3/23/2001 -- Starting April 1, Cisco will start charging $1,250 U.S. for all its CCIE lab exams -- a 25 percent increase over the exam's current price.

According to Cisco, the original $1,000 price had been in effect since the program's launch in 1993. "After a rigorous evaluation of our current cost structure, we find it necessary to increase our CCIE Lab exam fee to reflect our current cost of doing business," the company's Web site states.

This is the second cost hike for CCIE candidates in the past three weeks. On March 15, Cisco raised the prices of all its CCIE-related multiple choice exams to $300, up from $200. The price applies to both qualification and recertification exams. No justification was given for this particular increase.

The CCIE is Cisco's highest level of technical certification. Candidates must pass a multiple choice exam as well as a two-day, hands-on lab in a chosen specialty in order to become a CCIE.

For more information on the CCIE program and to view Cisco's official statement on these price increases, click here. -B.N.