Kyle C. Barnes II, CCIE #46535

Its been 8 months since I started.... and wow, what a journey. My approach has been like many others: Watch the Advanced Technology Course videos and do the respective labs--rinse and repeat. After 6 months I finished all the labs and began doing them again, as there were not yet any full scale labs available. Once the labs were available, I cycled through them constantly--always looking for a way to do it faster, better, or more efficiently. After attending INE's CCIE Routing & Switching 10-Day Bootcamp, I took my first attempt in San Jose. I did not pass :( I found that there is a way to approach the CCIE lab. As David Blaire said, "Come up with a preferred...and not-so-preferred option." I went with whatever came to mind first, as I obsessed about the time. The second time around I approached it more logically and thought out the options before proceeding. My biggest piece of advice I have for anyone is to find a study group. I personally didn't like the typical post on the forums....wait 2 days....someone responds with a misunderstanding...only to finally come up with a solution a week later. With a study group, you can ask people who actually have an incentive to help. This helps everyone as it can either validate his or her understanding, or show a hole in which they can work on filling. Good luck everyone!