CCIE. I have completed the SPOTO exam, advanced troubleshooting, a two-week Bootcamp, and attended the Cisco 360 CIERS 2.0 course a month before my last attempt. In addition, I have been a senior network engineer and architect for 10 years. I fail the exam twice now.

I’m tired of giving Cisco my money and flying three thousand miles so they can tide over ridiculous demands an absurd time constraints. Is there enough talent to pass through these laboratories without the "brain dumping" material?

I can’t believe I use a set of older CCIE (all 4 digits). These guys come to me every day to ask questions about routing, switching and SP type, but I can’t get through the lab?

I think I need a brain lab that everyone is talking about. Can someone direct me to the right supplier? At this point, I may not spend money on real test materials.

I think this certification really ruined my life, and I just wanted to end it. I was so scared that to crash and die, my last thought was that I wasted my three years of life, the life of the child, and the time I could spend with my wife to get through the exam.

Advice from those who have been there

Here, I extract some of the suggested extracts from the frustrated CCIE candidate. I think their comprehensive knowledge and experience may help many people struggling in the process of certification, whether in CCIE or in other difficult authentication processes.

Alex CCIE #9748:

Of course, it was a difficult journey. Not everyone who starts using CCIE can do it. When you pass, it is more a form of relaxation than joy. My suggestion is to go on with the practice simply. Don’t give up.

Despite what you heard, CCIE Labs is actually just an exam. There is no hellish torture room there. Despite the contrary, the "bad supervisor" is busier than sin. Most supervisors do help you clarify the problem and help you solve your needs.

Start the diary and outline your weaknesses. Attack these items by item and observe your progress. Keep trying!

Have fun with the CCIE and enjoy the journey

Dennis CCIE #4122*:

I can’t solve the specific reason why this person failed to pass, because there is not enough information in the letter. What’s the weakness? In the event of failure, candidates will get a report on each part of the report so that the report points to weaknesses. How did this person do in CIERS 2 Labs (similar to real laboratories)?

A lot of people passed, and they also wrote their experiences, and I knew it was possible. Of course, it’s hard, you have to be an expert. You must understand many "cold" topics. Time management is critical. There are other important soft skills, such as being able to work with electronic documents and work with Putty.

The most successful candidates follow the troubleshooting and

configuration process of the exam. This process allows them to accumulate most of the required points in the shortest possible time, thus giving them time to deal with the remaining tasks.

The questions this person gets at work are not at all like those on the exam.

The teacher will have someone who thinks they know about the BGP, and then he asks questions they usually can’t answer to make sure they don’t know everything they deserve. You will never be able to build a real network like the one that was thrown at you in the lab. The lab uses all the odd things in it to make sure you know the basics. In this sense, you have to think like a lab supervisor to handle the task.

Talent transfer sites are not really helpful. Laboratory testing and troubleshooting are such that even if you use a pool site, you must know what happened to pass.

All of this is clearly documented in discussions on the Cisco Learning Network and the INE website. The average number of attempts is more than two, so his experience is not uncommon. It is rare to make the first attempt.

I've seen people who have passed after 6 or 7 attempts.

A few months ago, CLN had an interesting story, a fourth-time attempt. He talked about why he didn't pass the previous attempts, and what he had to do. A large part of it was that he was comfortable with all the technology he had not been in a state of panic. This is a big factor for many.

Lambert CCIE #4876*

Dear CCIE-to-be,

I take this opportunity to read your letter and I can totally feel your pain, anger, and frustration. It’s not because you don’t have a CCIE lab, but because you don’t have such a positive goal. Well, I can say, that’s life, no one said it would be fair.

My CCIE journey is very different from yours. I didn’t spend half my time studying, thank God I was able to try for the first time-honestly, I don’t think that’s going to happen. I never told anyone, but my study experience was interesting because I was working hard-the company moved me to an African country with a poor quality of life and carried out a lot of challenging projects at the oil company. I’m trying to end my last girlfriend’s six-year relationship-it’s incredible trauma. What does this have to do with my CCIE-well, I should have a clear mind and spirit to devote my time to CCIE study in my spare time, but I don’t. My job requires studying and troubleshooting many new technologies (most of which have nothing to do with my CCIE). Having said that, I spent a little time studying and spending countless nights studying and trying to keep my life away from my thoughts. I know I’m fine and capable. But I know it’s not enough to be CCIE... I finally booked the exam, and I knew I wouldn’t make any mistakes. I have two months off, which is what I can earn from working in Africa (the company provides me with some privileges)-so I just need to devote these two months to my CCIE. Well, I took the lab and finished in less than six hours - I had two hours just to review the whole thing and those two hours changed my life. I was able to correct so many obvious configuration mistakes - oh man, those two last hours were PRECIOUS. The time in this exam is PRECIOUS.

I have some colleagues with the same experience as you. I have a good friend, he is the first CCSI lecturer in Latin America, and most of the MPLS networks are implemented in a Brazilian service provider, a Cisco professional service, the third attempt by this person. I remember he was shocked when his second attempt failed. Then he made a third attempt, and no one in the company knew it, and there was no good news. As a result, your story is not the only story-you’re not the only one who has not passed the CCIE exam, the old, and the living Cisco engineer. There are a lot of them there.

With regard to cerebral hemorrhage, the answer is problematic, yes, and there are many abilities that can not be passed through the lab. I’m sorry to say, but don’t be my friend. I know a lot of people are doing these so-called dumps and not through the lab.-I have a good friend who’s used the lab, but I’ve never passed. Don’t waste your money. The material you use is very good-persevering, trust me, you will succeed.

Eman's view

All right, it’s me. I have to summarize it so that it’s a 10-page response. I would like to make a simple inhalation and exhale when we are in a lotus position. CCIE certification is a hard journey for everyone. The things that seem to be easier to pass than others are the source of frustration and inspiration. The average CCIE cost an experimental time of 2.3 times (according to my source in Cisco). This means that the first attempt by many people is the first attempt. Time management is one thing I’ve heard over and over again. It is important to review your work before eight hours of useTime

Study hard and experiment as much as possible, download all the materials that help you for free, and let CCIE live and breathe until it hurts. There are no other certifications like it, and no group of people have the same impact on society as network engineers (please note, I didn’t say CCIE). IP connections drive changes on our planet, and even SPOTO is unpredictable. Continue to move in the direction you really want, if you have to give up time with friends, family, and hobbies, then let it go, but always adhere to your God and faith, you will survive and succeed!