Scott Ireland, CCIE #28256

Having worked my way up to the CCIE R&S written exam using only self-study and on the job experience, I was able to make use of the graded mock labs both for the practice and for the feedback from the assessor. As Cisco provides very little performance feedback after the lab exam, the mock lab feedback was valuable in identifying some of the finer details that needed to be considered in implementing solutions during the lab exam. In some cases, the mock lab evaluation feedback was a little questionable, but this was still enough to point out areas in which to do a little further research and solidify my understanding of the topics involved. After doing a few of the mock labs, I was better prepared for the lab exam and passed it in Feb 2011. If mock labs are available for the next CCIE track I attempt, I will definitely consider including them in my preparations.