Achille's Heel: How to pass the CCIE Lab Step by Step...
Darby's Woodshed : Darby Weaver
Recently I sent notice to the CCIE Program Managers that 4 CCIE Labs had been completely compromised.
It is widey known that Cisco has several iterations for each exam.
Several at any given time.
However, despite this Cisco has a pattern, an Achille's heel and they know it and may even need it to ensure the growth of the program. Someone needs to pass the lab. It might as well be you. FTW!
This Achille's Heel serves to undermine the strength of the entire CCIE Program and every CCIE who has actually earned the designation of the CCIE itself for mostly every track.
Ok -
1. Take the CCIE Written - It is largely known that Testking and Pass4sure provide the lab mostly word for word - correct order of the multiple choice for each and every question. The exam will have 100 questions. The dump of the exam will have between 100 and 400 questions. This will take the average CCIE Candidate 2-4 hours to prep for in order to attain a passing score typically in the 80-99 range. Be careful as a 100 seems to not be able to register for the CCIE Lab. Only seen one of these.
2. It will take about 10 days for a person to get into the system and be able to registed for the lab. Take this time and figure out how to get your very own CCO account. Google it... hey you passed the CCIE Written in 2-4 hours surely you can get a CCO account all by yourself (There are those who passed the Written who could not - so I have to tell them... otherwise, they'd never make it to the lab the first time to pass on the 1st attempt).
3. So now what. You go and find something called a group buy for the CCIE Lab of your choice. You could buy the same lab on ebay for $300.00, on knock-off sites for $400-1200.00 or you could just go to the source and buy it for $1190.00 and get it. But why pay more than say $10.00 for the lab and maybe one of your friends in your local high school or college already has it and will give it to you for FREE anyway. It spreads faster than the H1N1 but is concealed like Herpes.
4. Now you got it. Read it a few times. Hell you could notepad but you are better off getting Dynamips. I know. I know. You don't know how to install it. You don't know how to tune it. You can't get IOS to save your life. And when you do... you can't even Telnet to it and you never even heard of SSH. That's ok. They got GNS3 for dummies just like you who want to be a CCIE the week afterwards cause it will make you a millionaire. So get it install it or have someone else install it, since you can barely spell PC and get cooking.
BTW - If you buy from the guy on ebay or some of the knock-offs - They are said to already have the who lab in Dynamips/GNS3.
5. I know passing the lab in 30 days seems like a joke and it is if you were dumb enough to have to repeat it when the whole lab was given to you like the current 4 tracks and all you have to do is lab it for a week or so - it's only 1 lab in some cases. However you might have to repeat - yep, I'll tell how that works too.
6. Study for a day, a week, whatever you need. This same lab will be there. It's been there now since October. It will probably be good for 1-2 years at least so you got some time.
7. Take the damned thing.
8. Don't worry if you fail. Another lab has already been totally dumped so you can either use it.... or retake the CCIE Written, reset your counter, and if you get a new number, then you can even repeat the same exam if you like. Yep. It does work and has been tested and verified to work.
9. Now that you have the CCIE. Announce it. Tell the world! Give credit to every training vendor who you ever heard of. Hint: Even if they never heard of you, they will take credit and congratulate you like they personally trained you. The better you give them credit, the better they will give it back to you. If you are lazy and pick just one you will get the best kudos! Even if you only saw their products in a google search. Trust me - this works too.
10. Ok, so you got the Written, the Lab, and you are on someone's wall and if you were smart enough to give a personal endorsement to some of the trainers, they'll have endorsed you too publicly. You got credentials. Now what?
11. The resume - don't worry. Google is your friend. Ok scratch that off the list. It's ok to tell people you got 20 years experience - even if you are only 25-30 years old. I've seen an admin claim experience from when he was 5 years old and a toddler in his daddy's room playing by the old Tandy. Most CIO and CTO's wouldn't be able to tell the difference any way. You can do it...
12. If you get an interview and impress the staff with your digits and all the skill you acquired to pass that notoriously difficult and evil exam, then the next step is to get past the interviewer. Don't worry! Who care if you cannot identify a Cisco Switch or Router. You've seen a picture and they all look the same. Green!!! Go get em cowboy - you earned your CCIE, just like everyone else who passed the lab. You can do it. Even if you are 18, 20, or 95. You passed the same exam. Now your friends who helped you before are even now asking themselves the same question. Most of them spent years being a CCIE and some even let it expire (over 120 CCIE's per month drop out per month currently). Don't be a quitter. You passed the lab. The world needs you! Cisco needs Y-O-U and more like you!
13. Ask your friends online. They'll help you. If not just post your questions - you like what's a console cable and how to access a router remotely and such over the Internet. Sure people might ask "Aren't you a CCIE?" and you are. You have the digits and you passed the lab. Don't you? So you can tell them you are a very experienced CCIE and you don't remember what a console cable is and it has been a while since you set a device up for remote access! Hah! That'll show em.
14. If you have doubts... go pass more CCIE's. It'll make you more famous and some guys even pass 3 to 4 CCIE's and if all else fails become a trainer and read powerpoints to other people. That's the ticket! You are a modern day CCIE and you earned it! FTW!
Later
Darby Weaver