Cisco is a founding member of the Performance Testing Council (PTC), a consortium of IT
industry leaders working to promote the use of hands-on testing as an accurate and reliable
measure of competency. For more information on PTC, visit
www.performancetest.org.
The results of the 2006 annual CCIE survey are now available for your review.
See how your colleagues in the program answered this year’s questions on the
program and exam content.
Cisco Offers Pre-Lab Assessment for CCIE Certification
Now candidates for CCIE Routing and Switching can assess their readiness for the lab exam from
their own desktop, using Cisco-authored CCIE practice lab scenarios and remote live equipment.
After taking the lab, candidates receive a detailed assessment of their performance, including
the correct command lines and suggestions for further study.
Find out more
about the CCIE Assessor Lab for Routing and Switching.
The Beijing CCIE lab is moving to a new location on May 5 2008.
The new address is:
Cisco Systems
7-12/F Building C,Yintai Office Tower,Beijing Yintai Centre
No. 2 Jianguomenwai Ave, Chaoyang District
Beijing, P.R. China Postal Code: 100022
3 March 2008
CCIE Storage Written Exam Beta
Beginning April 3, 2008, a beta version of the new CCIE Storage qualification exam will be available at all testing centers for a reduced price.
For complete information, visit the CCIE Storage Networking page.
31 May 2007
New Sydney Lab Location
As of June 5th, the CCIE lab in Sydney, Australia, is moving to a new location in St. Leonards.
For complete information on the Sydney lab, visit our Sydney, Australia lab exam page.
7 May 2007
CCIE to Release Revised Routing and Switching Written Exam
The CCIE Routing and Switching written exam (v3.0) will be released on June, 19, 2007 at all testing locations worldwide. The new version will include previously untested topics, such as MPLS and IPv6. Candidates preparing for the Routing and Switching written exam on or after this date should refer to the CCIE RS for a detailed outline of topics that will be covered. Candidates planning take the exam BEFORE June 19th, should continue to refer to this blueprint.
Passing the Routing and Switching written exam qualifies a candidate to schedule the CCIE Routing and Switching lab in addition to meeting recertification requirements where applicable. Find out more about scheduling CCIE exams.
Due to overwhelming demand, CCIE has decided to extend the CCIE Security written beta period through February 6, 2007.
Beta exams are offered at a discounted price of US$50, with
full recertification or lab qualification credit granted to all passing candidates.
Candidates preparing for this exam should refer to
CCIE
Security written exam v2.0 (3.1) blueprint (351-018)
for a detailed outline of the topics covered. Please remember that
candidates may only attempt a beta exam once during the beta period and
individual scores are generally available six to eight weeks after the close of the beta period.
19 Jan 2007
Comprehensive CCIE SP Written Exam Released
As first announced July 13, 2006, Cisco has completed a series of changes to the CCIE Service Provider track, reflecting the growing use of packet-based networks to deliver rich managed services. As of February 1, 2007, candidates for CCIE Service Provider must pass a comprehensive written exam (#350-029), followed by the hands-on lab exam. Specific exam topics can be found online in the CCIE SP written exam blueprint and CCIE SP lab exam blueprint.
As of February 1, 2007, the eight previously-available written exams will no longer be used to qualify a candidate for the lab exam. Four of them, however, will continue to be available for recertification purposes. The recertification exams are: CCIE SP Cable Exam (#350-021), CCIE SP Content Networking Exam (#350-026), CCIE SP Optical Exam (#350-020) and CCIE SP WAN Switching Exam (#350-023). The four exams that are being retired are CCIE SP Dial Exam (#350-025), CCIE SP IP Telephony Exam (#350-024), CCIE SP DSL Exam (#350-022) and CCIE SP Metro Ethernet Exam (#350-027).
Availability of IOS 12.2T for CCIE Security Candidates
Cisco has deferred availability of the download for IOS 12.2T, used in the CCIE Security lab exam on Cisco series 2600/3600/3725 router platforms. Consequently, candidates studying for the CCIE Security lab exam will need to download IOS 12.3 mainline, which includes the Enterprise/FW/IDS/IPSEC features from IOS 12.2T. Please note that candidates will not be tested on any new features in IOS 12.3, and the exam will continue to cover only the features indicated from IOS 12.2T.
