The tiebreaker on ccie lab day (or what to expect on ccie lab day)

We use to prepare pretty good the technical part of the exam in terms of knowledge and troubleshooting method. Nobody doubts before you take lab, you understand english and your second native language is IOS. But, what happens when we are at the edge of the “PASS” word?? When we are at the edge, the tiebreaker is the environment aclimatation, your confidence and weird knowledge. As 

Steve Jobs at Standford University said: “Connecting the dots”

First of all, try to answer this question, what do you expect to find at Cisco lab room? I can answer this qüestion related to my experience:

At this point, this was my expectation about the lab environment the first time I paied a 1400 + 300 bucks for a dinner:

The whole test day will looks like my trainning sessions. I mean, I will wake up at 08:00, I’ll take a shower 08:15, I’ll have my easy breakfast from 08:30 to 08:45. Then at 08:45 sharp, I will go to my private study room, quiet, well known place with no distractions. Then I will prepare my printed labs, spread diagrams over the table, meanwhile I’m connecting to the rented ccie lab.

At 09:00 sharp(Again) I will start reading the new practice lab, nobody is disturbing me. I will pay attention only at Layer 3 diagrams because the rest of diagrams I had memorized them. I will work on lab until 14:00, when I like to have my dinner. At 15:30 I will restart my long lab as the first moment, thanks to the long break. And the end, I will look for the new topics, through the whole CCO tech support. 

I’ll be happy because I finish my lab test in 7 and half hours, so 30” extra time to review my great config.

YOU WILL FIND A FAIL AS A RESULT.

What to expect instead and how to lower stress level and rise up lab time: Si vis pacem, para bellum

Target 1: Lower your unnecessary stress level.

Target 2: Improve your concentration level under hard env conditions: Noise, freezing temp, unwished break times and foreign language instructions(or not). 

Target 3: Not practice, not learned. Does not care if you read it, check it. 

Target 4: There’s no insignificant feature related to the exam.

Fly one day before to the city. DON’T decide to fly the same day, you will suffer high stress when you get stuck at brussels(for instance) traffic jam from the airport.

Book a room at the closest Hotel. You should avoid non-walking travel to the Cisco dependencies. Use a “quick check out” if it’s available at your hotel.

Be used to wake up between 6:00 and 06:30, take your LIGHT breakfast at 07:00. 

07:30 Walk to the Cisco Brussels Location

07:45 You have your ID as “Guest to be escorted” after crossing the security checkpoint.

08:00 Wait with your colleges for the Proctor.

08:15 Proctor checks the candidate list, after that everybody receives instructions from the Proctor depending on the LAB flavour.

08:25 The countdown is running. Troubleshooting start for R&S. Start reading the entire lab qüestions.

Absolutely everything will be showed at the screen, no printed diagrams or qüestions. No securecrt, no regular cisco web to find topics. 

So, you must practice with all the material at computer screen. Just a couple of sheets to write down anotations. 

Thousands of devices, just focus at devices related to tiquets. Don’t loose time drawing diagrams. Don’t waste more than 10 minuts per tiquet. 

Are you used to US keyboard layout? Not try to change your layout, and how much time you spend looking for * or ? keys. Advise, buy one!

You can check the this info at the following Cisco Video Watch Lab Exam Demo Now

10:25 Troubleshooting round is over, Configuration section round, FIGHT!

Now, you are freezing, the Phone’s rings will start, hundred by minute with severals melodies. Some of your surronding colleges will start discussions(Just one meter away) with the proctor to clarify their qüestions (keep focus). The Proctor, will explain for everybody the common ones(Pay attention).

Some racks will not work properly, the guy who suffered it, start to ask yelling, what’s the hell is going on...(keep focus). They will refund the guy money.

Do you expect to find the Layer 1 and 2 as your study materials, why? 

11:30-12:30 or 12:30-13:00 Dinner Break, avoid non-light Menu. 

12:30 or 13:00 Back to the lab. You need to complete at home the conf section in 4 hours. The lab day, you will spend the double of time checking or troubleshooting topics.

You must know all the blueprint topics just for complete 70% of the conf section. The pass will come if you know what new features comes will the “T” of the IOS. You need to practice accesing ALL the content at CCO without find function. Can you arrive the multicast boundary method, just in four clicks? Not, you FAIL.

15:30 Your exam should be finish. Start rechecking. SAVE and reload.

16:30 Proctor advise time is reaching the limit. 

16:55 Alea iacta est. Your life is back.

And remember, you can share my ccie rack: Rent a half price rack at Barcelona(Spain)

RobClav