Scheduling the Cisco BSCI Exam

To schedule an exam, call at least one day in advance, but do not count on getting an early appointment. In some areas of the United States, tests are booked up for weeks in advance. To cancel or reschedule an exam, you must call at least 12 hours before the scheduled test time (or you may be charged). When calling Prometric, be sure to have the following information ready for the representative who handles your call:

• Your name , organization, mailing address, and email address.

• A unique test ID. For most U.S. citizens, this will be your Social Security number. Citizens of other nations can use their taxpayer IDs or make other arrangements with the order taker.

• The name and number of the exam you wish to take. For this book, the exam number is 642-801, and the exam name is BSCI.

• If you will be paying by credit card, be sure to have your card handy as well. If you wish to pay by check or other means, you have to obtain the necessary information from the Prometric or Pearson VUE representative with whom you speak.

Taking the Test

When you show up for your appointment, be sure you bring two forms of identification that have your signature on them, including one with a photograph. You won't be allowed to take any printed material into the testing environment, but you can study the Cram Sheet from the front of this book while you are waiting. Try to arrive at least 15 minutes before the scheduled timeslot.

All exams are completely closed book. In fact, you will not be permitted to take anything with you into the testing area, but you will be furnished with a blank sheet of paper and a pen. If allowed by the testing center, we suggest that you immediately write down on that sheet of paper any of the information from the Cram Sheet you've had a hard time remembering, such as variable-length subnet mask (VLSM) techniques.

You will have some time to compose yourself, to record memorized information, and even to take a sample orientation exam before you begin the real thing. We suggest you take the orientation test before taking your first exam, but because they're all more or less identical in layout, behavior, and controls, you probably won't need to do this more than once.