Graded Labs, LLC

CCIE Learning Capsules are self-paced, self-assessed, and self-contained three to six hour labs which focus on a specifi technology or a groupd of related technologies. This definition, which is listed on every Learning Capsule page, is a bit confusing and doesn’t tell the entire story.

Earlier this year we at gradedlabs decided to create a new line of products that would be afforable and target a specific technology area. This was comming off the launch of the Poly-Lab Assessment which points out technology areas, such as BGP and OSPF, where the lab taker was weaker. We noticed that the suggestions really pointed out to just a few products that were around $300 – $2,000. Seeing this we decided to launch a new line of products, under $20, that would be available for specific technologies. We then put a charge out to the best instructors at Internetwork Expert to develop these new labs. After this, INE decided to allow us to turn their CCIE Workbook Volume 1 into around 20 learning capsules. This really expanded our product line and the workbook was maticulously organized and then each lab was organized into a learning capsule. However, if you own CCIE Workbook Volume 1 then you should only purchase learning capsules that are not listed as originally coming from this workbook. So there are really 2 sets of learning capsules. Those that orginate from INE and those that were specifically written for gradedlabs. Learning capsules are intended to help you spend the time before the actual CCIE Lab exam studying technologies that you have not yet mastered.

There are four parts to each learning capsule: initial configurations, the lab, solutions and verifications. Initial configrations are given for every learning capsule and should be loaded onto your rack rental before you start the lab. These initial configs are necessary in order to perform the tasks on the lab.

Each learning capsule come with a lab which is focused on a specific technology or group of related technologies. If you are looking for a specific topic you can use the search on the site to find which learning capsule best fits your need. Make sure to not just browse the title, but also browse the descriptions since most of the related technologies can be found in the table of contents for the lab which is posted on the product description for each learning capsule. The lab itself is a series of task to be done on gradedlabs racks and using the current gradedlabs routing & switching topology. Some of the learning capsules contain different logical topologies but all use the same physical toplogy. The autonomy of Learning Capsules that were translated from INE’s Internetwork Expert’s Volume 1 are a bit different than those unique to gradedlabs.

The learning capsules from INE contain the task followed by specific configuration instructions for that task(s) followed by the solution to how to solve the task along with the verification steps for the task. So for BGP Conditional Advertisement, there are two tasks associated with this topic. Following these task are the configuration, solutions and then the verifications. These are very detailed labs to help you in your studies. A partial screen-shot of the verification step follows.

To get a better understanding of how these Internetwork Expert Learning Capsules look and to try one out for yourself we are offering a free learing capsule to get you started. Be sure to take a look at it here.

Unique learning capsules from gradedlabs, listed below, are written specifically to target a specific technology. Also, most of them are written as troubleshooting tasks. This will be on the new blueprint of the CCIE Lab Exam. Troubleshooting tickets are similar to tasks in other learning capsules, but are more of what’s wrong instead of what to do.

When you purchase a learning capsule you will get the initial configs, a PDF with the tasks, another PDF with the solutions and verifications and the logical topology associated with that learning capsule. Trouble ticket learing capsules are the best way to prepare for the new tasks on the actual CCIE Lab Exam.

The final step in earning your CCIE is the hands-on, eight-hour exam. (in case you missed our previous article on preparing for a long exam, click here) Getting in the mindset of taking a 8 hour exam can be difficult, and this is why preparing for such a task is very important. It’s not only the time it takes, but also the cost. At $1,400 per attempt along with the cost of travel and lodging it can be very expensive to fail the exam.

The gradedlabs|INE mock lab exam is designed to be a simulation of the actual Cisco CCIE Lab Exam. That is the racks are pre-configured to simulate different network situations. The type and difficulty of these simulations are based on which mock lab you decide to take. Currently there are seven unique mock lab simulations.

The first step into taking a mock lab exam is to purchase 129 tokens or the product here. If you are not familiar with how gradedlabs tokens work, have a look at our article on the definitive guide to gradedlabs tokens here. After you have purchased enough tokens to take Mock Lab, you will need to login to your gradedlabs.com members account.

On the dashboard of your gradedlabs.com members account you can scroll down and see your overall token balance. Following the token balance (1) are the link (2) for scheduling your CCIE Routing & Switching Mock Lab. The next step is to click CCIE Routing & Switching Mock Lab. This will open a new window where we can then schedule our mock lab.