14 Dec 2006
Important Update on CCIE Security Written Exam v2.0 (3.1) and Beta Testing
The CCIE Security written exam v2.0 (3.1), originally scheduled to replace v1.0 in early January,
will now be released as a beta exam at all Cisco-authorized testing centers on January 2nd,
2007 through January 23rd, 2007. Beta exams are offered at a discounted price of US$50, with
full recertification or lab qualification credit granted to all passing candidates.
Candidates preparing for this exam should refer to
CCIE Security
written exam v2.0 (3.1) blueprint (351-018)
for a detailed outline of the topics covered. Please remember that
candidates may only attempt a beta exam once during the beta period and
individual scores are generally available six to eight weeks after the close of the beta period.
CCIE Security
written exam v1.0 will continue to be offered at all worldwide testing centers until
March 31, 2007. Candidates planning to take the security written exam before March 31, 2007,
should be familiar with the topics on the current CCIE Security v1.0 blueprint.
13 Dec 2006
CCIE Offers Beta for Revised Routing and Switching Written Exam
The CCIE Routing and Switching Written Exam v3.0 (351-001) will be available at all worldwide,
Cisco-authorized testing centers from December 6th, 2006 through December 30th, 2006. The
beta exam will be offered at a discounted price of US$50, with full recertification or lab
qualification credit granted to all passing candidates. Candidates preparing for this
exam should refer to CCIE
Routing and Switching 3.0 beta bluebrint (351-001) for a detailed outline of topics covered.
Reminders: Candidates may only attempt a beta exam once during its beta period.
Individual beta exam scores will generally be available six to eight weeks after the close
of the beta period.
01 Nov 2006
New Support Tool for CCIE
Effective November 1, 2006, Cisco will migrate CCIE support to the Cisco Certifications Online Support tool and retire the current CCIE email-based system.
The Certifications Online Support tool features an easily-accessible and comprehensive
database of commonly-asked questions on CCIE, other Cisco Career Certifications and training.
Users can search the database by certification or key word, and also set up automatic email
notification when new information is posted on a particular subject. If users
cannot find an answer in the database, they submit their requests directly to Cisco's support
team using the Contact Me button. The first time users submiting a request
will be asked to create a personal login profile, allowing them to track the status
of their requests. The policy of responding to all CCIE support requests within two business
days will not change.
The online tool is currently used by other support teams at Cisco and has proven very
effective at helping customers find answers quickly and track resolution of complex issues.
To start, the tool has been preloaded with frequently-asked questions from the CCIE website,
which are prefaced with the word 'CCIE' in the Summary. Use the drop-down product search function to see a list of all questions related to CCIE.
The tool will become richer over time as additional questions are submitted. Candidates and
certificants should be aware that the policies and processes for other Cisco certifications
may be different from those for CCIE.
CCIE candidates or certificants can access the new support tool from the CCIE website or
directly at www.cisco.com/go/certsupport. For the first couple weeks of November emails
sent to ccie@cisco.com will automatically be sent to the new tool. After that, users will
receive an automatic message reminding them they need to use the tool.
Find out more about the Certification Online Support tool at the following links, or submit
a question online using the Contact Us button.
Cisco is pleased to announce the availability of the CCIE Security
lab exam in Tokyo, Japan beginning January 2, 2007. To serve the growing number of worldwide
candidates pursuing CCIE Security certification, Cisco now offers the lab exam in Beijing,
China; Brussels, Belgium; Dubai, UAE; Raleigh, North Carolina; San Jose, California; Sydney,
Australia; and Tokyo, Japan.
Online scheduling is now available for exams scheduled January 2, 2007 and beyond.
