As of June 5th, the CCIE lab in Sydney, Australia, is moving to a new location in St. Leonards. For complete information on the Sydney lab, visit our Sydney, Australia lab exam page.

The CCIE Routing and Switching written exam (v3.0) will be released on June, 19, 2007 at all testing locations worldwide. The new version will replace the current version and will include previously untested topics, such as MPLS and IPv6. Candidates preparing for the Routing and Switching written exam on or after this date should refer to the CCIE RS for a detailed outline of topics that will be covered. Candidates planning take the exam BEFORE June 19th, should continue to refer to this blueprint.

Passing the Routing and Switching written exam qualifies a candidate to schedule the CCIE Routing and Switching lab in addition to meeting recertification requirements where applicable. Find out more about scheduling CCIE exams.

The CCIE Security written exam v1.0 will continue to be offered at all worldwide testing centers until? April 24th, 2007. Candidates planning to take the Security written exam after April 24th, 2007, should be familiar with the topics on the CCIE Security written exam v2.0 blueprint.

Due to overwhelming demand, CCIE has decided to extend the CCIE Security written beta period through February 6, 2007.

Beta exams are offered at a discounted price of US$50, with full recertification or lab qualification credit granted to all passing candidates. Candidates preparing for this exam should refer to CCIE Security written exam v2.0 (3.1) blueprint (351-018) for a detailed outline of the topics covered. Please remember that candidates may only attempt a beta exam once during the beta period and individual scores are generally available six to eight weeks after the close of the beta period.

As first announced July 13, 2006, Cisco has completed a series of changes to the CCIE Service Provider track, reflecting the growing use of packet-based networks to deliver rich managed services. As of February 1, 2007, candidates for CCIE Service Provider must pass a comprehensive written exam (#350-029), followed by the hands-on lab exam. Specific exam topics can be found online in the CCIE SP written exam blueprint and CCIE SP lab exam blueprint.

As of February 1, 2007, the eight previously-available written exams will no longer be used to qualify a candidate for the lab exam. Four of them, however, will continue to be available for recertification purposes. The recertification exams are: CCIE SP Cable Exam (#350-021), CCIE SP Content Networking Exam (#350-026), CCIE SP Optical Exam (#350-020) and CCIE SP WAN Switching Exam (#350-023). The four exams that are being retired are CCIE SP Dial Exam (#350-025), CCIE SP IP Telephony Exam (#350-024), CCIE SP DSL Exam (#350-022) and CCIE SP Metro Ethernet Exam (#350-027).

Visit the CCIE Website for more information at CCIE SP certification.

Cisco has deferred availability of the download for IOS 12.2T, used in the CCIE Security lab exam on Cisco series 2600/3600/3725 router platforms. Consequently, candidates studying for the CCIE Security lab exam will need to download IOS 12.3 mainline, which includes the Enterprise/FW/IDS/IPSEC features from IOS 12.2T. Please note that candidates will not be tested on any new features in IOS 12.3, and the exam will continue to cover only the features indicated from IOS 12.2T.

The CCIE Security written exam v2.0 (3.1), originally scheduled to replace v1.0 in early January, will now be released as a beta exam at all Cisco-authorized testing centers on January 2nd, 2007 through January 23rd, 2007. Beta exams are offered at a discounted price of US$50, with full recertification or lab qualification credit granted to all passing candidates. Candidates preparing for this exam should refer to CCIE Security written exam v2.0 (3.1) blueprint (351-018) for a detailed outline of the topics covered. Please remember that candidates may only attempt a beta exam once during the beta period and individual scores are generally available six to eight weeks after the close of the beta period.

CCIE Security written exam v1.0 will continue to be offered at all worldwide testing centers until March 31, 2007. Candidates planning to take the security written exam before March 31, 2007, should be familiar with the topics on the current CCIE Security v1.0 blueprint.

