During the exam
The VCP6.5-DCV exam tests candidates on their skills and abilities to install, configure, and manage vCenter Server, ESXi hosts, and virtual machines, using the appropriate VMware tools. Successful candidates demonstrate mastery of these skills and abilities.
Which exam to take
There are at least three different exams to gain the VCP6.5-DCV certification, and, depending on where you start (see Appendix B), you may need one or two single exams, as follows:
- 2V0-602: VMware vSphere 6.5 Foundation exam
- 2V0-622: VMware Certified Professional 6.5 - Data Center Virtualization exam
- 2V0-622D: VMware Certified Professional 6.5 - Data Center Virtualization Delta exam
There are other options (such as directly taking the VCAP6.5-DCA or VCAP6.5-DCD exam), but we don't consider them.
In this book, we mainly consider the 2V0-622 exam.
Note that there are still exams for version 6.0 of vSphere, but they will be retired soon (probably when the new VCP exams based on vSphere 6.7 are released).
Foundation exam
This exam is mandatory for new VCP certification, and it's shared across the different VMware certification paths (see Appendix A).
It's an online, non-proctored exam, with a 105-minute duration and 70 questions. It costs $125 USD.
This exam validates that you have the fundamental skills necessary to understand and begin deploying VMware vSphere 6.5 environments.
Compared to the VCP6.5-DCV exam, the vSphere 6.5 Foundations exam (2V0-602) is a little more general (and less deep, technically), but covers several other products from VMware, including vRealize Log Insight, vRealize Automation, NSX, and so on.
The exam guide describes all of the products and the types of knowledge required for the exam, at https://www.vmware.com/content/dam/digitalmarketing/vmware/en/pdf/certification/vmw-vsphere65-foundation-2v0-602-guide.pdf.
This book may not help with Foundation exam preparation, due to the different products. However, if you have minimal experience with vSphere, NSX, and VSAN, you can pass the exam.
For more information, see the official page, at https://www.vmware.com/au/education-services/certification/vsphere6-5-foundation-exam.html.
VMware Certified Professional 6.5 - Data Center Virtualization exam
This is the exam considered in this book.
It's a proctored exam with a duration of 105 minutes (or more, for non-English-speaking people), with 70 questions and a cost of $250 USD.
The Exam Preparation Guide (Version 7.2, October 3, 2017) provides more details on the exam content, at https://www.vmware.com/content/dam/digitalmarketing/vmware/en/pdf/certification/vmw-vcp65-dcv-2v0-622-guide.pdf.
For more information, see the official page, at https://www.vmware.com/education-services/certification/vcp6-5-dcv-exam.html.
VMware Certified Professional 6.5 - Data Center Virtualization Delta exam
This exam is similar to the previous exam. It's still a proctored exam, with a duration of 105 minutes (or more, for non-English-speaking people), 70 questions, and a cost of $250 USD.
However, it's a Delta exam, so many questions are focused on vSphere 6.5, as compared to the previous exam. Also, it is a little simpler. This book can also be used to prepare for this kind of exam.
There is an exam guide at https://www.vmware.com/content/dam/digitalmarketing/vmware/en/pdf/certification/vmw-vcp65-dcv-delta-2v0-622d_guide.pdf.
Types of questions
All questions have closed answers, but several are multiple choice questions (with two, or, in a few cases, three answers). Also, note that sometimes, the best answer isn't available, so you should choose which provided option fits the best.
You can also work in a reverse mode. You can simply exclude some answers, and then focus on the remaining answers. Also, in some cases, the answer to one question might be in the text of another one. And some questions may be quite similar (asking the same thing in a different way). So, be sure to read all of the questions and answers carefully. Some answers are mutually exclusive, so be sure to always read both the question and the answers carefully.
Some questions might be related to maximum numbers, but fortunately, the number of questions is now lower than in previous VCP exams. However, it might be useful to look at those numbers at the following links:
Note that questions can change between different exam sessions, and may be upgraded from month to month. If you retake the exam, don't be too confident of seeing the same questions.
Also, note that at this time, the different questions should be based on vSphere 6.5U1, but this can change in the future. There are a few differences, but one big change is in the PSC-supported topology (the enhanced linked mode is now supported, with embedded PSC).
Time management
There are a total of 70 questions in 105 minutes. So, one big challenge is managing your time carefully.
One question per minute might be the right ratio for a VCP exam.
Spend your time carefully reading the questions and possible answers; some questions might not be clear, or may contain a very important term, such as must or should.
A good approach might be to move ahead if you are spending too much time on a single question; you can mark it and review it later. In this way, you can try to reach the maximum result by answering more questions.
Foreign language notes
The 105-minute exam is only available in English, but the exam is also available in English or Japanese.
If you take the exam in a country where English is not the primary language, as with other VMware exams, you will have 30 minutes added to the exam time.
This time extension is automatic; no additional action is required from the candidate. It should depend on the candidate, but the extension may not be automatically added if you take the exam in a testing centering in the UK or US. In that case, just ask before starting the exam.
