gradedlabs.com tech bits » ccie lab prep http://www.gradedlabs.com/blog Your Token To Success Tue, 12 Apr 2011 20:27:09 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Steps to Take When Preparing for a 8 and 1/2 Hour Exam http://www.gradedlabs.com/blog/2009/08/19/steps-to-take-when-preparing-for-a-8-and-12-hour-exam/ http://www.gradedlabs.com/blog/2009/08/19/steps-to-take-when-preparing-for-a-8-and-12-hour-exam/#comments Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:27:00 +0000 Richard McLain http://www.gradedlabs.com/blog/?p=111 Not many people take a long exam, so preparations might be hard to think of other than studying. Here are some basics for people getting ready to take a long exam that covers preparations that you might have overlooked.

When taking special exams for certifications, some of them can take over eight hours and it is a good idea to be prepared for such a long exam. Each exam that takes this much time will have different rules for breaks, so this article will simply cover the basics of what is to be expected, and how to handle things in case you don’t get a long break during the exam.
Most long exams will work one of two ways. They can have separate sections, such as a written exam and a hands on exam, and you can take a break in between the sections to get food and take time to use the bathroom if need be. Other exams don’t allow for these breaks because they have to be careful about people studying for the exam during the break. It will be a good idea for you to learn what the policy is for the exam you are taking.
Exams that let you take breaks are ideal because it puts less stress on you. You will need to know if food will be provided, which is the case for many long exams, or if you will have to bring your own meal. Some places will give you the option of bringing a meal even if food is provided, while other will require that you eat what they serve. These exams are so strict because they don’t want anyone bringing in outside materials that could have studying tools in them. Bathroom breaks may be given at designated times, probably during the time between each section.
An exam that doesn’t give breaks will be a bit more complicated and require more preparation on your part. The morning of the exam, you will want to make sure you eat a big breakfast at least one hour before the test. Also make sure you limit how much you drink during that same hour because you don’t know when you’ll be able to get a bathroom break. You want to eat and drink early before the test so that you have time to use the bathroom before you go to the exam. You may be able to pack some snacks as well for during the exam, but again you will need to check on the policies for that specific test.
Besides prepping for being confined in a room for eight hours, you also need to be ready for the test itself. You should have already been studying for the exam, but have you been preparing for sitting that long? If you can, take a practice exam so you get a feel for the long hours. When you go to the test, make sure you take extra pens or pencils so that if one breaks or stops working you’ll be able to continue with the test. Having both types of utensils will let you be prepared if they require one or the other for taking the test. You may also want to bring other supplies such as a ruler and a pencil sharpener, or extra lead if you use mechanical pencils. By doing all of this you should be ready for a very long exam.

When taking special exams for certifications, some of them can take over eight hours and it is a good idea to be prepared for such a long exam. Each exam that takes this much time will have different rules for breaks, so this article will simply cover the basics of what is to be expected, and how to handle things in case you don’t get a long break during the exam.

Most long exams will work one of two ways. They can have separate sections, such as a written exam and a hands on exam, and you can take a break in between the sections to get food and take time to use the bathroom if need be. Other exams don’t allow for these breaks because they have to be careful about people studying for the exam during the break. It will be a good idea for you to learn what the policy is for the exam you are taking.

Exams that let you take breaks are ideal because it puts less stress on you. You will need to know if food will be provided, which is the case for many long exams, or if you will have to bring your own meal. Some places will give you the option of bringing a meal even if food is provided, while other will require that you eat what they serve. These exams are so strict because they don’t want anyone bringing in outside materials that could have studying tools in them. Bathroom breaks may be given at designated times, probably during the time between each section.

An exam that doesn’t give breaks will be a bit more complicated and require more preparation on your part. The morning of the exam, you will want to make sure you eat a big breakfast at least one hour before the test. Also make sure you limit how much you drink during that same hour because you don’t know when you’ll be able to get a bathroom break. You want to eat and drink early before the test so that you have time to use the bathroom before you go to the exam. You may be able to pack some snacks as well for during the exam, but again you will need to check on the policies for that specific test.