The CCIE Routing and Switching Written Exam v3.0 (351-001) will be available at all worldwide, Cisco-authorized testing centers from December 6th, 2006 through December 30th, 2006. The beta exam will be offered at a discounted price of US$50, with full recertification or lab qualification credit granted to all passing candidates. Candidates preparing for this exam should refer to CCIE Routing and Switching 3.0 beta bluebrint (351-001) for a detailed outline of topics covered.

Reminders: Candidates may only attempt a beta exam once during its beta period. Individual beta exam scores will generally be available six to eight weeks after the close of the beta period. 000000

Effective November 1, 2006, Cisco will migrate CCIE support to the Cisco Certifications Online Support tool and retire the current CCIE email-based system.

The Certifications Online Support tool features an easily-accessible and comprehensive database of commonly-asked questions on CCIE, other Cisco Career Certifications and training. Users can search the database by certification or key word, and also set up automatic email notification when new information is posted on a particular subject. If users cannot find an answer in the database, they submit their requests directly to Cisco's support team using the Contact Me button. The first time users submiting a request will be asked to create a personal login profile, allowing them to track the status of their requests. The policy of responding to all CCIE support requests within two business days will not change.

The online tool is currently used by other support teams at Cisco and has proven very effective at helping customers find answers quickly and track resolution of complex issues. To start, the tool has been preloaded with frequently-asked questions from the CCIE website, which are prefaced with the word 'CCIE' in the Summary. Use the drop-down product search function to see a list of all questions related to CCIE. The tool will become richer over time as additional questions are submitted. Candidates and certificants should be aware that the policies and processes for other Cisco certifications may be different from those for CCIE.

CCIE candidates or certificants can access the new support tool from the CCIE website or directly at www.cisco.com/go/certsupport. For the first couple weeks of November emails sent to ccie@cisco.com will automatically be sent to the new tool. After that, users will receive an automatic message reminding them they need to use the tool.

Find out more about the Certification Online Support tool at the following links, or submit a question online using the Contact Us button.

Certification Online Support Overview
Creating a Support Account Profile
Checking the Status of or Updating my Case
Subscribing to Instant Answer Notifications

Cisco is pleased to announce the availability of the CCIE Security lab exam in Tokyo, Japan beginning January 2, 2007. To serve the growing number of worldwide candidates pursuing CCIE Security certification, Cisco now offers the lab exam in Beijing, China; Brussels, Belgium; Dubai, UAE; Raleigh, North Carolina; San Jose, California; Sydney, Australia; and Tokyo, Japan.

Online scheduling is now available for exams scheduled January 2, 2007 and beyond.

For more information regarding the CCIE Security lab preparation see Lab Exam Blueprint as well as a list of Lab Equipment & IOS Versions.

The CCIE program is pleased to announce the availability of the CCIE Storage Networking lab exam in Brussels, Belgium. In efforts to serve the growing number of worldwide candidates pursuing CCIE Storage Networking certification, the locations offering the CCIE Storage Networking lab now include RTP, North Carolina and Brussels, Belgium.

Effective November 20, 2006 the CCIE Stroage Networking lab exam will open in Brussels, Belgium. Online scheduling is now available.

Cisco has introduced new options for purchasing the CCIE Assessor Lab. Each four-hour CCIE practice lab now comes with two additional hours of practice time on the live equipment, all for US$279. Also, a second and different four-hour version of CCIE Assessor for Routing and Switching has been released, covering additional topics found on the eight-hour CCIE lab exam. Candidates purchasing both versions together pay a discounted price of US$399 for the two four-hour practice labs and a total of four additional hours of equipment time. See Exam Preparation for more details.

A revision to the Voice written exam will be released between October 31st and November 2nd, 2006 in all testing locations worldwide. The new version will replace the current version and will include several previously untested topics, such as CallManager Express, Cisco Unity Express, and Integrated Contract Distribution. Candidates preparing for the Voice written exam on or after these dates should refer to the CCIE Voice Written Exam 2.0 Blueprint for a detailed outline of topics that will be covered.

