CCIE Routing and Switching Preparation

CCIE Routing and Switching 

Prerequisites

There are no formal prerequisites for CCIE certification. Other professional certifications or training courses are not required. Instead, candidates must first pass a written qualification exam and then the corresponding hands-on lab exam. You are expected to have an in-depth understanding of the topics in the exam blueprints and strongly encouraged to have three to five years of job experience before attempting certification.

Step One: CCIE Routing and Switching Written Exam

You must pass the two-hour, written qualification exam, which covers networking concepts and some equipment commands before you are eligible to schedule the lab exam.

CCIE® Routing & Switching Written

350-001 CCIE Exam v4.0

Exam Number:350-001
Associated Certifications:CCIE RS
Duration:120 minutes (90-110 questions)
Available Languages:English
Click Here to Register:Pearson VUE
Exam Policies:Read current policies and requirements
Exam Tutorial:Review type of exam questions
CCIE Policies:Review the current CCIE Policies.

Exam Description

The CCIE written exam is a two-hour qualification exam, taken at a Cisco authorized Pearson VUE testing center. The exam uses a combination of multiple choice questions and simulations to assess the skills listed under Exam Topics.  Exams are closed book and no reference materials are allowed.

Step Two: CCIE Routing and Switching Lab Exam

The eight-hour lab exam tests your ability to configure actual equipment and troubleshoot the network in a timed test situation. You must make an initial attempt of the CCIE lab exam within 18-months of passing the CCIE written exam. If you do not pass the lab exam within three years of passing the written exam, you must retake the written exam before being allowed to attempt the lab exam again.

About the CCIE Lab Exam

The CCIE lab exam is an eight-hour, hands-on exam which requires you to configure and troubleshoot a series of complex networks to given specifications. Knowledge of troubleshooting is an important skill and candidates are expected to diagnose and solve issues as part of the CCIE lab exam. You will not configure end-user systems, but are responsible for all devices residing in the network (hubs, etc.). Point values and testing criteria are provided. More detail is found on the Routing and Switching Lab Exam Blueprint and the list of Lab Equipment and IOS Versions.

Cost

The Lab Exam cost does not including travel and lodging expenses. Costs may vary due to exchange rates and local taxes (VAT, GST). You are responsible for any fees your financial institution charges to complete the payment transaction.  Price not confirmed and is subject to change until full payment is made. For more information on the Lab Exam Registration please reference the Take Your Lab Exam tab.

Lab Environment

The Cisco documentation CD is available in the lab room, but the exam assumes knowledge of the more common protocols and technologies. As of March 2006, the documentation can only be navigated using the index; the search function has been disabled. No outside reference materials are permitted in the lab room. You must report any suspected equipment issues to the proctor during the exam; adjustments cannot be made once the exam is over.

Lab Exam Grading

Each question on the lab has specific criterion. The labs are graded by proctors who ensure all the criterion are met and points are awarded accordingly. The proctors use automatic tools to gather information from the routers to perform some preliminary evaluations, but the final determination of a correct or incorrect configuration is done by a trained proctor.

Lab Format

The CCIE R&S lab exam consists of a two-hour Troubleshooting section, and a six-hour Configuration section.

Results

You can review your lab exam results online (login required), usually within 48 hours. Results are Pass/Fail and failing score reports indicate major topic areas where additional study and preparation may be useful.

Reevaluation of Lab Results

You may request a reevaluation of results for Routing and Switching, and Service Provider labs for up to 14 days following your exam date. Use the link next to your lab record called "Request for Reread". Due to the equipment used, rereads are not available for the Security, Voice, Wireless, Data Center or Storage tracks exams. Each reread costs US$250 plus any applicable local taxes. Payment is made online via credit card and your card will be charged upon receipt of the request. You may not cancel the reread request once the process has been initiated and refunds are only given when the results change from Fail to Pass.

A reread consists of a second proctor loading your configurations onto a rack to recreate the test and rescore the entire exam. This process may take up to three weeks after receipt of payment. Only one reread per lab attempt is permitted. The result of the reread is an updated score report with success rates for each major section. Be aware that scores may decrease. Exams receive a Pass mark only when the total exam score exceeds 80%. Before requesting a reread, consider that, historically, only 0.3% of exams have been changed from Fail to Pass.

Troubleshooting

Tthe CCIE R&S lab exam features a two-hour troubleshooting section.  Candidates will be presented with a series of trouble tickets for preconfigured networks and need to diagnose and resolve the network fault or faults.  As with the configuration section, the network must be up and running for a candidate to receive credit.  Candidates who finish the troubleshooting section early may proceed on to the configuration section, but they will not be allowed to go back to troubleshooting since their equipment will need to be reinitialized for the configuration portion.