Because I’ve developed quite a bit of CCIE preparation material (including the Boson #3 quiz for this exam), I feel competent to offer some basic advice in preparing for this test. Since one of the more common questions I’ve heard is where to start, I’ve compiled a list of resources, techniques and just plain old common wisdom in the hopes that it proves useful. If you have any questions, issues, concerns, additions or, of course compliments, please feel free to contact me through e-mail at Dennis@Laganiere.net. Thanks, and good luck in your studies.
Introduction
In August of 2002, Cisco upgraded the CCIE Routing and Switching Qualification Exam (the written exam) for the first time in several years. The new exam is much harder in every way; the topics covered are deeper, and there are more CCIE-level questions. You’ll find very little ambiguity, and out of 150 questions, you can expect about half to come with diagrams, router configurations, and/or show/debug outputs. Typically the topics you’ll face will include VoIP, MPLS, Security, Switching, TCP/IP, routing protocols (OSPF, IS-IS, EIGRP and BGP), Multicasting, and just about anything else that can be done on Cisco equipment. This will mean facing many of the same tricks and gotchas that used to be found exclusively in the CCIE lab; and many of the questions seem like small stand-alone lab scenarios all their own.
That said, the new exam is not impossible. It’s been out for quite some time now, and pass rates have begun to go back up. My goal with this document is to provide some encouragement, and point out some of the tools other people who have passed the exam have found useful.
Preparing for the CCIE Written exam (350-001)
People commonly complete the CCNP exams before beginning to study for the CCIE Written. This is not a requirement, but rather the common path to follow, and it does help to prepare you for many of the topics covered. However, if you think the written is just an extension of the CCNP process, you’re wrong. The Written exam encompasses the totality of routing and switching with Cisco equipment. You’ll have three hours of being hammered by questions that can cover almost anything that can be done on Cisco networking equipment.
You should absolutely start by pulling down a copy of the exam blueprint from the Cisco website. Don’t consider yourself ready for the exam until you are completely comfortable with ALL the topics on the list. I would paste a copy of the blueprint into your word processor, and start developing your own set of notes based on the topics covered.
There are several online communities of Cisco enthusiasts that can provide invaluable in your quest. Start by joining the e-mail feed at www.groupstudy.com, and the billboard for the CCIE Written at www.routerie.com. This will give you a place to seek help with some of the more complicated or esoteric issues, and provide a sounding board for the variety of questions that will come up. Groupstudy also represents a group that will encourage when your feeling overwhelmed, provide help when things aren’t working, celebrate your success when you pass the exam, and most of all - kick you when you’re down, and make fun of any stupid questions you post (there are jerks everywhere). Take the positive where you can get it, and the negative with good humor, and you’ll be fine.
One of the best study practices you can have is to help answer questions posted on Groupstudy, even if they don’t directly relate to what you’re working on. Researching answers for other people can get you to try things that would never occur to you otherwise. Once you find you’re posting more answers than questions, you’ll know you’re ready to breeze through the written exam.
My next bit of advice is to find a study partner, either someone you can physically meet with on a regular basis, or a group of people online who are on the same path. A good study partner will often keep you on track, and force you to analyze your opinions. A quick post on Groupstudy might net you a number of people willing to work together.
Once you’ve joined the appropriate online groups, found somebody to study with, and printed out the blueprint, what comes next? I’m about to give you a list of books that I think will give you the knowledge you need to beat the exam, but before I do, let me make an aside ? remember that the exam changed significantly in August of 2002. Anything written before that (including my own book) will still have relevant sections, but won’t be focused on the current test topics. If somebody gives them to you, or if you find any used at a good price, by all means take advantage of the opportunity; but don’t waste your limited funds buying expensive books that are not focused on the current exam. On a related note, keep in mind that hardcover networking books (especially Cisco Press books) are expensive, and having a study partner might mean you can share the expense.
OK, that said, here is a list of books that I believe you’ll find useful to start getting a deeper understanding of the topics you’ll need to master, both for the written exam, and later for the lab. I believe the first six are absolutely necessary, and the last three deserve a quick review to make sure you have a solid grasp of the topics at hand:
? CCIE Routing and Switching Exam Certification Guide by Anthony Bruno ? You’d think the Cisco Press study guide for the exam would be the only thing you need to pass this test; but you would be $300 poorer if you tried that (trust me, lots of people have). Bruno’s book is a good introduction to most of the topics to the exam, which is why I listed it first; but by itself, it’s nowhere near enough to master these topics. I recommend reading this first, and keeping it handy in case you get confused, but please don’t see this as any more than a starting point.
? Cisco Certification: Bridges, Routers and Switches for CCIEs, Second Edition by Andrew Bruce Caslow ? This was written to be an introduction to the technologies you’ll face in the lab, but it is also an excellent review of most of the basic technologies you’ll face on the written exam. I’ve read this cover to cover several times, and I think it’s one of the best Cisco books out there.
? Routing TCP/IP Volume I (CCIE Professional Development) by Jeff Doyle ? This is the definitive source on Internal Gateway Protocols (IGPs). This is one you should read cover to cover.
? Routing TCP/IP, Volume II (CCIE Professional Development) by Jeff Doyle, Jennifer DeHaven Carroll ? Doyle brings the same straightforward approach of his first book to the study of several advanced TCP/IP topics, including Exterior Gateway Protocols (EGPs), Border Gateway Protocol 4 (BGP-4), IP multicasting, IPv6, and network address translation (NAT).
? Internet Routing Architectures (2nd Edition) by Sam Halabi - The authority on all things BGP.
? MPLS and VPN Architectures: A Practical Guide to Understanding, Designing and Deploying MPLS and MPLS-Enabled VPNs by Guichard and Pepelnjak ? MPLS seems to have been a hot topic of discussion in the office the day they put together the new CCIE Written exam. Many people have said they saw a number of questions on it, and I think it’s worth a bit of exploration, so I would not just read this book, but setup MPLS in a test pod. You’ll find free instructions for running MPLS on cheap 2500 series routers at www.writtenexam.com.
? CCIE Professional Development: Cisco Lan Switching (The Cisco Press CCIE Professional Development Series) by Clark and Hamilton ? Although you probably learned most of what you need to know about switching while preparing for the CCNP