Passing the Voice written exam qualifies a candidate to schedule the CCIE Voice lab in addition to meeting recertification requirements where applicable. Find out more about scheduling CCIE exams.

Effective November 13, 2006, CCIE Routing and Switching labs will begin replacing the Catalyst 3550 by introducing the Cisco Catalyst 3560 Series enterprise-class switches.

All CCIE R&S candidates taking exams on or after that date should be familiar with the new switches and associated IOS, although installation of the new equipment will take place over several months and some candidates may not see the new equipment in their exams right away. No changes are being made to the lab exam blueprint at this time and candidates should continue to refer to the existing CCIE R&S Lab Exam Blueprint for exam topics.

For additional details, see R&S Lab Equipment and IOS Versions on the CCIE website.

Cisco is announcing changes to the CCIE Service Provider track to align more closely with the complex packet-based networks used to deliver rich managed services . The changes include release of a single comprehensive written exam including additional topics and the introduction of new equipment in the lab. The new SP written exam will eventually replace the eight current written exams candidates choose from to qualify for the lab exam.

All changes will be announced in advance of their effective dates to allow candidates sufficient time to study.

Specific changes included in this announcement are:

Lab Exam: Effective November 1st 2006, all CCIE Service Provider labs will begin introducing Cisco Series 7200 routers into the lab. All CCIE candidates taking Service Provider lab exams after November 1, 2006 should be familiar with this equipment. The worldwide installation of the routers will physically take place over several weeks and it is possible that some candidates may not see the new equipment in their exams. Candidates should refer to the CCIE SP Lab Equipment and IOS Version web page for details. Please note that the CCIE Lab Exam blueprint remains unchanged at this time.

New Written Exam: Also on November 1st 2006, Cisco will introduce a single, comprehensive written exam which will focus more on packet architecture and other technologies used to deliver rich and flexible new services to SP customers. Candidates interested in the new comprehensive exam should review the new CCIE SP Comprehensive Written Exam Blueprint (351-029) on the web. Initially this exam will be available as a choice among the existing written exams. Eventually, as the current SP written exams are either repositioned for recertification only, or retired (see table below), exam number 350-029 will become the only available qualifying exam for the SP track. The transition to a single written exam is expected to be complete on February 1, 2007 and candidates planning to take their written exam on or after that date, should prepare using the new blueprint.

Beta Test: A beta test of the new comprehensive CCIE SP Written Exam (351-029) will be available at all worldwide, Cisco-authorized testing centers from August 1, 2006 through August 29th, 2006. The beta exam will be offered at a discounted price of US$50, with full recertification or lab qualification credit granted to all passing candidates. Candidates preparing for this exam should refer to CCIE SP Comprehensive Written Exam Blueprint (351-029) for a detailed outline of topics covered. Please remember that candidates may only attempt a beta exam once during the beta period and individual scores are generally available six to eight weeks after the close of the beta period.

Current Written Exams: Other changes to written exams are summarized in the following table.

Effective January 2, 2007, there will be some important content changes in the CCIE Security Lab and Written exams. All CCIE exams are revised regularly in response to changes in networking practices and feedback from customers and partners. Candidates for written and lab exams scheduled on January 2, 2007 or later should prepare using the v2.0 blueprints below. Candidates prior to January 2 should continue using the prior blueprints (now known as v1.0).

• CCIE Security written exam blueprint, v2.0
• CCIE Security lab exam blueprint, v2.0

Troubleshooting techniques will now be integrated into the lab exam. In addition, the following changes--shown in the posted blueprint--will be introduced in the lab effective January 2, 2007:

• Upgrade of Cisco PIX Firewall Appliance to Software Version 7.x.
• Addition of two ASA-5510 Firewall Appliances running v7.x.
• Upgrade of Cisco Intrusion Prevention System to Software Release 5.x.
• Upgrade of Cisco VPN3000 Concentrator Series to Software Release 4.7.x.
• Upgrade of Cisco Catalyst 3550 switches to Software Release 12.2SEE.
• Upgrade of CiscoSecure ACS to Software Version 4.0.
• Addition of PC to test Remote Access VPN, admission control, packet capturing and various other applications.
• Eliminate preconfigured ACS and require candidates to configure.