CCIE Storage Networking Now Available in Brussels, Belgium
The CCIE program is pleased to announce the availability of the CCIE
Storage Networking lab exam in Brussels, Belgium. In efforts to serve the growing number of worldwide
candidates pursuing CCIE Storage Networking certification, the locations offering the CCIE Storage Networking
lab now include RTP, North Carolina and Brussels, Belgium.
Effective November 20, 2006 the CCIE Stroage Networking lab exam will open in Brussels, Belgium.
Online scheduling is now available.
08 Sep 2006
New Options and Pricing for CCIE Assessor Lab
Cisco has introduced new options for purchasing the CCIE Assessor
Lab. Each four-hour CCIE practice lab now comes with two additional hours of practice time on
the live equipment, all for US$279. Also, a second and different four-hour version of CCIE
Assessor for Routing and Switching has been released, covering additional topics found on
the eight-hour CCIE lab exam. Candidates purchasing both versions together pay a discounted
price of US$399 for the two four-hour practice labs and a total of four additional hours of
equipment time. See Exam Preparation
for more details.
17 Aug 2006
CCIE to Release Revised Voice Written Exam
A revision to the Voice written exam will be released between
October 31st and November 2nd, 2006 in all testing locations worldwide. The new version will replace the
current version and will include several previously untested topics, such as
CallManager Express, Cisco Unity
Express, and Integrated Contract Distribution. Candidates preparing for the Voice written exam
on or after these dates should refer to the
CCIE
Voice Written Exam 2.0 Blueprint for a detailed outline of topics that will be covered.
Passing the Voice written exam qualifies a candidate to schedule the CCIE Voice lab in
addition to meeting recertification requirements where applicable. Find out more about
scheduling CCIE exams.
13 July 2006
Change to CCIE R&S Lab Equipment and IOS
Effective November 13, 2006, CCIE Routing and Switching
labs will begin replacing the Catalyst 3550 by introducing the Cisco Catalyst 3560
Series enterprise-class switches.
All CCIE R&S candidates taking exams on or after that date should be familiar with
the new switches and associated IOS, although installation of the new equipment will
take place over several months and some candidates may not see the new equipment in
their exams right away. No changes are being made to the lab exam blueprint at this
time and candidates should continue to refer to the existing CCIE
R&S Lab Exam Blueprint
for exam topics.
Cisco is announcing changes to the CCIE Service Provider track to align
more closely with the complex packet-based networks used to deliver rich managed services . The
changes include release of a single comprehensive written exam including additional topics and the
introduction of new equipment in the lab. The new SP written exam will eventually replace the
eight current written exams candidates choose from to qualify for the lab exam.
All changes will be announced in advance of their effective dates to allow candidates sufficient
time to study.
Specific changes included in this announcement are:
Lab Exam: Effective November 1st 2006, all CCIE Service Provider labs will begin introducing
Cisco Series 7200 routers into the lab. All CCIE candidates taking Service Provider lab exams
after November 1, 2006 should be familiar with this equipment. The worldwide installation of
the routers will physically take place over several weeks and it is possible that some candidates
may not see the new equipment in their exams. Candidates should refer to the CCIE SP Lab Equipment and IOS Version web page for details. Please note that the CCIE Lab Exam blueprint remains unchanged
at this time.
New Written Exam: Also, in 2006 (Date to be announced), Cisco will introduce
a single, comprehensive written exam which will focus more on packet architecture and other technologies
used to deliver rich and flexible new services to SP customers. Candidates interested in the new
comprehensive exam should review the new CCIE SP Comprehensive Written Exam Blueprint (351-029)
on the web. Initially this exam will be available as a choice among the existing written exams.
Eventually, as the current SP written exams are either repositioned for recertification only,
or retired (see table below), exam number 350-029 will become the only available qualifying
exam for the SP track. The transition to a single written exam is expected to be complete on
February 1, 2007 and candidates planning to take their written exam on or after that date,
should prepare using the new blueprint.
