Cisco is demo'ing the CCDE Practical Exam next week at Networkers in Florida as part of the CCDE Practical Beta process. You'll be able to sit down and demo the new practical exam yourself and meet the CCDE development team. There is also a 2-hour CCDE session at Networkers on Tuesday. I got a sneak preview of the beta exam this week.
The CCDE Practical is a computer based exam written in Adobe Flash. It will be delivered at super secure partner locations around the world. This is different from the CCIE labs which are delivered at Cisco offices. Since the test is computer based, Cisco can offer the test at more locations instead of making people fly to one of ten Cisco offices around the world that have CCIE labs.
The test includes some multiple choice questions and some other types of questions such as drag-and-drop, ordered lists, and free form written answers. There are also some questions where you will actually draw a network design with routers, links, firewalls, and hosts.
This is all possible because of the Flash software. It goes beyond typical Cisco computer exams - like the CCIE written exams - which are almost exclusively multiple choice.
The content of the exam is based on a design scenario. You are given a set of documents - requirements lists, business background papers, network diagrams, even e-mails between people - and from this information you have to deduce the answers to the questions. Just like a design effort would happen in the real world. You are never given the option of A, B, C, or D; you have to read e-mails, read documents, and determine the best design.
The test gives you more documents as you move along and you cannot go back to previous questions.
The design builds upon itself as you move along. The scenarios can be enterprise or service provider based. For example, you may have an enterprise scenario that requires a network design for a merger with another company.
Now, if you're thinking that a computer based test will not be on par with the CCIE lab, let me tell you, this test is not easy. For those that see it next week, I would bet no one gets all the questions right. Furthermore, since this test is about design, it's appropriate to be on a computer and not in a lab. Do you draw Visio diagrams in a lab? Or do you have discussions with customers and applications teams in a lab? No, you do that stuff via your computer. Cisco is also working on strict security measures to prevent brain dumping.
See you Sunday in Orlando!
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Michael Morris is a communications engineering manager at a $3 billion high-tech company. His background is in enterprise WANs working with telcos, and developing large-scale routing designs. He has worked on networks at government and corporate organizations, including networks at two Fortune 10 companies. In his current role, he leads large-scale IT networking projects and develops and maintains architectural standards for data networks, storage area networks, IP Telephony, and security. Michael is a CCIE and has 11 years experience in networking and communications, including four years as a paratrooper in the U.S. Army. He has a bachelor's degree in MIS from the University at Buffalo. Recently, he was awarded the Network Professional Association® (NPA) Professional Excellence and Innovation Award for his work on network architecture, templates and enterprise MPLS design.
The opinions expressed in this Weblog are those of the writer and may not represent the opinions of Network World.
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What worries me is the fact
What worries me is the fact that design includes a small (or big) part of subjective judgement. How will the CDDE practical exam be graded?
Will it be another one of "there is the right way, there is the wrong way....and there is cisco's way"?
This is certainly very bad
This is certainly very bad news.
The reason that the CCIE is one of the few certifications that retains any credibility is that it does have the "hands on" lab.
Whether or not flash-based exams are better than the typical "bubble exam" is irrelevant. Whether or not flash-based exams provide a near lab experience is irrelevant. The fact that design is not hands-on is irrelevant. Such technical details will be lost to the vast majority of the industry who will see the CCDE as another paper cert, much like the MCSE.
Cisco really needs to add a "Hands-On" gate to the certification, such as making the CCIE a pre-requisite, or add an "Experience Required" gate such as a PMP, or CISSP.
As it stands, by making the CCDE a paper cert, Cisco has destroyed it's credibility even before the first person is certified.
This could be seen as good news for the CCIE. Whether or not the CCDE flash-exam is more or less difficult that the CCIE lab is irrelevant. The perception will be that the flash exam, due to it's more widespread availability, and lack of the "impossibly difficult mystique" of the lab, is the easier cert, and more people will flock to the CCDE as the "easier path", making the CCIE the more prestigious cert.
RE: This is certainly very bad
It's just as hard, if not harder, than the CCIE Lab.
Mike
Prehaps the CCIE should have
Prehaps the CCIE should have a an experience component too - passing a technical lab doesn't mean someone has real world knowledge either. I fail to see the CCDE destroying Cisco's certification credibility because the 8 hour practical exam doesn't have a requirement of configuring hardware.
The real worthwhile networkers, and industry players will know when a CCDE or CCIE is required, and how to screen their knowledge. The one's that don't are already too busy advertising jobs listing "CCNA or CCIE required" in the description for Entry Level NOC roles.
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