The CCIE Program is pleased to announce the availability of the CCIE Security lab exam in Dubai, UAE. In efforts to serve the growing number of worldwide candidates pursuing CCIE Security certification, the locations offering CCIE Security lab now include Sydney, Australia; RTP, North Carolina; San Jose, California; Brussels, Belgium; Beijing, China and Dubai, UAE.

Online scheduling is now available for lab examinations scheduled for July 23rd, 2006 and beyond.

For more information regarding the CCIE Security lab preparation see Lab Exam Blueprint as well as a list of Lab Equipment & IOS Versions.

Cisco will end its introductory promotional discount on the CCIE Assessor Lab on June 30, 2006. The CCIE Assessor Lab allows candidates for CCIE Routing and Switching to assess their readiness for the lab exam from their own desktop, using Cisco-authored practice scenarios and remote live equipment. The introductory discount provides for a $70 USD discount off the list price of $349 USD and has been available since the lab was introduced in October 2005. Users of CCIE Assessor especially appreciate the assessment feedback it provides; see Exam Preparation for a sampling of comments.

The annual CCIE customer survey is available online now at http://www.surveysoftware.net/hostia/ciscoccie.htm through April 2, 2006. All CCIEs and candidates for CCIE are requested to please submit answers one time only. If you recently received an email request about participating in a survey, this is the same link and same set of questions. If you pressed the submit button, your answers were received. For those who did not receive an email, each year the CCIE team collects feedback from existing CCIEs and potential candidates regarding CCIE program benefits, policies and exam content. Depending on your answers, the survey takes about 10-15 minutes to complete. Cisco appreciates your time and carefully considers all feedback given. Note that we cannot confirm whether your specific answers were entered into our database. Please assume that if you pressed the submit button at the end of the questions, your answers have been received and will be counted in our analysis.

While access to Cisco product documentation will still be available during CCIE lab exams at the Documentation Website (UniversCD) at http://www.cisco.com/univercd/home/home.htm, candidates will no longer be able to use the search function on that site. The search has been disabled due to a change in the way product documentation is maintained at Cisco. Instead, candidates should be prepared to use the drop-down index to navigate the Documentation Website (UniversCD).

Candidates may want to spend more time becoming familiar with the index and practicing how to quickly locate relevant information. Candidates who want to reschedule their lab date to spend more time practicing should remember the CCIE lab exam cancellation policy: Changes to CCIE lab exam dates or locations must be made at least 28 days before the scheduled date, to allow scheduling of other candidates for that seat. The last day to make a change is the Lab Exam Due Date. Candidates can check their specific due date (at Certification Status) and easily reschedule exams online at https://tools.cisco.com/CCIE/Schedule_Lab/CCIEOnline/CCIEOnline. No changes are allowed after the Lab Exam Due Date. Candidates who do not show up on the day of their scheduled exam will not be eligible for a refund.

Please contact CCIE customer support at ccie@cisco.com for questions or assistance.

In general, candidates receive their test score sheets within six to eight weeks after the close of a beta exam. However, the CCIE Voice Written Beta Exam v2.0 (351-030) test results have been delayed due to process changes. We will release the results for the 351-030 Voice exam by March 15th.

Effective July 17, 2006 all CCIE Voice lab locations will begin introducing Cisco Unity Express Network Module (NM-CUE) into the exam racks. Along with the NM-CUE introduction, the lab will also be upgrading to IOS version 12.4 (3a) and the equipment software to the following versions:
* Cisco CallManager 4.1 (3) with latest SR
* Cisco Unity 4.0 (5)
* Cisco Unity Express 2.1 (2)
* Cisco Customer Response Server /IP Contact Center Express 4.0 (1)

All CCIE Voice candidates taking exams July 17, 2006 or later should be familiar with the updated IOS, software and equipment, although the installations will take place over several weeks and it is possible some candidates may not see the new software and equipment in their exams. For more information regarding these changes see Voice Lab Equipment and IOS Version.

