Clifton Folkerts, CCIE #17516

Brian & Brian, I am pleased to inform you that I passed my CCIE lab exam on Feb. 6th, 2007. This was my first attempt. Initially my score report had indicated that I did not pass and through the breakdown of percentages I had determined that I was about 3 points from passing. So under the advice from a colleague, I had submitted for a reread and I also scheduled my next exam for March 12th. On March 6th, my reread results came back and showed my reread was successful and I had passed. My CCIE number is 17516. I wanted to thank both of you for your great products. I began my lab preparation back in June of '06 by purchasing your version 3 workbook along with the Class on Demand. While gathering equipment for my home lab I began preparing by reading the usual Cisco Press books as well as utilizing your COD. The COD is a great product and I would definitely recommend it to anyone pursuing their CCIE. It helped close many gaps that I had in my knowledge and solidified the knowledge that I did have. I decided to follow the advice from Brian Dennis and followed his guide "How to pass the Routing and Switching CCIE lab exam." So in September I also purchased the Core Lab workbook along with the Advanced Technology labs. From September through the end of January, I knocked out all of the labs that Brian had suggested in his guide. With any topic I had trouble with I went back to the books and reviewed the class on demand. This helped fill in the gaps and made me comfortable with a particular technology I was having trouble with. After every task I would verify my solution was correct before I went on to the next task. I applied this same verification process in the lab exam and I believe this is what made the difference. My last week before the exam was spent relaxing and making sure I got enough rest. Thanks again for your wonderful products and I will definitely consider you guys in the future for other certifications that I may pursue.