Beta Test: A beta test of the new comprehensive CCIE SP Written Exam (351-029) will
be available at all worldwide, Cisco-authorized testing centers from August 1, 2006 through
August 29th, 2006. The beta exam will be offered at a discounted price of US$50, with full
recertification or lab qualification credit granted to all passing candidates. Candidates
preparing for this exam should refer to
CCIE
SP Comprehensive Written Exam Blueprint (351-029) for a detailed outline of topics covered. Please remember that candidates may only attempt a
beta exam once during the beta period and individual scores are generally available six to
eight weeks after the close of the beta period.
Current Written Exams: Other changes to written exams are summarized in
the following table.
Effective February 1st, 2007 the following SP written exams
will be converted into CCIE recertification exams to provide a wider range of
recertification options for the CCIE community.
CCIE SP WAN Switching Recertification Exam (350-023)
Also effective February 1st, 2007, the following exams will
be retired from use in all worldwide testing locations. The topic of
Metro Ethernet, however, will be included in the new comprehensive exam;
see the
CCIE SP Comprehensive Written Exam (350-029) Blueprint for details. Candidates
interested in any of these exams should schedule a testing date prior to February 1st.
CCIE SP Dial Exam (350-025)
CCIE SP IP Telephony Exam (350-024)
CCIE SP DSL Exam (350-022)
CCIE SP Metro Ethernet Exam (350-027)
31 May 2006
Changes to CCIE Security Lab and Written Exams
Effective January 2, 2007, there will be some important
content changes in the CCIE Security Lab and Written exams. All CCIE exams are revised
regularly in response to changes in networking practices and feedback from customers and
partners. Candidates for written and lab exams scheduled on January 2, 2007 or later
should prepare using the v2.0 blueprints below. Candidates prior to January 2 should
continue using the prior blueprints (now known as v1.0).
Troubleshooting techniques will now be integrated into the lab exam.
In addition, the following changes--shown in the posted blueprint--will be introduced in
the lab effective January 2, 2007:
Upgrade of Cisco PIX Firewall Appliance to Software Version 7.x.
Addition of two ASA-5510 Firewall Appliances running v7.x.
Upgrade of Cisco Intrusion Prevention System to Software Release 5.x.
Upgrade of Cisco VPN3000 Concentrator Series to Software Release 4.7.x.
Upgrade of Cisco Catalyst 3550 switches to Software Release 12.2SEE.
Upgrade of CiscoSecure ACS to Software Version 4.0.
Addition of PC to test Remote Access VPN, admission control, packet capturing and various other
applications.
Eliminate preconfigured ACS and require candidates to configure.
26 Apr 2006
CCIE Security Lab Opens in Dubai, UAE
The CCIE Program is pleased to announce the availability of the
CCIE Security lab exam in Dubai, UAE. In efforts to serve the growing number of
worldwide candidates pursuing CCIE Security certification, the locations offering CCIE
Security lab now include Sydney, Australia; RTP, North Carolina; San Jose, California;
Brussels, Belgium; Beijing, China and Dubai, UAE.
Online scheduling is now available for lab examinations scheduled for July 23rd, 2006 and beyond.
The annual CCIE customer survey is available online now at
http://www.surveysoftware.net/hostia/ciscoccie.htm
through April 2, 2006. All CCIEs and candidates for CCIE are requested to please submit answers one
time only. If you recently received an email request about participating in a survey, this is the
same link and same set of questions. If you pressed the submit button, your answers were received.
For those who did not receive an email, each year the CCIE team collects feedback from existing CCIEs
and potential candidates regarding CCIE program benefits, policies and exam content. Depending on your
answers, the survey takes about 10-15 minutes to complete. Cisco appreciates your time and carefully
considers all feedback given. Note that we cannot confirm whether your specific answers were entered
into our database. Please assume that if you pressed the submit button at the end of the questions,
your answers have been received and will be counted in our analysis.
10 Mar 2006
Change to Documentation Access in Lab Exam
While access to Cisco product documentation will still be available
during CCIE lab exams at the Documentation Website (UniversCD) at
http://www.cisco.com/univercd/home/home.htm, candidates will no longer be able to use the
search function on that site. The search has been disabled due to a change in the way product
documentation is maintained at Cisco. Instead, candidates should be prepared to use the drop-down
index to navigate the Documentation Website (UniversCD).