Beginning January 9th, 2006, Cisco's Technical Assistance Center (TAC) will begin piloting a new capability for CCIEs with valid support contracts. On that date, CCIEs will be allowed to submit Severity 2 cases using the online TAC Service Request Tool as an alternative to the current practice of initiating S2 cases by telephone. In recent advisory group sessions, customers have said they believe online initiation can speed resolution by allowing for documentation of troubleshooting steps already attempted and the attachment of relevant documents and diagrams.

Active CCIEs will be authenticated against the CCIE database during login and automatically presented with the S2 option in the TAC Service Request Tool. Severity 2 requests submitted by CCIEs will be routed directly to the appropriate core technology team and a TAC engineer will expedite a call back. CCIEs must agree to be available to take the call, adhere to the posted criteria for severity selection, and not share their ID number with any non-CCIE in their organization. The Cisco TAC will monitor usage during the pilot, and inappropriate use of the S2 option may impact the continued offering of this capability.

Creation of Severity 2 requests online does not replace telephone initiation, but is another option which can be utilized by CCIEs. At first release the new capability will be available in all worldwide regions except Japan and escalation of existing service requests to Severity 2 will still need to be processed by telephone.

For questions or comments on this new capability for CCIEs, please send an email to tsrts2comments@cisco.com.

The results of CertCities.com's annual reader survey for 2005 were recently announced and once again, Cisco has made a strong showing in this competition. For the fourth year in a row, CCIE won in the "Most Respected High-Level Certification" category. CertCities.com states, " The key to the CCIE's success lies in the respect it commands from IT professionals for the painful (but worthwhile) difficulty of its hands-on practicum, which puts candidates' book knowledge to the test -- for eight hours. "

Additionally, CCNA (associate level) was a finalist in the "Best Entry-Level Certification" category, CCNP (professional level) was a finalist in the "Best Mid-Level Networking Certification" category, and CCSP (security professional) was a finalist in the "Best Security Certification" category. Last but not least, Cisco cleaned house in CertCities "winner-take-all" category: "Best Overall Certification Program", again winning this title for the fourth straight year.

In a related announcement CertCities announced the "Hottest Certifications for 2006," a ranking based readers' certification plans for the coming year. Cisco's CCSP placed fourth, CCIE placed sixth and CCNP placed seventh.

Read complete articles at:
http://certcities.com/editorial/features/story.asp?EditorialsID=94
(Dec. 7: Readers' Choice Award)
http://certcities.com/editorial/features/story.asp?EditorialsID=95
(Dec. 14: Hottest Certs for 2006)

Due to the fast and enthusiastic response of worldwide CCIEs, Network General will be ending the Sniffer Portable promotion as of December 31, 2005 and not extending it until April 30, 2006 as originally announced. If you are interested, please visit the Network General registration website before December 31st.

04 NOV 2005: Network General today announced a special promotion--only for CCIE certified professionals. From now until April 30, 2006, active CCIEs can register to receive a free copy of the award-winning Sniffer Enterprise Portable software. Sniffer Portable helps identify and solve network performance issues using an impressive set of analysis capabilities including real-time and historical monitoring, troubleshooting, root-cause analysis, and more. The software comes with free technical support for one year and a free certification test for those who wish to become Sniffer certified.

Find out more about this exclusive offer from Network General.

31 OCT 2005: The CCIE program is pleased to announce the opening of two new CCIE Voice lab locations in Research Triangle Park (RTP), North Carolina; and in Sydney, Australia. The new locations join San Jose, California; and Brussels, Belgium, in serving the growing number of worldwide candidates pursuing CCIE Voice certification.

Effective November 7, 2005, the CCIE Voice lab exam will open in Research Triangle Park (RTP), North Carolina. Online scheduling is now available.

