I wish.

I have added a CCIE category to the blog. Although I have been studying steadily I have only posted testlab scripts to date. I will most likely post very little CCIE specific content while I continue to study for the written until I am much closer to my written test day.

I have really struggled with my structure studying for the written. I am a hands on learner and cramming a bunch of reading without application makes it difficult for me to remember and understand the nuances of a technology. I would rather play with a protocol and learn about it through interaction than try to memorize a bunch of random facts for the written test. Recently I have been doing INE Workbook 1 labs as I feel they complement my reading well. They are not difficult and explore the intricacies of one protocol at a time. It is easy for me to do a lab and play around with the protocol to learn.

Reading another candidates blog I ran across his study plan which was taken from
this post. At the end of that blog entry is a list of core INE Workbook 1 labs you should do while preparing for the lab. They are below for convenience.

Bridging & Switching: 1.1-1.15
Frame-Relay: 2.1-2.10
IP Routing: 3.1-3.11
RIP: 4.1-4.6
EIGRP: 5.1-5.8
OSPF: 6.1-6.11, 6.21-6.31
BGP: 7.1-7.9, 7.16-7.26
IPv6: 9.1-9.5, 9.12-9.14, 9.17-9.20, 9.29-9.31
MPLS VPN: 14.1-14.7

That is 109 labs that INE recommends you complete before moving to more advanced labs which gives me a goal and structure. I plan to do these labs in the coming months to complement my reading. That also means I need only do 11 labs per month so I will cut back on labs on the weekends and do more reading and note taking. Actually I have already done ~25 of these labs so it is even fewer labs I need to do but I will do many of them multiple times so I’m not going to quibble with the numbers.

I have completely finished reading and taking notes for TCP/IP Vol I and am half way through Vol II. I will then read the Switching Exam Certification Guide and the QoS Exam Certification Guide again, followed by the CCIEv4 Exam Certification Guide. My goal is to pass the written next winter.

To put dates to my goals:
31 March — Finish Volume II
(Second child is due in April.)
30 June — Finish reading Switching Exam Certification Guide
31 August — Finish reading QoS Exam Certification Guide
31 October — Finish reading CCIEv4 Exam Certification Guide

Finally when I begin reading the CCIEv4 Exam Certification Guide I will begin to post more of my notes. What I found when studying for my CCNP was that immediately after I finished putting all of my notes on the web for a test was when I was the most prepared for theory based exams.