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Re: Red Hat and LPI Exam



On Thu, 2004-12-02 at 12:55, Robert Citek wrote:
> Answers wouldn't help anyways.  I took the course + exam.  Both were 
> intense but rewarding.

Other than the guy that failed the exam the week before (after having
the crash course), I was the _only_ guy who took the "RH302 Exam-only"
in my group.

I was in Atlanta and took the RHL9 exam the first week of its
availability.  With the new 2003 January "compulsory" sub-sub-section
requirements to pass the RHCE/RHCT portions, I _highly_recommend_ the
full RHCE "RH300 crash course" with exam.

In my first grade, I _failed_ with a 93.1%, including sections of 100%,
98% (yeah, I got 1 multiple choice wrong ;-) and 82.1%.  Under the
pre-2003 grading, that was passing with flying colors -- only an 80%
average required, no less than 50% in any section.  In the 2003 January
with "compulsory" grading, you have to get a _perfect_ 100% or _over_
70% in many of these "compulsory" sub-sub-sections. 

In my first grade, I got a 67.7% when I needed a 70% on the RHCE
compulsory sub-sub-section of Part III, configuration and
troubleshooting.  In a nutshell, they said I got both (serviceA) and
(serviceB) wrong.  A regrade showed I didn't get the (serviceB) portion
wrong, which also gave me the points for securing the services as well,
so I got around an 89% in that sub-sub-section, over a 90% in that
section and over a 96% overall.

> The course: four days.  Almost everyone in the course knew way more 
> than I did, which was great.  The material was covered in lightning 
> speed.  Lecture material was broken up by hands-on practicals and 
> plenty of time for Q & A.  Because of the rapid pace, I spent most of 
> the evening going over the material on my laptop back in the hotel room 
> with a couple of the other attendees.

It's an _excellent_ review from what I hear.  I walked in near "cold
turkey" and got my _butt_kicked_.  Luckily I passed.

Anyone who took the RHCE before 2003 -- note it is much, much harder now
to achieve the RHCE.  They did this so you can still get the RHCT if you
don't pass some "compulsory" sections, but you won't get the RHCE for
merely making the "old passing grade" anymore.

I know _lots_ of people who made 90% overall, with nothing under 80% on
any section, but still don't pass.  They've read my story, and about my
regrade (which Red Hat is always willing to grant, at least that was
what I was told), but still didn't get enough in just 1 "compulsory" to
pass.

Those new "compulsories" are what will kick your butt.  Especially the
100% _perfect_ requirements that catch people all-the-time.

> The exam: one entire day.  Three parts: one written and two hands-on.

The written is now gone as of late 2003 I believe.

Just the troubleshooting and install/config.

Basically, if you don't score _perfect_ on the troubleshooting, it's now
over.  You're either going to get the RHCT or nothing.

The Install/Config is the nightmare juggernaut.  And you'll need 70%+ in
many sections.  I even scored a _perfect_ 100% on the RHCT portion of
the Install/Config, but that initial 67.7%  on the additional RHCE
portion kept me from getting the RHCE before the regrade -- even though
I had a 93.1% overall, and over an 82% on that section -- well passing
under the old scoring approach.

> The written stuff is standard multiple choice-type questions that are 
> probably covered in the books.

Again, it's now gone.  It was always a joke, but Red Hat through it
in there just to "make a point."  They argued that since 80% that failed
the RHCE still passed the multiple with flying colors, that the latter
were useless.  In reality, Red Hat's multiple choice section was rather
pathetic.  Although I _did_ miss 1 (out of 50, 98%).

> I don't recall the hands-on parts too much.  IIRC, the first hands-on
> part was to pick three out of five problem types and solve them;
> something like "it don't work" and you need to figure out what is
> wrong and fix it.

Not anymore.

In the 2003 January revision, you gotta get 100% on a number _mandatory_
tasks in the Troubleshooting section, just to get the RHCT, and then
others for the RHCE.

> The second hands-on part was installation, I think.  They gave the
> spec: a machine with these partitions, quotas, these services, these
> users, yada, yada, yada, and you built it.

Well, you're not supposed to talk specific services/setup details.
Remember that NDA?  ;->

I'm probably already pushing it with scoring, but most are detailed
in the Red Hat documentation.

> < 12 people, one machine per person.  Lunch provided.

Mine was 13.  11 full-week'ers, 2 schmucks taking exam-only, 1 failed it
last week, the other (me) was talking it "cold turkey."

> Yes.  At least for me and my employer because I learned a lot.  Would I 
> take it again?  In a heart beat, but next time I would bring along lots 
> of business cards and get everyone's name and e-mail in order to keep 
> in touch.

I didn't learn anything.  But the RHCE and LPIC-2 get me past HR
departments.  I work as a consultant and those "papers" mean everything.

Along with the 23 other certifications I hold, as well as my BS in
engineering.  I don't hold them up and go "hey, look at me, I know
something!"  My experience does that.

I _only_ have the sheets of paper to get me in the door.

With that said, the LPI and Red Hat programs are 2 of the _best_ you'll
find in the industry.

I should know, I've taken at least 4 exams also from Cisco (6),
CIW/Prosoft (4), Microsoft (9) and Sun (4) at the "professional/mastery"
level (not just "associate/lower" level), as well as many others at more
lower levels (Citrix, CompTIA, Novell, etc...) -- all in about the same
12 month time period (totally unsubsidized, at my own expense, no
training, no time-off).

> HTH and good luck.

Just know you won't pass the RHCE from just the book.

And when Red Hat says you should have already passed the RHCT or had
equivalent experience when you walk into the _full_week_ RH300 "crash
course," they mean it.

When I do it again, I will take the full exam week.  I'm not walking in
"cold turkey" like I did that one day in May.  Let alone I had already
taken 3 Microsoft, 1 Cisco, 1 CIW, worked a full 45 hour week and drove
to Atlanta for it -- all in the _same_ week.  I'm taking the full week
off and getting "hands on" in the lab _before" attempting the "hands on"
lab again.

I seriously don't know how I passed the RHCE "cold turkey."  I really
don't given my circumstances (really bad job at the time).

-- 
Bryan J. Smith                                    b.j.smith@ieee.org 
-------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Subtotal Cost of Ownership (SCO) for Windows being less than Linux
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) assumes experts for the former, costly
retraining for the latter, omitted "software assurance" costs in 
compatible desktop OS/apps for the former, no free/legacy reuse for
latter, and no basic security, patch or downtime comparison at all.



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