Passing the VMware VCAP6-DCV Design exam

VMware has VMware Certified Advanced Professional (VCAP) exams testing the ability of a person to deploy, administer, and design complex virtual environments. The exams for vSphere 6 come in two types: Design and Deployment. Passing both exams earns the designation VMware Certified Implementation Expert (VCIX). The VCIX is not a certification the same way that VCAPs are; rather it is a special designation that proves the earner has deep and wide expertise in designing and deploying complex vSphere 6 infrastructures.

VMware is constantly reviewing and updating their certification system. Recent changes to the vSphere 6.x advanced certifications included adding the VCAP6.5-Data Center Virtualization (DCV) Design exam and retiring the VCAP6-DCV Design exam. Overarching changes to the entire VMware certification program include the replacement of product versions in the certification title with the year in which the certification was earned. For example, the only current, advanced DCV Deployment exam is titled VCAP-DCV Deployment 2018. This change was made in an effort to show the timeliness of the certification simply by its name. Reading the certification page for this exam is the only way to understand which product version is tested within the exam.

The current, high-level VMware certification path is mapped out in the following flowchart:

VMware certification path for data center administrators and architects

The VCAP-DCV Design exam tests your ability to design enterprise virtualized environments. To be successful, you must have an in-depth understanding of VMware's core components and the relationship they share with other components of the data center, such as storage, networking, and application services, along with a mastery of VMware's data center design methodologies and principles. All the exam objectives, including study resources, can be found in the exam blueprint. VMware exam roadmaps and the VCAP exam blueprints can be found on the VMware Certification portal page at https://mylearn.vmware.com/portals/certification/.

Getting ready

Before you are eligible to take a VCAP6.5-DCV Design exam, you should have obtained the relevant VMware Certified Professional-Data Center Virtualization (VCP6.5-DCV) certification. Besides the training required for the VCP6.5-DCV certification, there is no other requisite training that must be completed in order to sit the VCAP6.5-DCV Design exam. When you are ready to schedule your VCAP6.5-DCV Design exam, you must submit an exam authorization request to VMware. When you submit the exam authorization request, VMware will verify that you have met the certification prerequisites and provide you with the access necessary to schedule the exam.

The VCAP6.5-DCV Design exam consists of 60 questions with a time limit of 135 minutes. The passing score is 300 out of 500. The exam questions are comprised of a mixture of multiple choice, matching, and drag and drop. VMware has removed the Visio-style design scenario formatted questions from this exam. Refer to the VMware Certification Portal for details: https://mylearn.vmware.com/portals/certification/.

How to do it…

The VCAP-DCV Design exam for vSphere 6 was one of the most challenging exams I have ever taken. Here are a few tips to help you prepare for and successfully sit the VCAP6-DCV Design exam:

1. Study the material on the exam blueprint: The exam blueprint lists all the objectives of the exam, along with links to documentation related to each exam objective.
2. Review the vSphere 6 release notes and product documentation: The release notes and product documentation will provide an overview of the features available, the requirements that must be met to support implementation of the new features, and the best practices for implementing features to support design requirements.

3. Schedule your exam: Scheduling your exam sets a goal date for you to work toward. Setting the date can provide motivation to help you stay on track with your studying efforts.
4. Watch the APAC vBrownBag DCD5 series: The APAC vBrownBag did a series of podcasts focusing on the VCAP-DCD exam for vSphere 5 exam objectives. Even though these podcasts focus on version five of the exam, many of the design methodologies and concepts are similar. These podcasts are still relevant and provide a valuable study resource. The podcast can be found at http://www.professionalvmware.com/brownbags.
5. Get familiar with the exam design interface: On VMware's VCAP Certification page for the Design exam, there is a UI Demo that will help get you familiar with the design interface that is used on the exam.
6. Practice time management: It is very important that you are aware of the amount of time you are taking on a question, and how much time remains. If you get hung up on a multiple choice question, take your best guess and move on. Conserve time for the more complex drag and drop and design scenario questions.

7. Answer every question: A question left unanswered will be marked incorrect and will not benefit your score in any way. A guess has some chance of being correct.
8. Study the material on the exam blueprint: I know this has already been mentioned once, but it is worth mentioning again. The exam blueprint contains all the testable objectives. Study it!

There's more…

For up-to-date information on the VCAP-DCV Design certification, to download the exam blueprint, and to book the exam once it has been released, visit the VMware Certification Portal page at https://mylearn.vmware.com/portals/certification/.

The final stop on the VMware Certification path is VMware Certified Design Expert-Data Center Virtualization (VCDX). The VCDX certification requires creating a VMware vSphere design, submitting the design to VMware for review, and then defending the design before a panel of VMware design experts.