CCIE Routing and Switching Exam Certification Guide
Reviewer Name: Anthony Macaluso, Senior Network Specialist
Reviewer Certification: CCNP
Rating: ***** out of *****
The CCIE Routing and Switching Exam Certification Guide is the Cisco Press official exam guide for the written portion of the Cisco CCIE Routing and Switching Exam. This book, written by Anthony Bruno who is a CCIE (No. 2738), was published in 2002 and addresses the current exam blueprint as given by Cisco for preparation of the written exam. In order to become a CCIE, candidates must pass both a written exam and a practical (lab) exam. The lab portion cannot be attempted until the written is passed. This book focuses on outlining for the reader the objectives for the written exam and then proceeding to tackle each objective in an orderly and sensible method. The book begins by providing and description of the CCIE certification and then forms and outline of the objectives with an extremely handy reference to the appropriate chapter that addresses each objective. This helps during reviewing of the objectives by allowing the reader to quickly locate the subject in the book saving precious time that each CCIE candidate tends to appreciate more than anyone.
Each chapter begins with a “Do I Know This Already”” Quiz so that the reader can check on his knowledge of the chapter’s material prior to reading the chapter. Performing well on the quiz will allow the reader to “skim” the chapter or skip it altogether (though I strongly recommend at least skimming the chapter as you never know what extra piece of information you might get that may help you on the test). This is another time saving idea that has been used successfully before in many other Cisco Press Exam Certification Guides. The chapter then provides the material in a way that allows the reader to focus on items that are likely to be exam related. Each topic is presented with plenty of illustrations and examples so that the reader can get a good understanding of the topic and see how it might be used in real applications of the technology. Each example and illustration is clearly laid out and detailed. Each chapter continues with a summary of the chapter consisting of the most important and exam related items of the chapter. Finally, a Q & A section completes the chapter providing a bank of questions related to the chapter just completed. Answers and explanations to the question are provided in an Appendix section at the end of the book.
Lastly, the book comes with companion CD-ROM with a practice test consisting of over 200 practice questions. This test is customizable to allow the reader to focus on those topics that require more attention.
The CCIE Routing and Switching Exam Certification Guide is a well-written and concise book providing the reader with the necessary information to guide the reader to a successful attempt at the CCIE written exam. Anthony Bruno does a wonderful job in attacking each exam objective in enough detail and examples to provide the reader with the foundation required for this difficult test. I would rate this a definite 5 out of 5 and would recommend that anyone serious about taking the CCIE written exam add this valuable book to his or her library. It will even assist you in you lab preparation after successfully completing the written test by providing examples and configurations of the majority of the lab topics. Once again, Cisco Press has presented the networking community with a book that is applicable to both passing the CCIE written exam and to gaining a better understanding of networking technologies. Well done, Cisco!