CCIE R & S Lab Exam

The eight-hour lab exam tests your ability to configure actual equipment and troubleshoot the network in a timed test situation. You must pass the lab within three years of passing the written to achieve certification. Your first lab attempt must be made within 18 months.

Configuring a network to given specifications

The CCIE lab exam is an eight-hour, hands-on exam which requires you to configure a series of complex networks to given specifications. Knowledge of troubleshooting is an important skill and candidates are expected to diagnose and solve issues as part of the CCIE lab exam. You will not configure end-user systems, but are responsible for all devices residing in the network (hubs, etc.). Point values and testing criteria are provided.

Update to the CCIE Lab Question Format and Scoring

Effective February 1, 2009, CCIE R&S lab exams will begin with a brief Core Knowledge section consisting of four, computer-delivered short-answer questions. Candidates will type in their answers, which typically require five words or less. Questions will cover topics included on the current lab exam blueprint. Candidates are allowed a maximum of 30 minutes to complete the questions and may not use the Cisco documentation which is available for the remainder of the lab. Well-prepared candidates should be able to answer the questions in 15 minutes or less and move immediately to the configuration section. No extra time is being added to the eight-hour exam. All candidates must pass the Core Knowledge section in order to achieve CCIE certification.

Cost

Lab exams cost US$1400 per attempt, not including travel and lodging expenses. Costs may vary due to exchange rates and local taxes (VAT, GST). You are responsible for any fees your financial institution charges to complete the payment transaction.
Price not confirmed and is subject to change until full payment is made. Please reference the CCIE Policies for more information.

Lab Environment

The Cisco documentation CD is available in the lab room, but the exam assumes knowledge of the more common protocols and technologies. As of March 2006, the documentation can only be navigated using the index; the search function has been disabled. No outside reference materials are permitted in the lab room. You must report any suspected equipment issues to the proctor during the exam; adjustments cannot be made once the exam is over.

Lab Exam Grading

Each question on the lab has specific criterion. The labs are graded by proctors who ensure all the criterion are met and points are awarded accordingly. The proctors use automatic tools to gather information from the routers to perform some preliminary evaluations, but the final determination of a correct or incorrect configuration is done by a trained proctor.

Results

You can review your lab exam results online (login required), usually within 48 hours. Results are Pass/Fail and failing score reports indicate major topic areas where additional study and preparation may be useful.

CCIE ROUTING AND SWITCHING TRACK
Lab Exam Blueprint v3.0

# Bridging and Switching

1. Frame relay
2. Catalyst configuration: VLANs, VTP, STP, MSTP, RSTP, Trunk, Etherchannel, management, features, advanced configuration, Layer 3
3. Tunneling

# IP IGP Routing

1. OSPF
2. EIGRP
3. RIPv2
4. IPv6: Addressing, RIPng, OSPFv3
5. GRE
6. ODR
7. Filtering, redistribution, summarization and other advanced features

# BGP

1. IBGP
2. EBGP
3. Filtering, redistribution, summarization, synchronization, attributes and other advanced features

# IP and IOS Features

1. IP addressing
2. DHCP
3. HSRP
4. IP services
5. IOS user interfaces
6. System management
7. NAT
8. NTP
9. SNMP
10. RMON
11. Accounting
12. SLA

# IP Multicast

1. PIM-SM, bi-directional PIM
2. MSDP
3. Multicast tools, source specific multicast
4. DVMRP
5. Anycast

# QoS

1. Quality of service solutions
2. Classification
3. Congestion management, congestion avoidance
4. Policing and shaping
5. Signaling
6. Link efficiency mechanisms
7. Modular QoS command line

# Security

1. AAA
2. Security server protocols
3. Traffic filtering and firewalls
4. Access lists
5. Routing protocols security, catalyst security
6. CBAC
7. Other security features