Progress?
Posted by Jo on September 3, 2008
I got 60 on IE Mock Lab 5, which is 10 below I thought I got (although I didn’t check it over, so it was just a hunch!). Once again stupid mistakes cost me some additional points that I thought I had in the bag – like applying things to incorrect interfaces etc. One of my tasks is the same as the SG (auto-summary, but I got dinged on that one too!) I missed out on points for not doing the QoS section very well, and I knew I screwed up my multicast and NTP sections. There were a number of tasks that depended on previous tasks in this lab, and although the config was correct for two of them, I missed out on the points for all three linked questions.
So, where does this leave me? Well according to the result of this lab I did better than 84% of people taking it, but still didnt get closer to the 70% I was hoping for. I still need to work on my concentration and verification. This mock was another fine example of not checking tasks through at the end. I seem to be able to go for around 6 hours at the moment. The next lab I do that I finish within 6 hours or so I will take an enforced 15-30 minute break, to clear my head and then start checking every detail from the beginning and see where this gets me.
Due to the CCIE rule changes just announced I will have to pay for my scheduled lab on the 6th September as it is within 90 days of this date. This gives me a few days to make my final decision as to go for it or not. In between now and then I have some rack time booked to work on my IP Expert labs and will also do one of their Mocks over the weekend to see where I stand.
EDIT:
This post made me feel a little bit better! 🙂
CCIE Lab Preparation 
Ethan said
Yep, that lab kicked my butt, score-wise. Sounds like you ran into some of the same problems I did – silly mistakes. I remember that mock – I understood the tech pretty well, but got dinged all over because of my own carelessness. IE’s difficulty rating is pretty accurate, so take heart that your CCIE lab probably won’t be as difficult as the mock you just did.
You might also take a look at the lab work I did between taking the mock lab and taking the actual lab. http://www.cciecandidate.com/?page_id=202 You’re in the home stretch, I would say.
ccielab said
Thanks Ethan, that comment has given me a little kick. I think its like Keith said on your blog, some days everything goes right and you feel like you can take the lab tomorrow and pass, and others you are not so confident!
I do plan on doing a similar set of labs that you did after this mock (I’m repeating 8-11 and 13 in Dynamips) as well as 5 of the IP Expert graded mocks. I did this Mock lab again last night at home on Dynamips and although things were fresh in my mind, it still made me think a little, and I checked through everything at the end – so was a good experience.