12/13/2006 -- A discounted beta for a new Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) Routing & Switching written exam is now available in testing centers worldwide.

The exam, 351-001, is available through the end of the year for $50. CCIE written exams generally cost $300. Passing a CCIE written exam is a required prerequisite for taking the CCIE lab exam; it can also be used to renew a number of Cisco certifications.

Objectives for the beta can be found here.

The beta exam appears to be available through Prometric and Pearson Vue testing centers worldwide. Cisco does not say if there are any limits to the number of overall betas offered, but did say that candidates are limited to one try.

Credit will be given to those who pass.

For more information on this beta, go this page on Cisco's site and scroll down to the annoucements section. -Becky Nagel