Figured here's as good a place as any to say a few things about my lab attempt in RTP last week.
Overall I thought my day went fairly well and when I was done I felt there was a chance I'd pass. In the end it wasn't enough so I get to make another trip to RTP to claim my number. I passed the troubleshooting section but fell short on configuration. The good thing is I certainly know where I was lacking and what I need to focus on moving forward. I stayed at the Wingate but after hearing about shuttle problems I decided to rent a car. 2 other candidates stayed there as well and had no problem with the free transportation. Having my own car did make it easier to get to the airport after my lab but I've since learned that most people stay the night. I was pretty exhausted by the end of the day (didn't sleep real well the night before) and will probably stay over the next time around. I arrived at BLDG 3 about 7am and sat in the nice warm car until we were let in. Kelly showed up shortly after and led us into the lab. She explained the rules, answered questions and showed us each to our seats. We had plenty of room at our desks, nice 24" widescreen monitors and plenty of scrap paper and writing utensils. There was also plenty of space in between each of the desks and I was never bothered by any sounds or any of the other candidates. Troubleshooting was much easier than I had anticipated. I would have had it completed within an hour if I hadn't spent a good 30+ minutes troubleshooting something really easy that I just couldn't see. Even though I was stuck on that ticket I didn't stress about it. I'd work on others and pop back to it for 5-10 minutes at a time until it finally clicked. I competed all the tickets within 1hr 40min and spent the rest of the time verifying that I had correctly solved everything. I felt the IPX Vol3 labs troubleshooting sections were excellent preparation for this part of the exam. Configuration started off very well but I hit a roadblock shortly before lunch. Good timing though because I got to spend my lunch thinking through a specific problem rather than dreading what was up next. In the end it was another very simple mistake I made and just couldn't see it. Once solved I was moving forward at a good speed again and had full reachability shortly after lunch. I was pretty proud at that point and felt good about the day. Next up were some tasks where I knew I'd start having trouble and started doing them in the order of least pain. If there was any point in the day I felt a time crunch this was it. Quite a laundry list of misc tasks to complete and only about 3 hours left. I didn't stress about it for long and got right back into the zone. By the end I had 2-3 tasks that weren't working right and again I'd bounce between working on those and verifying what I'd already completed. Based on my score report I wish I would have spent a little more time verifying the tasks I thought I had right but you know what they say about hindsight. My best advice is don't let the mind games get to you. Show up cool, calm and collected *knowing* that you're an expert and that you're ready for the exam. Freaking out and stressing is your biggest enemy so don't fall into the trap. Be meticulous and calculated in what you do. Ask *lots* of questions. Oh, and don't take sleeping pills the night before and show up 2 hours late like 1 guy there with us!! 2010/12/15 MANNY Omari <[email protected]> > > I'm sure you will make in your next attempt, we are waiting for your > 27xxx.. Good Luck. > > > Manouchehr > Sr. Network Engineer > AIB (Afghanistan International Bank) > Mobile: +93 (0) 708 810 136 > > ------------------------------ > Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2010 04:28:38 -0800 > From: [email protected] > To: [email protected] > Subject: [OSL | CCIE_RS] Lab Failure > > > Hi All, > > Yesterday I took my Lab in Dubai (1st attempt) and I have to give Kudos to > Cisco.. They did a very good job !!! The troubleshooting was my favorite > section and they did not hold back. The Proctor was helpful with directions > and please pay attention to the small things.. it will bite you in the end.. > The two hours went by extremely fast and the little gremlin(the clock) is > right in your face, so you can't help but to wonder " am I moving fast > enough, do I have time to come back to this issue, and second guessing > yourself... > > I was very nervous and after seeing what I was up against, The lab is very > is no different than what I have been preparing for, its just a technology > test and it doesn't make sense to have things done a certain way.. but to > make them all play nice together was the fun part. Time management kicked my > butt... I was so concern with fixing that one issue, that I lost 2 hours > before I knew it.. and I ran out of time.. I fixed the issue but it was not > a smart move on my behalf.. .especially for 3 points... > > I know you all have heard this but the topics that you skip will hunt you, > and for the life you me, I could not think of that commands that I was > looking for but I was able to navigate through the doc cd.. It takes a > little time to get used to the controls, but its not impossible and my fear > turned into fun.. There are several ways to implement the technology, > and the lab will explore the road less traveled. > > I'm very positive that I will pass it the second time, but for now.... Its > time to focus on the foundation... and with out giving anything away... OSPF > and BGP are the enemy.. make sure you are prepared... they want your soul.. > (jk) > > I was the rookie in the room the average candidate there was on their 3rd > but now that I'm thinking about it, you can do it on your first. You will > feel rushed, anxious, nervous.. and when you go on your lunch.. the steps > you've done will pop up in your head and then the 2nd guessing begins... > > Have fun... we are all experts... Cisco just want to make sure... > > > Hope this helps.. > > > CEDRIC KING (TAN COMMS LEAD) > CCNP,CCDP,CCIP,Security+,ITILv3,Project+ > > > Afghanistan Engineer District-USACE > Qalaa House Compound, Kabul Afghanistan > Comm: (540) 722-6853 > DSN: 312-265-6853 > Mobile: 079-546-2536 > After hours: (540)542-1593 > [email protected] > [email protected] > > " Don't judge those who try and fail, judge those who fail to try." > -Author Unknown- > > > _______________________________________________ For more information > regarding industry leading CCIE Lab training, please visit > www.ipexpert.com > > _______________________________________________ > For more information regarding industry leading CCIE Lab training, please > visit www.ipexpert.com > >
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