Candidates may want to spend more time becoming familiar with the index and practicing how to
quickly locate relevant information. Candidates who want to reschedule their lab date to spend
more time practicing should remember the CCIE lab exam cancellation policy: Changes to CCIE lab
exam dates or locations must be made at least 28 days before the scheduled date, to allow scheduling
of other candidates for that seat. The last day to make a change is the Lab Exam Due Date.
Candidates can check their specific due date (at Certification Status) and easily reschedule
exams online at
https://tools.cisco.com/CCIE/Schedule_Lab/CCIEOnline/CCIEOnline. No changes are
allowed after the Lab Exam Due Date. Candidates who do not show up on the day of their scheduled
exam will not be eligible for a refund.
In conclusion to the announcement posted October 31 2005, the CCIE
Program is pleased to announce the availability of the CCIE Voice lab exam in Sydney, Australia. In efforts to serve the growing number of worldwide candidates
pursuing CCIE Voice certification, the locations offering CCIE Voice lab now include Sydney, Australia; RTP, North Carolina; San Jose,
California; and Brussels, Belgium.
Online scheduling is now available for lab examinations scheduled for April 18th, 2006 and beyond.
Candidates thinking of taking their exam in Sydney should be aware that the $1250 US cost of the
CCIE lab is subject to GST taxes; prices may vary due to exchange rates.
Delayed Scoring Results for CCIE Voice Written Beta Exam
In general, candidates receive their test score sheets within six to
eight weeks after the close of a beta exam. However, the CCIE Voice Written Beta Exam v2.0 (351-030)
test results have been delayed due to process changes. We will release the results for the 351-030
Voice exam by March 15th. We apologize for the delay.
25 Jan 2006
CCIE Voice Exam Updates
Effective July 17, 2006 all CCIE Voice lab locations will begin introducing Cisco Unity
Express Network Module (NM-CUE) into the exam racks. Along with the NM-CUE introduction, the
lab will also be upgrading to IOS version 12.4 (3a) and the equipment software to the following
versions:
* Cisco CallManager 4.1 (3) with latest SR
* Cisco Unity 4.0 (5)
* Cisco Unity Express 2.1 (2)
* Cisco Customer Response Server /IP Contact Center Express 4.0 (1)
All CCIE Voice candidates taking exams July 17, 2006 or later should be familiar
with the updated IOS, software and equipment, although the installations will take
place over several weeks and it is possible some candidates may not see the new software
and equipment in their exams. For more information regarding these changes
see Voice Lab
Equipment and IOS Version.
09 Jan 2006
Online Initiation of Severity 2 Cases Now Available for CCIEs
Beginning January 9th, 2006, Cisco's Technical Assistance Center (TAC) will begin
piloting a new capability for CCIEs with valid support contracts. On that date, CCIEs will be
allowed to submit Severity 2 cases using the online TAC Service Request Tool as an alternative
to the current practice of initiating S2 cases by telephone. In recent advisory group sessions,
customers have said they believe online initiation can speed resolution by allowing for documentation
of troubleshooting steps already attempted and the attachment of relevant documents and diagrams.
Active CCIEs will be authenticated against the CCIE database during login and automatically
presented with the S2 option in the TAC Service Request Tool. Severity 2 requests submitted
by CCIEs will be routed directly to the appropriate core technology team and a TAC engineer
will expedite a call back. CCIEs must agree to be available to take the call, adhere to the
posted criteria for severity selection, and not share their ID number with any non-CCIE in
their organization. The Cisco TAC will monitor usage during the pilot, and inappropriate use
of the S2 option may impact the continued offering of this capability.
Creation of Severity 2 requests online does not replace telephone initiation, but
is another option which can be utilized by CCIEs. At first release the new capability
will be available in all worldwide regions except Japan and escalation of existing service
requests to Severity 2 will still need to be processed by telephone.
For questions or comments on this new capability for CCIEs, please send an email to
tsrts2comments@cisco.com.
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