It has been only a few years that the Cisco certifications have started to go off the charts and gain momentum and likability like never before. Suddenly there is too much in demand, and it has become a reference to classify the candidates' professional IT aptitude looking for an IT-oriented job. The CCIE, which is another certification offered by Cisco, is no different. CCIE certification means that the professional who has secured it has all the knowledge and technical skills required to design, implement, and configure the security detailing following the Cisco solutions and IT resources.
Their end task is to make sure that the networking or other systems that the company depends on to remain safe from all the devastations and hacking attempts proposed by hackers and cybercriminals. This is not an entry-level certification and is more professional looking then some professionals would be willing to give it credit for. CCIE security engineers are significantly in demand these days given the fact that the IT landscape is constantly under the threats of a cyber-breach or some other technical vulnerabilities, and security professionals are needed who can take care of these flaws well in advance.
Prerequisites for Passing the CCIE Exam
As it happens, there are no specific prerequisites to follow; you only need some basic IT knowledge and a little understanding of the coding and related technologies. All that you need to do in order to clear the examination is to pass both the written and the lab exam. The written exam is only 2 hours, which means that you will be able to complete it given there is enough allotted time. There are about 90-110 MCQs based questions that you will have to answer within the allocated time frame.
You must have dedicated knowledge of planning, implementing, and configuring the security systems around complicated Cisco technologies, as most of the questions are going to base on this very fact.
The lab exam, on the other hand, can only be approached once you have passed the written exam; you get a time frame of about 18 months during which you have to pass the lab exam, and if not, then you will get a second attempt on the lab exam after 12 months. And should you fail again within three years of passing the written exam, you will have to take the written exam again, thus starting right from the beginning. Collectively the whole exam will cost you about $2000, and the training and boot camps are not included in this fee structure.
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Tips on Passing the Exam
As you now have pretty much all the information that you need to know considering the certification in general, you need to prioritize a few things if you want to seriously clear the examination in a single attempt. From the lab and written exam description, you must have come to the understanding that this certification is not a joke and definitely not an entry level certification. That is why some serious focus is required to pass it, and only consistent trying and perseverance will get you through. You need to take another thing into consideration, and that is you don't need some excessive training for the sake of passing the written exam. Simply some knowledge about the CCIE certification, in general, will suffice.
Because you will get some extended time frame to prepare for the lab exam, it is recommended that you only focus on the written exam first without worrying about the lab exam. Following are some of the tips that can help you to pass the examination almost in a single try;
- Practice for Lab
As illustrated earlier, it is not that hard to pass the written exam provided that you have some raw knowledge of how networking works and have read a lot about the CCIE certification from Cisco handbooks or some other study material. The lab exam is the real deal, and this is what you need to prepare for. Try to do as much practice as you can and cover each and every topic in depth. Ask questions from your lab trainers when you run into some trouble and get your concepts in order.
- Get Ahold of CCIE Forums
The next thing that you need to do is get a subscription to the CCIE forum; it is like a community where different CCIE professionals interact with each other and help each other by sharing tips and additional information to help you get a detailed look into the exam structure. These professionals are almost available 24/7. You can ask them questions about any part or section of the exam, and they will get back to you at their earliest disposal.
- Find Your Weakness
Being in the lab for all that time and practicing different modules, you might end up being challenged by a few of them for sure, these are weaknesses, and you should overcome these long before the exam date comes near. Make a list of your weaknesses and the things that you need to grow a better grip on and burn some excessive midnight oil for these and get them in order before the exam is over your head.
- Online PDF Exam Papers
To make things easier for you and provide you with a real-life taste for the CCIE Cisco exam, there are many different online PDF exam papers that you will be able to find on various sites. Download them if they are free and try to solve them. Go this way; try to solve the same module over the PDF exam that you have just practiced or learned about and see how well do you score. Keep on practicing and become better at it, it will take some time for sure, but you will get there eventually.
CCIE Security certification ensures that you have better interaction with various job titles that emerge in accordance with the IT security, and clearing the certification would validate your skillset, which means that you will be able to approach those jobs and make a promising career out of it.
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