CCIE to add verbal part to exam.

[Big Evil]

Cisco is considering introducing a verbal interview portion to its CCIE lab exams across the world. Cisco confirmed that it is running a pilot in its exam lab in Beijing, China that involves candidates taking a 10-minute verbal interview as part of their lab exam. Cisco said that if the pilot is successful, the interview could be introduced as a requirement for CCIE Routing & Switching candidates worldwide. The company has been running the pilot since August.

The pilot first came to light in an CCIE blog and readers have been speculating as to whether this is part of Cisco's battle to stamp out exam cheating and so-called hired gunmen and braindumps. Fred Weiller, director of marketing at Learning@Cisco said the pilot is another method to assess a candidate's skills level and to "guage if the candidate has the verbal ability to explain and answer technical questions and interface with others on problems," he said.
He added that good verbal skills would help CCIEs get better support from Cisco TACs, particularly since CCIEs are granted special access to Cisco support personnel.
Any effects of the pilot on cheating is secondary, he said.
According to an e-mail posted on the Expert blog, candidates are asked a series of expert-level networking questions by a panel of three exam proctors. The questions are posed in English and the candidate's ability to correctly answer the questions affects their exam score. Candidates are still able to complete the practical lab once the interview is over.
Weiller said the interview is conducted in English because that's the language used in the written and the practical tests. The questions are "within the scope of the exam blueprint," he said.
Weiller added that the pilot was introduced in China because of the high level of demand for the CCIE exam in that country which gives Cisco a big sample base for the pilot.

[lildeezul]

I think this will be a great implementation.. This will raise the value of CCIE in my opinion....

[Big Evil]

O yeah.
I always thought Cisco 360 idea was the best wasy to be a true CCIE.

Either that or you should have held a CC*P for five years or more.

[Fuzz]

8 hour lab and only 10 minutes interview? Seems kind of short considering, but I agree, any CCNA/CCNP/CCIE should be able to discuss their knowledge to the appropriate level. Trying to to wing an exam is easier than trying to explain infront of actual people, so it can only be a good thing.

[lildeezul]

O yeah.
Either that or you should have held a CC*P for five years or more.

Definitely, i think this will really boost the rep of the CCIE, and will contribute to a decrease in dump usage.

I think cisco should make the CCIE like the CISSP, where you have to have requirements, and certain amounts of experience, and like BE said, CCxP for five years or more..

Then that way you job employers will have confidence, and will know that the CCIE they are hiring has some years in experience as well...

Cisco should really implement this

[Big Evil]

Indeed for us guys at ae current level by the time we get to CCIE level, it will not be worth as much as it was/is now unless Cisco step in now.

When you see the stat's of how many CCIE's were minted last year, China took first place, second was India and third was the USA.
It puts even greater presure on country's like the UK and USA who will now think about outsourcing more.

I met a CCIE last year, who had no exp (in a real world networking company) his job......he worked in a flower shop!
WTF??

Sure he must have put in some great hours of learning and a home lab, but he had no real knowledge other than his own lab. Sadly for him the only jobs he could get interviews for were 1st and 2nd line, as he no exp.

[lildeezul]

I wish We had a major role at Cisco systems... That way i could put my voice in this and try to change the way they do the CCIE program.. I think its a good idea to make is like the CISSP requirements...