Well, I have finally achieved the goal. CCIE # 10735
Attempt #1
13 months ago I started with the practice labs after reading a bit. I felt that I had to get my hands on the routers, as that way I would learn more. After a few labs I decided that I would be more focused if I set myself a real target so I booked for my first lab in January 2002. I spent all of the November studying as much as could after work. By the time I got to the 28 day window I felt that I needed more time to prepare so I changed the lab date to late February. Spent most of the festive season studying. While everyone else was out there enjoying themselves and the good weather I spent the time reading and doing labs.
February 19, the day before my lab, I flew out to Sydney. Got there around 8am, had a friend pick me up from the airport and spent a few hours with him. Went to the Cisco building to get my bearings and to confirm that was where I need to come for the lab. Checked into the hotel that afternoon and started to go over all my notes and skimming through all the books that I had taken with me. I took my entire library with me.
Day of the lab I was a bunch of nerves. Started the lab and after reading through it I felt that I could do this. Worked away till lunch, a bit slow at first but then soon gathered speed. At lunch I wanted to have a smoke but the proctor would not allow me to take anything out of my jacket pocket so my smokes had to stay in the lab while I went down to lunch. Back after lunch I worked away until I suddenly realised that a key part of my lab was broken. I frantically tried to fix this. Rebooted a few routers still to no avail. I spent so much time trying to fix this that I did not have a chance to check that everything else I had done was actually correct. Needless to say I was not ready for this status.
Attempt #2
So I got back home and felt that I could do this and booked the earliest date that I could get. 5 Weeks later I was back at the lab. This time much more prepared and confident. I took the lab on the Thursday before Good Friday. It was a very difficult lab but I worked my way through it. Finished with about 3 hours to spare so I checked my work till the end of the day, changing the odd thing and was finally happy with that I had produced. Left the lab feeling that I had done enough. The 4 days that followed were absolute torture. I had to wait till the next business day for my result. As it was the Easter weekend I had to wait till Tuesday only to find out that I had not passed. I just could not work out why I failed so after thinking about it for a few days, I asked for a remark. The remark did not change the result to a pass.
Attempt #3
At this point I was almost ready to give up. But, I had started this journey and was not going to give up that easily. So I started to analyze every little detail in my technique. Read the books again and finally booked a new date. The date was just after the changes would come into effect in the lab (3350, no IGRP, no IPX etc) but I was hoping that someone would drop a date. This did not happen. I modified my strategy and study plan to suit. My employer was kind enough to allow me study time from about 5 weeks before the exam. This was really valuable time which I made the most off.
I left Auckland a day earlier this time to give myself a day to relax. On arrival at the hotel I checked in and I was given the keys to Room 13 on the 13th floor. Just so happens the date was the 13th November 2002. Bugger!!
I asked if I could have this changed but the hotel was full. I had to take what they had. I was certain that this was a sign that I would have to come back for a 4th time to get this number. I called a friend once I was settled and told him the story of the NUMBER 13, he said not to worry 1 and 3 made 4, which for him was a lucky number. This did not ease my mind, 4 for 4th attempt. That first night I went over a few chapters in the books and the CD. This time I only had 3 books not the whole library of 12 books.
The next day I reviewed my notes and tried to do as little as possible. Got into bed at 20:30 knowing that I needed to have a good rest. 04:30 day of the exam I was still awake!! Tried to count sheep and after a thousand odd sheep I got around 3 hours sleep. Got ready and headed off to the lab. No time for breakfast, had a chocolate bar and a juice.
While sitting in the reception at Cisco a staff member came in and started to chat with me. I explained my situation and that I had no sleep. He suggested a strong coffee. After a little while he told me that he was the Proctor. I could have kicked myself. I was not expecting a new proctor. He asked me to come up to the Lab and where he helped me get that strong coffee.
Started the lab at 09:30 thinking that I was not going to make it as I would be too tired by late afternoon. Never the less I had to give it a shot.
As I read through the lab I realized that this was the hardest of the labs that I have had so far. However I felt that it was achievable. I worked through the lab at a good pace and had no real issues. I had a few queries which the proctor answered. Got to the end of the day without falling asleep or feeling tired. Found a few things that needed to be fixed. I also started to change things that were correct, not a good sign but realizing this I stopped checking. As I read over the lab one last time I discovered that I had not fully configured one item, with about 42 seconds to spare I was done.
The Proctor told me that I would have my result in 2 hours.
I left at 18:05 feeling that I had done everything that was asked and I had a really good chance of passing. As I walked back to the hotel I went over the lab in my mind and by the time I was in my room I was more confident that I had passed. I called home to let my family know that I had finished and my result would be in the mailbox within 2 hours. I told my wife Swasthie that I would check my email at the local internet cafe and call back . A few minutes had passed and I realized that I may need my Prometric ID to check the result online. However I just could not find it, so I called home to get the ID.
Swasthie went to my computer and was just about to check for the ID when she notice that an email had arrived from ccie_.... She told me this and then read the words "CCIE Lab Score Report". I immediately felt a cold chill, as I realized that this was what they send out when you fail. Next thing she tells me that there is another email saying Congratulations on Passing the CCIE Lab! I did not believe her. I got her to read the email over and over. Still not entirely convinced I got my ID # and rushed to the net cafe logged in and there it was
"CONGRATULATIONS once again on passing the CCIE exam! Your CCIE number is 10735."
I printed the email, after paying 30c a page plus a couple dollars for the session I headed back to the hotel, reading the email again just to make sure that there had been no mistake and that this was really my number.
I had finally achieved THE goal "CCIE" with lots of heartache, stress and dedication. My hair has gone so grey that I probably look ten years older than 31.
Now its time to get back to normal stuff and to get this website shaped up. Look out for updates to the CCIE page. I will be updating it soon and also on a more regular basis now that I have the time