This is CCIE Pursuit back for another Monday CCIE Buzz posting. This week we'll be looking at the CCIE written exam.
The CCIE is unique among IT certification in many regards. In order to pass the CCIE you must pass both a written test followed by a lab exam. You cannot schedule the lab exam unless you have already passed the written exam. This week's post will cover the written exam and how to prepare for it.
The Exam
There are no prerequisites for taking the CCIE written exam. Like all Cisco exams (except for the CCIE lab) you can schedule and take the test at a Pearson VUE testing center.
Pearson VUE became the exclusive testing center for all Cisco written exams in August of 2007. If you haven't taken an exam at Pearson VUE you will want to take the time to ensure that they associate Cisco exams with your profile. When I attempted to schedule my written exam I had to go through a few weeks of back and forth with Pearson VUE in order to straighten this out.
The written exam is a two-hour, multiple choice test with 90-110 questions covering Routing and Switching networking theory related to topics such as IP, IP routing, non-IP desktop protocols, bridging and switch-related technologies, and includes some equipment commands. The exam is closed book and no outside reference materials are allowed. - Cisco's CCIE Written Exam Page
The current version of the CCIE Routing and Switching written exam is 350-001 v3. You can find a blueprint for this exam here. The written blueprint pretty much follows the topics that are on the current iteration of the CCIE Routing and Switching lab - with the notable addition of MPLS.
Those of you who have taken Cisco certification exams the format of the CCIE written will be familiar and foreign at the same time. Familiar in that the questions are written in a similar format to those on other Cisco certification examinations. There is one significant difference with the CCIE written exam: the ability to mark questions for later review as well at the ability go back to previous questions. This is different from the CCNA and CCNP exams that I have taken. In those exams once you move on to the next question you cannot return to it. The ability to mark and review questions is an advantage to the test taker.
There's one other difference between the CCIE written exam and other Cisco exams: the cost. The CCIE written exam cost $350 whereas the CCNA costs $250 and each CCNP test costs $150.
Study Strategies
CCIE candidates generally take one of two approaches to studying for the written exams: study for exclusively for the written exam and then start studying for the lab after passing the written exam, or rolling the written studies into their lab study. I took the second approach.
The reason that I did was because the written and the lab blueprints are very similar (with the exception of MPLS). I found that I learned the concepts better when I labbed them up. I was also itching to get started on my lab preparation. Since passing the lab was only a means to scheduling the lab exam, I was in no hurry to take the written exam. [You can read my written exam experience here]
On the other hand, if you study specifically for the written lab and get it out of the way you can go ahead and schedule your lab attempt (you have up to eighteen months to schedule your first attempt after you pass the written exam). If you want to take the lab within a shorter period of time (you're pretty much looking at 90 days out in most cases) then you'll want to knock the written out.
Preparation Materials
As I stated earlier, I rolled my written and lab prep together so the only topic that I needed to study independently was MPLS. I found that the MPLS content of the written exam to be fairly basic, so there's no need to do a deep-dive into that topic. When it came time to focus on the written exam I simply studied from Doyle's Routing TCP/IP Volumes I and II as well as Odom's CCIE Routing and Switching Exam Certification Guide (3rd Edition).
My study routine for most certification exams is to read the certification guide and then use testing software to guage my readiness for the exam. Boson and Transcender both make excellent testing software. Transcender does not make a product for the CCIE, but Boson does.
Some of the major CCIE training vendors offer products specifically for the CCIE written exam. CCBootcamp offers a CCIE Routing and Switching Written Exam Study Guide while NetMasterClass offers testing software for the written exam.
Conclusion
Whether you decide to incorporate your written exam studies into your overall lab studies or concentrate on passing the written exam before buckling down for the big dance that is the lab exam, you should definitely take the opportunity to really build a foundational knowledge of the "theory" that is focused on in the written exam so that it will serve you well when you get to the "application" aspect in the lab exam.
Next week we'll start looking at probably the most important and expensive decision you'll make on your CCIE journey: deciding which CCIE lab exam training materials to purchase.
CCIE Pursuit is the nom de plume of the Twin Cities-based network engineer responsible for the CCIE Pursuit blog. This blog chronicles the author's pursuit of the highest rung on the Cisco Certification ladder as well as news and events pertaining to the CCIE candidates.
CCIE Talk is a senior network engineer for a leading distribution company. His areas of expertise include network design & implementation, unified communications and security. He is also an independent consultant with over 8 years of Data/Voice Communications experience. He holds various Cisco certifications including CCNP, CCIP and CCDP and is working on his CCIE Routing and Switching.
CCIE Journey is the network engineer at a local health care company in Buffalo, N.Y. He was previously the network engineer and IT director at another health care company for seven years before moving on to another adventure. He has been working with Cisco for the last eight years and decided it was time to pursue a CCIE.
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Great blog!!
This is a great blog. I'm currently debating on whether or not I want to go for my CCIE in the next 2-3 years. I'm 25 and about to go for my MBA, but a CCIE is also a possibility for me prior to 30.
Let me ask a question. My ultimate career goal is entrepreneurial in nature. I want to start up a consultancy and bring on more advanced technical people to work with me. But, I feel that, in order to be able to get started working independently, I'd need the strong technical background to bring in clients. Would any independent consultants agree with this?
Thanks! Tom
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