Now we are able to schedule our mock lab exam. Remember that a mock lab exam is 8 hours with enough time for a 30 minute break (to simulate the 30 minute lunch break given by the actual exam). This means you will have a total of 8 hours and 30 minutes to complete the exam. When scheduling, this means that if you schedule for S1 on any date your racks will be booked out for S1 and S2. To schedule your mock labs simply click the desired date and time slot you wish to take your exam (1), check the token balance to make sure that 129 tokens have been spent and then click schedule. If you schedule your exam within 72 of the start of your session you will not be able to reschedule it. However, you are able to reschedule at any time up until 72 hours before your exam.

Note: We know that things come up and sometimes it is impossible to make your session. If you are within the 72 hour window and would like to cancel your mock lab exam please contact gradedlabs customer service and we will assist you in rescheduling at no additional costs.

When booking rack rentals or mock labs, be sure to double check the time that you are renting. S1 starts at 3:00 AM Pacific Time, S2 starts at 9:00 AM Pacific time, S3 : 3:00 PM Pacific Time, & S4: 9:00 PM Pacific time. Also, be sure to double check the session that you wanted to rent in the box on the left. For example the mock lab shown above will start at 3:00 AM (Pacific Time) on August 27, 2009.

After you click schedule, you will receive your rack rental results. For mock labs, this will show that we have been scheduled 2 sessions starting at S1 on the 27 of August.

The functionality now, for the time being, is on INE’s members site. The next step is to verify that your session is displaying with in your INE’s member account. To do this, login to your members account or if you logged into your gradedlabs.com account you should already be logged into your members account. Next, click the tab marked “Mock Labs & Assessments”. The Assessments portion of this link are based on the Poly-Lab Assessment. For more information on the Poly-Lab Assessment, click here.

Perhaps the most difficult decision in this process is deciding which Mock Lab to take. You have the ability to select which lab you would like to take as well as previewing each lab along with the labs difficulty. The difficulty rating of the mock lab ranges from 6 to 10. We have placed the actual CCIE Lab Exam on this scale at a 7. A short snapshot is below for each exam.

Click here, for the points breakdown.

Click here, for the points breakdown.

Click here, for the points breakdown.

Click here, for the points breakdown.

Click here, for the points breakdown.

Click here, for the points breakdown.

Click here, for the points breakdown.

This is a question that we get from time to time, and it’s really impossible for us to answer. If you are unsure about where you are on the overall scale from 0 – 10, then there are few things you can do. We do offer the poly-lab assessment which is a lower investment to the mock lab and depending upon your settings can be much shorter as well. This will give you a better target at where you currently are in your studies. This will also show you the areas where you need more work, and you can take learning capsules in this technology to become better familiar with it. Then you can look at the points breakdown for each lab and take the lab which emphasizes in this area to ensure that you have learned that technology.

To see our section of learning capsules click here.
To learn more about the poly-lab assessment click here.

One hour prior to the start of your lab time, you will receive the login for the rack and the actual mock lab exam, the logical topology, the physical topology, and the initial configs. This is a series of tasks that must be completed within the 8 hours and 30 minutes allocated. At the start of your session you will need to login to your INE members account and click start on the lab you have previously set. This will start a 8.5 hour timer that will countdown. When the timer expires your configs will be saved and you will be removed from the rack.

After you finish your lab it is then graded by a CCIE professional. Unlike the poly-lab assessment, this process is not automatic, but rather is done by hand. It usually takes the grader around 2 business days to complete the grading for the mock labs. Click here for a example score report. Passing is getting a score greater than or equal to 80 points.

Taking the actual CCIE Lab Exam is expensive and time consuming. It is difficult to judge how ready you are to take and pass the exam. Tools like the Routing & Switching Mock Lab Exam and the Poly-Lab Assessment were developed for this purpose, to judge your readiness. It is much cheaper and a better learning experience to find out before taking the actual exam that you are not ready. We recommend that if you score below 80 on any exam with a difficulty of 7 then you should take more steps to prepare. This would be doing targeted learning capsules in the area that you did poorly in or continuing doing other workbook tasks from INE. If you score below 80 on mock labs with a difficulty of 6 then you should focus your studying and repeat the mock lab exam with a difficulty of 7.

If you scored greater than 80 on any mock lab with a difficulty of 7 or greater, then congratulations. You are in good shape for the actual CCIE Lab Exam. We would suggest one more attempt at a mock lab 2 weeks prior to your actual lab exam. This way you can brush up on your timing and troubleshooting skills. Click here to view the product page, and for a limited time check-out with discount code AMIREADY to get your mock lab for just $99. That is a unbeatable price for this great product. The material for this mock lab exam is from the author’s at Internetwork Expert (INE).

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.

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.