The CCIE Voice lab exam will also be made available in Sydney, Australia, in the first calendar quarter of 2006. Please check back on our website for further information on the exact date and the availability of on-line scheduling

26 OCT 2005: The CCIE Voice Written Beta Exam v2.0 (351-030) will be available at all worldwide, Cisco-authorized testing centers from November 14 through December 5, 2005. The exam will be offered at a discounted price of just $50, with full recertification or lab qualification credit granted to all passing candidates. The beta exam will include several previously untested topics, such as CallManager Express, Cisco Unity Express, and Integrated Contract Distribution. Candidates preparing for the exam should refer to the CCIE Voice Written Exam 2.0 Blueprint for a detailed outline of topics that will be covered. Online scheduling opens November 14th.

Reminders: Candidates may only attempt a beta exam once during its beta period. Individual beta exam scores will generally be available six to eight weeks after the close of the beta period.

16 AUG 2005: Effective January 1, 2006 all CCIE Routing and Switching lab locations will begin introducing the Cisco 3825 Integrated Services Router into the exam racks. These routers support Ethernet, Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet interfaces and will eventually replace the Series 2600 and Series 3600 models. Along with the router change, the CCIE R&S lab will be upgrading the IOS to 12.3 mainline (for the Cisco 2600 and 3600 Series Routers), 12.4 mainline (for Cisco 3700 and 3800 Series Routers) and 12.2 for Cisco Catalyst 3550 switches.

All CCIE R&S candidates taking exams January 1, 2006 or later should be familiar with the updated IOS and equipment, although the installations to replace the routers will take place over several weeks and it is possible some candidates may not see the new equipment in their exams.

01 AUG 2005: Effective January 1, 2006, there will be some important content changes in Cisco CCIE lab exams. Our ongoing review of exam content and feedback from customers indicate certain adjustments should be made to reflect current networking practices. Therefore the following changes will be made.

* CCIE Routing and Switching written and lab exams will no longer include the following protocols or media types: DLSW, IS-IS, ISDN, PPP over Ethernet, and ATM.

* CCIE Security lab exams will no longer test on ISDN technology, and ATM will no longer be used as a Layer 2 transport protocol for WAN connectivity.

* CCIE Voice lab exams will no longer use ATM as a Layer 2 transport protocol for WAN connectivity.

Please note, however, that CCIE Service Provider lab exams will continue to test ATM and IS-IS, as they are widely deployed in service provider networks.

22 July 2005: Effective August 15 there will be important changes to the collection process for CCIE Lab payments. All credit cards will be processed precisely 28 days prior to your test date; they will not be processed earlier regardless of when a candidate enters his/her credit card information into the system. It will be critical that the company name, invoicing address and email address are completed and contain accurate information. During the transition to this new payment process, credit card payments entered after August 1st will not be processed until August 15th.

In addition, payments for rereads will be entered on line similar to the process for CCIE Lab exam payments.

If you need further clarification or have questions please feel free to contact ccie@cisco.com.

28 June 2005: Effective July 1, 2005, the Service Provider CCIE lab will be offered in Beijing, PRC. Online scheduling is now available for lab examinations starting in July.

02 Mar 2005: Cisco's Technical Assistance Center has changed the routing process for service requests initiated by CCIEs. As of December 20, 2004, requests from CCIEs at companies with valid support contracts are being routed directly to the more experienced core support team. This change is designed to ensure a better match between the technical skills of Cisco support representatives and the company's most highly-skilled customers.

CCIEs employed by an organization with a valid support contract need only submit their requests as usual, either online or via phone call. The routing is done automatically based on the Cisco User ID and certification status of the caller. No special phone number or URL is required.

For more information, contact Cisco Technical Support.

* Candidates who fail a written exam must wait a period of five calendar days (previously three days) to reschedule the same exam.

* Candidates who pass a CCIE written exam must wait a minimum of six months before taking the same number exam. (Though rare, this may occur in certain recertification situations.)