Are CCIE Rereads Worth It?

Brad Reese recently posted about the CCIE reread.  A reread is an option that candidates who fail the CCIE Routing and Switching lab may request.  Your final configurations are loaded on a pod and a different proctor grades your lab.  A reread costs $250 and can take weeks to complete.  Very few candidates actually pass the exam on a reread.  Brad points out this scary statistic:

Before requesting a reread, consider that historically only 0.3%of CCIE Lab Exam rereads have been changed from Fail to Pass.

Those are not very good odds.  Still, if you are within a few points of passing the lab it would be very hard not to request a reread.  For instance, if you failed with a score of 77 points you might only be one or two tasks away from passing.  $250 is only about 17% of the cost of another lab attempt (even less when you factor in travel and expenses).  So is a reread a good option if you are that close to passing?

Maybe not.  I’m completely talking out my ass here, but I have to think that if a proctor grades a lab and the final score is within a task or two of passing, they are probably going to double check their results.  In that case, if you score a 77, it is probably a solid 77.  Again, I am completely speculating on this point.

That said, if I were to fail the lab with a score 77 or higher, then I would still spend the $250 – even with the .3% chance of reversal.  The worst part would not be spending the $250.  It would be the agonizing waiting period.