Graded Labs, LLC

Obtaining a CCIE certificate is a must for any aspiring professional in the IT world nowadays – and the R&S (routing and switching) class of the CCIE certificates is by far the most prominent CCIE, attracting large numbers of candidates every year. This is easy to explain as well, judging by the great job prospects offered to people who possess the certificate as opposed to those who do not (yet supposedly have the same skillset).  For more information on the salary of a CCIE, see the blog post, CCIE Salary Overview – Everything You Wanted to Know.

You should be prepared well for the exam, needless to say – it is split into two parts, with the first one testing your theoretical knowledge and the second focusing on testing if you know how to use your skills in the real world. INE does offer you a guide on how to pass the R&S lab exam using their popular 4.0 program, though you are generally not obliged to go through those – however, doing so improves your chances of getting certified. You also need to keep in mind that even though the two parts of the exam are not linked and you can take them separately at your own discretion, you need to take the written exam first and then go through the lab exam within 18 months, otherwise you would have to repeat the written exam.
Bear in mind that it is not cheap to get certified either – the lab test by itself would cost you around $1,500 for each attempt. However, knowing how the CCIE is going to benefit you later on in your journey to a better career, you should save up the money and go through it. It is recommended that you’ve built up some professional experience before attempting the actual lab exam – about 3-4 years are suggested in most cases – so you should be able to invest this kind of money by that point.  This also gives you time to go through lower level certifications, though not necessary for your CCIE they will help you have a better foundation on where to begin your journey.

Plan your exams well in advance, too – the lab test can only be taken at certain places around the world, and you should take into account the various travel charges and other extra costs associated with moving around for the purpose of taking your examinations. For the same reason, you should apply well beforehand as well – otherwise you risk being denied a spot in your desired location as they tend to fill up quickly.
If you are having trouble finding accommodation, you should get in touch with the service providers running the exam in the area and ask them for directions – in most cases they would be glad to help!

Ready to get certified? The best way to get started with any Cisco certification is with the INE’s all access pass.  No matter what track you are working on they have all the training you need for only one low price.  Check out the All Access Pass now.

Is Brussels really the spot for you after you complete your CCIE exam? Well, you might be surprised! Learn a whole lot more by reading on… Read the rest of this entry »

All of our R&S racks have now been upgraded to match INE’s new blueprint.

Update
We try to keep our rack rentals up to date with the actual hardware used stated in the latest Cisco Exam blueprint. This year we had significant hardware upgrades in preparation for the CCIE Routing & Switching V4 Blueprint. Due to these hardware changes we have increased the base price of R&S Rack Rentals by 5 tokens. This is still a great savings compared with other rack rental companies.


We still offer dynamic pricing for your rack rental, and if you are flexible with your study time you can rent a rack after the session has started or just before the session begins.

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. Read the rest of this entry »

We just got a note from Internetwork Expert about the success of our poly-lab for one customer.

Thanks to PolyLabs (6 tries) and one full lab I have successfully
passed CCIE R&S in a first try . Without it, it would be much more
difficult…  Mariusz Kazmierski CCIE#: 25082

We would like to congratulate Mariusz on getting his CCIE and we appreciate him sending us this message.  This is the reason we are in business after all.  To celebrate his success story we are offering all customers a $5 off coupon towards the Poly-Lab.  So if you haven’t tried it, now is a great time.  Just use Mariusz’s CCIE number as the coupon code: 25082.  Buy a poly-lab assessment now!

Coming soon we will be providing more details on the Poly-Lab. Update: New story regarding the CCIE Poly-Lab Assessment has been finished, you can find it here.  If you have received your CCIE and would like to send us a success story about one or more of the products used from gradedlabs, contact us here and let us know.

Have you ever wanted to show a possible employer that you are knowledgeable in your job or occupation? Did you have a desire to let your customers and clients see that you are serious in your work and strive to achieve perfection as a Cisco certified internetwork expert? Well if so perhaps the idea of obtaining a CCIE Routing and switching certification would benefit you. Cisco has such a course that can bring you more towards achieving these goals in your life.

When you are preparing to sign up for one of the Cisco CCIE certification courses you will notice that there are no formal prerequisites required. Most of the other professional certifications are no longer required by the Cisco training course administrators. The students selected are expected to have an understanding of the various subtleties and the challenges that the networking systems would involve. It is strongly recommended that you have at least three to five productive years on the job in that field prior to attempting to become certified. In order to obtain your CCIE Routing and switching certification you will be required to pass a written qualification exam as well as hands on lab evaluation. This assures that you are qualified and capable of performing the job at hand.

To those who may not be completely knowledgeable of what CCIE stands for. It successfully identifies those verified experts who have the necessary skills and the experience to enable them to handle just about any assignment in the networking field. The CCIE exams receive constant evaluations and are continually updated in order to assure top quality graduates who are favored within the industry. During these revisions the exams are centered upon the most current technology in the industry making Cisco graduates some of the more popular and most desired on the market today.

CCIE is recognized as the most high-level certification one can obtain in the industry today. When applying for a position dealing with networking most industry leaders look favorably upon CCIE Routing and switching certification. Value to the company generally translates of increasing salary in ones paycheck as well. What this boils down to is a great way to increase job security for you and your family’s future.

Often times when it comes down to a selection of possible candidates for a position the difference remains with the Cisco graduates. Various corporations and business tie up a considerable amount of money in their computer network systems and as such they want to ensure that anyone who may be handling this equipment is highly qualified to maintain it. Maintenance of the company’s networks is basic towards protecting their assets and ensuring continual operations. As the various computer environments become more and more complex the need for these qualified professionals is quickly becoming greater than ever before. Certified CCIEs are in high demand in the industry today.

Passing a CCIE exam is not as easy as one may think. Earning the honored CCIE certification requires passing the lab test successfully and there is only one way to prepare for this exam and that is by hands on experience.
Cost wise you will find that the average CCIE student has spent thousands of dollars and a minimum of eighteen months in their efforts to obtain their certification. In fact obtaining this certification is so difficult that the candidates are likely to attempt the lab more than once before they finally achieve their certification but it can be done and the rewards are well worth it.

Ready to get your CCIE? Click here to begin your training.

This gradedlabs tech bit demonstrates how to schedule and unscheduled a CCIE Routing & Switching Rack Rental from the Internetwork Expert Members Site.