CCIE Valentine’s Message and a Question for Recertifying CCIEs
Amy - Thanks for making re-certifying our marriage a joy every day. Happy Valentine's Day! With love,
Anon
I've been a CCIE for nearly 12 years, certified through 2012. That means I've taken 6 recertification exams. I passed the R&S qualification and recertified in LAN ATM, Security (x2), Optical, Storage and just recently Service Provider. Also, I manage a global core enterprise MPLS network, so I know a thing or two about the technologies and about taking these tests. Over the years I've used various methods of studying from instructor-led & boot camp to hours of self-study reading books. The pattern has been the same, invest a couple hundred hours studying and praying and then go take the exam. Typically I've either failed the first time or barely passed. This time around I tried something different and I flat out aced the exam - but for some reason I felt a bit hollow.
Several weeks ago I used my first practice test. I won't say from which vendor, but it was along the lines of TestKing, pass4sure, Exammagic, etc. If you're not familiar, these practice test vendors sell you a number of sample questions and some come with a testing engine to simulate the testing environment. I poured over the test questions and identified 15-20 technology areas that I felt I was weak on. Rather than a couple hundred hours studying, I probably spent about 40-50 reading and researching cisco.com, various white papers, Cisco Press books and going over the practice questions multiple times. I felt good that I had brushed up on some key points and felt prepared for the test.
I sat down to take the exam and question after question was WORD-FOR-WORD what the practice test contained! I kept track with tally marks on my laminated card & marker how many questions I had NOT seen before, and the number was less than ten out of a hundred. That means over 90% of the questions were "out there" in the public domain. I suppose I could have spent 4-5 hours memorizing practice test answers and still passed the real exam - but would that prove anything? I was really stunned that these questions were available. How does that happen? How do these companies get the real questions? Either Cisco is complicit and provides them, or somewhere, people may be violating their NDA.
I said before I felt a bit hollow, but not completely. I'm thankful that I put in 40-50 hours versus 4-5, because I learned several new things and refreshed areas that I don't work with every day. So if the goal of the recertification process is to stay fresh & current, then I achieved that. But it doesn't quite seem as rewarding knowing that I had seen most of the test beforehand. While I didn't violate my own NDA, nor do anything illegal or knowing unethical, had I known that the questions would be word-for-word, I don't think I would have used them. Sure, passing is important, but so is being able to hold my head up high.
I don't really have any answers or recommendations here, rather I'm more interested in how our CCIE community feels about these exams and generating a little discussion on the topic. How about you? Do you use these practice tests? Are you a 4-5 hour kinda guy or a 40-50? Do you have mixed emotions passing a test using tools like these? Any idea where the companies get their information? Should Cisco do something to step in here? Or should we keep this dirty little secret quiet? Let us know how you feel. I’d love to get some input from other CCIEs before I’m faced with another recertification exam in a couple years.