What is CORE?
CORE – Cloud Operational Readiness Evaluations
(an advanced approach to traditional certification exams)
CORE assures individuals and teams that they command the skills and experience the industry desires. It recognizes knowledge gained from a course and verifies proficiency in the subject matter, ultimately confirming the learning experience.
What Happens in a CORE Evaluation?
A CORE practical simulates a visit to a customer site to troubleshoot an issue. You wouldn’t be expected to do it from memory on-site, so why should you have to memorize outdated terms or commands for an exam? Arista’s CORE evaluations are always ‘open-book’.
Why CORE?
For too long, multiple-choice exams have been the industry norm to test and rank basic competence. A prevalent problem with this approach is that answers may simply be memorized.
Real-World Simulations
Arista’s CORE approach assesses your understanding through practical evaluations and verification for all courses.
- CORE evaluations are proctored via Zoom
- No special equipment needed
- We rely on integrity and honesty – no locking down screens or cameras necessary
Assessing the Evaluation
Evaluations are based on task completion (results-based) and verified by an Arista engineer
Completeness, Not Perfection
We understand that an IP address typo can keep a network from running correctly and recognize the time needed to find such a mistake in a live environment is not available during a timed evaluation. Therefore, evaluations are based on overall completeness, not perfection. It is in your best interest to submit a working environment at the end of the exam, however, you will not be penalized for minor oversights and typos that keep the network from working properly.
Approach is Key
Our intent with the exam process is to offer each candidate a unique experience that encourages success. For this reason, our engineers carefully and thoughtfully consider your approach as well as accuracy. We know there are alternative ways to complete a task, so we look for those as well.
Adding the Human Element
A proctored review session with an Arista engineer is offered to candidates who fail by a narrow margin. This gives the candidate an additional opportunity to explain reasoning or come to the proper conclusion by discussing the failed task with a subject matter expert, rather than receiving an automatic fail.