Besides prepping for being confined in a room for eight hours, you also need to be ready for the test itself. You should have already been studying for the exam, but have you been preparing for sitting that long? If you can, take a practice exam so you get a feel for the long hours. When you go to the test, make sure you take extra pens or pencils so that if one breaks or stops working you’ll be able to continue with the test. Having both types of utensils will let you be prepared if they require one or the other for taking the test. You may also want to bring other supplies such as a ruler and a pencil sharpener, or extra lead if you use mechanical pencils. By doing all of this you should be ready for a very long exam.

When preparing for the CCIE Exam, there is only one way to see if you are truly ready to pass.  That is to take a mock lab exam.  This exam simulates the 8 1/2 hour Cisco exam and is graded by a actual CCIE.  Currently the mock lab is only available for CCIE Routing & Switching Candidates.  To learn more about the CCIE Routing & Switching Mock Lab click here.  Save $30 by entering discount code: AMIREADY
]]> http://www.gradedlabs.com/blog/2009/08/19/steps-to-take-when-preparing-for-a-8-and-12-hour-exam/feed/ 2 Best Practices for Passing the Written CCIE Exam http://www.gradedlabs.com/blog/2009/08/14/best-practices-for-passing-the-written-ccie-exam/ http://www.gradedlabs.com/blog/2009/08/14/best-practices-for-passing-the-written-ccie-exam/#comments Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:55:52 +0000 Richard McLain http://www.gradedlabs.com/blog/2009/08/14/best-practices-for-passing-the-written-ccie-exam/

Getting Cisco certification can be very important for people working with computers because it can mean advancing in the field. If you are planning on taking the test, you want to make sure you prepare for it, since it does cost a pretty penny to take.

The written exam to get Cisco certification is a long test that covers a wide assortment of possible questions. With over nine categories that you need to be well versed in, it can be hard to know where to start when you a preparing to take the exam. There will be a lot of reading materials, although depending on how long you have worked in your field you might have learned a lot just through experience. Still, you’ll need to do some serious studying to make sure you get a good score on the exam.

You’ll want to start with looking at the blueprints for the test. These blueprints can be found through the Cisco website and you can print them out to get an idea of what will be on the CCIE written test. Of course it seems like they left nothing off this long list of possible subjects, but keep in mind that absolutely anything relative to the exam can be included even if it isn’t on the blueprints. They are a good place to start to figure out what kind of reading you should be doing and what subjects you should brush up on if you aren’t familiar with them.i

Depending on what division of Cisco you are currently working for, you may have to do more studying than other groups. Don’t let the amount of studying for 100 questions get you down, because there is more to the CCIE than just the written part. By doing studying on every area you don’t know much about you will also be preparing yourself for the other portions of the exam, especially the lab part which plays a huge role in your overall test score.

Cisco actually makes a good portion of the reading materials that you will want to familiarize yourself with, so be sure to pick up some of their books. Of course they do publish a lot of books so you want to filter through what books you will actually need to study. The first part will be the general networking portion. No matter what area you are working for, chances are you have a good grasp on this portion. It just covers the basics that anyone working with computers as their profession should already know.

The rest of the questions will cover more specific topics, and this is where you want to look through and determine what you don’t know a lot about. There is lots of reading materials not only through Cisco Press books but also reading materials available online. You should take a look at the sample questions provided on the Cisco website for the written part of the CCIE exam so you get a feel for how the questions are asked.

At the very least, the questions are multiple choice so if you have a hard time figuring out what you should be studying, just study everything. As long as you are good at what you already do and are getting certification for a job you already have, chances are you’ll be able to pass the written CCIE exam.

Resources

To learn more about what resources you can use to study for the CCIE written exam, click here. There is much more information about the CCIE written exam and what it takes to get certified.

]]> http://www.gradedlabs.com/blog/2009/08/14/best-practices-for-passing-the-written-ccie-exam/feed/ 0