Because I’ve developed quite a bit of CCIE preparation material (including the Boson #3 quiz for this exam), I feel competent to offer some basic advice in preparing for this test. Since one of the more common questions I’ve heard is where to start, I’ve compiled a list of resources, techniques and just plain old common wisdom in the hopes that it proves useful. If you have any questions, issues, concerns, additions or, of course compliments, please feel free to contact me through e-mail at Dennis@Laganiere.net. Thanks, and good luck in your studies.
Introduction
In August of 2002, Cisco upgraded the CCIE Routing and Switching Qualification Exam (the written exam) for the first time in several years. The new exam is much harder in every way; the topics covered are deeper, and there are more CCIE-level questions. You’ll find very little ambiguity, and out of 150 questions, you can expect about half to come with diagrams, router configurations, and/or show/debug outputs. Typically the topics you’ll face will include VoIP, MPLS, Security, Switching, TCP/IP, routing protocols (OSPF, IS-IS, EIGRP and BGP), Multicasting, and just about anything else that can be done on Cisco equipment. This will mean facing many of the same tricks and gotchas that used to be found exclusively in the CCIE lab; and many of the questions seem like small stand-alone lab scenarios all their own.
That said, the new exam is not impossible. It’s been out for quite some time now, and pass rates have begun to go back up. My goal with this document is to provide some encouragement, and point out some of the tools other people who have passed the exam have found useful.
Preparing for the CCIE Written exam (350-001)
People commonly complete the CCNP exams before beginning to study for the CCIE Written. This is not a requirement, but rather the common path to follow, and it does help to prepare you for many of the topics covered. However, if you think the written is just an extension of the CCNP process, you’re wrong. The Written exam encompasses the totality of routing and switching with Cisco equipment. You’ll have three hours of being hammered by questions that can cover almost anything that can be done on Cisco networking equipment.
You should absolutely start by pulling down a copy of the exam blueprint from the Cisco website. Don’t consider yourself ready for the exam until you are completely comfortable with ALL the topics on the list. I would paste a copy of the blueprint into your word processor, and start developing your own set of notes based on the topics covered.
There are several online communities of Cisco enthusiasts that can provide invaluable in your quest. Start by joining the e-mail feed at www.groupstudy.com, and the billboard for the CCIE Written at www.routerie.com. This will give you a place to seek help with some of the more complicated or esoteric issues, and provide a sounding board for the variety of questions that will come up. Groupstudy also represents a group that will encourage when your feeling overwhelmed, provide help when things aren’t working, celebrate your success when you pass the exam, and most of all - kick you when you’re down, and make fun of any stupid questions you post (there are jerks everywhere). Take the positive where you can get it, and the negative with good humor, and you’ll be fine.
One of the best study practices you can have is to help answer questions posted on Groupstudy, even if they don’t directly relate to what you’re working on. Researching answers for other people can get you to try things that would never occur to you otherwise. Once you find you’re posting more answers than questions, you’ll know you’re ready to breeze through the written exam.
My next bit of advice is to find a study partner, either someone you can physically meet with on a regular basis, or a group of people online who are on the same path. A good study partner will often keep you on track, and force you to analyze your opinions. A quick post on Groupstudy might net you a number of people willing to work together.
Once you’ve joined the appropriate online groups, found somebody to study with, and printed out the blueprint, what comes next?
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