Congrats Stu, If it was one person on this list that deserves it, it would definitely be you. Take Care. Maybe one quick question as well. What material did you use for the open ended questions? I found the material I used for preparing for the lab did not have enough detail to prepare me for the OEQ.
_____ From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Stuart Hare Sent: Tuesday, October 06, 2009 2:12 AM To: OSL Security; Cisco certification Subject: [OSL | CCIE_Security] Finally...... Guys, Thought I would add a bit of good news, to whats seemed to be a depressing time for security recently. I finally passed the Security Lab in Brussels yesterday, CCIE#25616, at my second attempt. I originally failed the v2 lab back in march and spent a lot of time preparing for the new blueprint in order to make sure I nailed it on the second attempt. It was a rocky road up and down emotionally, and by last week was mentally exhausted, confidence was low and not where I wanted it to be. By the time I arrived in Brussels Sunday night, I was more relaxed than I had felt in months, and was surprisingly not worried about my potential result, probably due to shear tiredness. Being there and doing it the first time made the surroundings more comfortable I think, a real turn around to what I had been feeling like days earlier. In all the lab was tough, real tough, as we should all expect from this type of exam, so much that I was sure I had failed again. So you can imagine the shock I had to return home last night to find my passing score report, a real buzz. The good news for all you guys is that it is achievable, there are far more academic guys out there than me, so with hard work and determination it is very much in reach. The content you are using from the different providers, from my experience is accurate so dont be worried thats its not. IPexpert for instance, have some pretty tough labs in their content, my advise is to not shy away from these. If you can do well in these you will no doubt pass the lab. What was even more satisfying for me, is that I completed it without a bootcamp, which I didnt have the time or money to take, as there is next to nothing available in the UK for Security. Looking back at Brad and Tyson's earlier emails, they seem to be on the button with pass rates on the rise, which is a great sign. Hopefully it wont be long before the pass rate is on a par with the other tracks. Many many thanks to everyone on these mailing lists who have assisted me with my issues and queries over the past months. OSL and Group Study have played a huge part in my study, and would recommend them to anyone serious about achieving this certification. Finally a few key individuals on these lists who deserve some real praise, for their efforts and making these lists a huge benefit to all. Keith Barker and Steve Means have been key contributors on group study, the introduction of the mini labs was a great idea for short challenges, some thing that helped me bolster my understanding of the topics, in quick fire fashion. If people have the time this would be great to continue I think. Thanks Guys. If there was one individual I had to single out, it would be Tyson Scott. An absolute star in my opinion, he has helped me more times than i can count, hes felt like my personal mentor at times, always available to help and answer questions, even at 0200hrs :) huge thanks. All the best guys Stu
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