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Latest post 11-21-2008 8:45 PM by NTllect. 3 replies.
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  • 11-21-2008 10:04 AM

    • TKDJ
    • Top 100 Contributor
    • Joined on 11-15-2008
    • Gibraltar
    • Posts 16
    • Points 230

    Difficulty Rating - Subjetive Perhaps?

    Hey All,

    For quite a while now I've being meaning to share the following thought... Let's see what you guys/gals have experienced.


    Either I've got progressively thicker by the lab or the latter lab ratings are tougher than earlier ones - Let's take lab 18 as an example, rated an average 7.  Why is it that this "7" seems to be tougher than all the previous 7's. Don't interpret me wrong there certainly wasn't anything new not already covered by previous labs, but the wording was very subjective to interpretation. Minor requirements are not explicitly stated, such as the creation of two new VLAN's for L3 etherchannel forwarding - things which were most definitely stated in previous "8"'s perhaps?

    I mean this is not a bad thing - the tougher and more obscure in nature that any question is the better! It's just that I hope I don't get the CCIE lab proper as a claimed 7 when it really is a a "9".


    I know ratings can be fairly subjective so perhaps I was just better with the technologies presented in earlier labs.

    Hmmm or maybe its the  fact that there’s no virtual proctor to constantly harass...Super Angry

    Anyone else like to share their thoughts?

     

    • Post Points: 20
  • 11-21-2008 10:20 AM In reply to

    RE: Difficulty Rating - Subjetive Perhaps?

    Everything is subjective to some extent.  This hasn't changed over the years....
     
    When people fail the real lab, you'll frequently hear things about how difficult it was and how there were so many tough things on there, or some version of that.
     
    When people pass the lab, you'll hear "it was fair" or "it was easier than last time" or things like that.
     
    In the real lab, there is much more consistency than our labs, but it all depends on what you are used to!  Bottom line is that the lab hasnt' changed.  People's knowledge or comfort level does!
     
    In terms of the QUANTITY of deliberately difficult things, you'll find the real lab on par with a 6.5-7 of our rankings.  But any particular individual topic/gotcha is fair game.
     
    HTH,
     


    Scott Morris, CCIE4 #4713, JNCIE-M #153, JNCIS-ER, CISSP, et al.
    CCSI/JNCI-M/JNCI-ER
    Senior CCIE Instructor

    smorris@internetworkexpert.com

     

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    From: iewb-rs-vol2-v4@ieoc.com [mailto:iewb-rs-vol2-v4@ieoc.com] On Behalf Of TKDJ
    Sent: Friday, November 21, 2008 1:09 PM
    To: smorris@internetworkexpert.com
    Subject: [IEWB-RS-VOL2-V4] Difficulty Rating - Subjetive Perhaps?

    Hey All,

    For quite a while now I've being meaning to share the following thought... Let's see what you guys/gals have experienced.


    Either I've got progressively thicker by the lab or the latter lab ratings are tougher than earlier ones - Let's take lab 18 as an example, rated an average 7.  Why is it that this "7" seems to be tougher than all the previous 7's. Don't interpret me wrong there certainly wasn't anything new not already covered by previous labs, but the wording was very subjective to interpretation. Minor requirements are not explicitly stated, such as the creation of two new VLAN's for L3 etherchannel forwarding - things which were most definitely stated in previous "8"'s perhaps?

    I mean this is not a bad thing - the tougher and more obscure in nature that any question is the better! It's just that I hope I don't get the CCIE lab proper as a claimed 7 when it really is a a "9".


    I know ratings can be fairly subjective so perhaps I was just better with the technologies presented in earlier labs.

    Hmmm or maybe its the  fact that there’s no virtual proctor to constantly harass...Super Angry

    Anyone else like to share their thoughts?

     




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    • Post Points: 20
  • 11-21-2008 12:15 PM In reply to

    • TKDJ
    • Top 100 Contributor
    • Joined on 11-15-2008
    • Gibraltar
    • Posts 16
    • Points 230

    Re: RE: Difficulty Rating - Subjetive Perhaps?

    Thanks its does help - although I'm still not sure whether the latter labs are harder than the equivalent earlier ones

    • Post Points: 20
  • 11-21-2008 8:45 PM In reply to

    • NTllect
    • Top 10 Contributor
    • Joined on 07-11-2008
    • CIS
    • Posts 269
    • Points 3,860

    Re: RE: Difficulty Rating - Subjetive Perhaps?

    I personally grade labs not per lab itself, but per task, on the scale from 1 to 4. There are simple tasks in 10-level labs(per IE metering system) and there are tough tasks in Lab 1 who's rating is 5. Yes, my approach is more calculation-intensive, but from this standpoint you exactly know which lab will stress you more.

    • Post Points: 5
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