CCIE Practice Labs FAQs

What are CCIE Practice Labs?

CCIE® Practice Labs are online environments in which you can rent time on a pod to practice for your CCIE Lab exam. The pods are very similar to the actual CCIE environment you’ll experience during your lab exam. You will be exposed to the same set of devices, the same software set, and a topology that is representative of the topology used in the CCIE lab exam. Practice labs come with scenarios that focus on specific technology solutions; however, you have the freedom to push the boundaries and run your own scenarios.

What comes in the CCIE Practice Labs package?

You’ll have four hours of access to a CCIE pod and an accompanying topic scenario (chosen when you book your session) to get familiar with specific technology solutions.

What tracks are available for CCIE Practice Labs?

CCIE Practice Labs are currently available for CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure, CCIE Security, and CCIE Service Provider. We'll provide information about additional expert-level practice labs as we make them available.

How much do CCIE Practice Labs cost?

Each practice lab four-hour session costs USD $50.00 plus taxes. This price may change in the future.

What are the CCIE Practice Lab scenarios about?

The scenarios focus on a specific technology. However, you can run your own scenarios, as all devices within the topology will be accessible in any given scenario.

What are the system requirements to run the CCIE Practice Labs?

You will be connecting to the practice lab through https. All you need is a PC, Mac, or Linux machine with an internet connection and Cisco® AnyConnect® Secure Mobility Client.

Can I book more than one practice lab?

Yes. You can book multiple CCIE Practice Labs from different tracks or multiple topics from the same track, or you can repeat a topic, but you can only have one scheduled session at a time. Once you finish your session, you can immediately schedule another session.

Scheduling and payments

Who can purchase the CCIE Practice Labs?

You must have passed the corresponding qualification exam and/or be eligible to take the corresponding CCIE lab exam at the time of booking.

How can I schedule a CCIE Practice Lab?

You can schedule and purchase your practice lab here: https://ccie-practice.cisco.com/

How do I log in to the CCIE Practice Lab scheduler?

Please enter either your Registration ID from your written exam score report or CSCO Number to log in to the application. This is a one-time mapping of your candidate records to your Cisco.com ID. If you have already registered in the CCIE/CCDE Tracker, you do not need to register again and vice versa.

Please Note: Practice labs are only available if you have passed the written exam. You’ll be granted access two weeks after you pass your qualification exam. Please make sure you enable pop-up windows on your browser before accessing the practice labs.

What is the payment policy?

You need to pay for your practice lab during the scheduling process to ensure a reservation. You can use any major credit card to pay for your lab. Refunds are not available. If you experience any issues that prevent you from paying for the CCIE Practice Lab, please open a case.

How do I get a copy of my invoice?

Log on to https://ccie-practice.cisco.com.

You can download a current invoice for a future lab from the Dashboard or download an invoice from a past lab from Payment History.

How do I request a refund or cancel?

Once you book a CCIE Practice Lab, you will not be able to cancel or receive a refund.

What is the confidentiality policy?

Cisco makes the CCIE Practice Labs available to you solely for the purpose of preparing you for the CCIE lab exam for which you seek certification. As you access and use the CCIE Practice Lab and designated pod, you are expressly prohibited from disclosing, publishing, reproducing, or transmitting any Confidential Information from the pod, topic, or scenario, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, oral or written, electronic or mechanical, and for any purpose to any person(s). Your access to the pod is strictly for your preparation for the CCIE lab exam, and you are not entitled to share access to the designated pod or any details, including topologies, configurations of devices within the topology, and any documentation of the scenario you have selected. These details are considered Cisco Confidential, and legally as well as ethically, you are not allowed to share, disseminate, or publish any details of the CCIE Practice Labs you purchase for preparation.

How do I reach Customer Service?

Visit Certification Online Support at www.cisco.com/go/certsupport.

Can I use Cisco Learning Credits to pay for the CCIE Practice Labs?

We currently do not accept Cisco Learning Credits for booking a session.

How far in advance can I book a CCIE Practice Lab?

You can book your CCIE Practice Lab up to four months in advance.

What if I do not use my scheduled CCIE Practice Lab?

Since you have reserved time on the environment, if you do not attend, you will forfeit your full payment. Refunds and rescheduling are not possible.

Can I reschedule my practice lab?

It is not possible to reschedule or cancel a booked practice lab.

The Labs

Can I reinitialize the POD during my scheduled session?

No, you will not be able to reinitialize the POD.

Do the CCIE Practice Labs come with solutions and/or verification steps?

No, the CCIE Practice Labs do not include solutions or verification steps.

Can I save my configuration?

No, your configuration will not be retained once your practice lab session ends. And you will not be able to resume from previous sessions, even if you book the same session again.

What if I accidentally close my session?

If you accidentally close the browser of your main session, you can simply open another browser, and go to labs.practice.cisco.com (while you're connected to the Practice Lab VPN network) to log in again with your username. However, if you selected the Exit button from within your session and confirmed the exit, there is no way to go back to your session because it already ended.

What if I get a "VPN authentication failed" error message on my Cisco AnyConnect Client when attempting to connect to practicelabs.cisco.com?

Make sure you use the user credentials provided in the confirmation email. Important to note is that you will only be able to successfully authenticate as of 10 minutes before the start of your CCIE Practice Lab session. Attempting to connect before and/or after this session may result in a failed authentication. Carefully verify session details (including time zone) within the confirmation email.

Support

What level of support is available for the CCIE Practice Labs?

If you experience an issue that prevents you from scheduling, paying for, launching, or operating the CCIE Practice Lab, please open a case. The first level of support is available 24x5, and support staff will route your case to the appropriate second level of support. If you have an issue launching or operating the CCIE Practice Lab on your scheduled session, we will properly investigate the issue and, if needed, provide you a free CCIE Practice Lab session.

You can provide feedback on the content of your CCIE Practice Lab at the task level during the Lab, so you do not need to open a case.