Last July I decided to pick up on the VCAP-DCV Deploy exam, again. This exam was actually a long time due for me. Almost two years ago I failed the 6.0 version of this exam. There were some serious problems with the exam delivery, but also, I had underestimated the exam. So, after a job change, I was set to do the VCAP-DCV Deploy exam, but then last moment decided to go for the VCAP-DCV Design exam instead, at Empower in Lisbon. After that I took a sidetrack to VCAP-NV Deploy before coming back to VCAP-DCV Deploy again. Then coronavirus happened. In this blog you will read my experience, preparation and hopefully useful tips on taking the VCAP-DCV Deploy exam.

We work from home, 5 days a week. Don’t get me wrong here, I have a nice little office and love working from home. However, separation between home and work becomes quite difficult when there is no change of scene. At least for me that was true. I needed something to fix the ‘ feeling’ of changing scenes. One of the simplest things I do is just literally change clothes. Like work clothes for daytime working, something comfy for studying and shorts for sitting on the couch. That helped me a lot in picking up the pace again.

The exam, preparation, pitfalls and experience

First of all, I did the 3v0 21.18 exam, which is for vsphere 6.5. I am not sure how I didn’t book the exam for vsphere 6.7, but hey, things happen. It made studying a little more challenging because all HOL’s are 6.7 or 7.0 now and based on the HTML5 client. Luckily with the 6.7 labs it’s still possible to use the flex-client.

The setup of the exam places you in the role of a vSphere Administrator. You will get a lab environment, comparable to VMware HOL and you will be presented a set of 17 tasks to complete. You will have 3 hours and 25 minutes to complete these. This seems like a long time, but time flies! Although normally the time given for this exam should be sufficient to complete all tasks. I liked to work through the tasks one by one. Remember, you are an administrator and you will have to fix or solve issues before you can finish some tasks. Don’t panic if you bump into an issue you can’t solve right away. Like in the real world, there is (almost) always a reason why something doesn’t work the way you expect it to.

Pitfalls

Be aware of keyboard issues. Many times, I got double letters. I thought it was the keyboard at the test location, but I have read several blogs of people with similar issues. Also, the drag and drop would not work for me. If that is happening, try to stay calm and just type the information you wanted to drag-drop and type slowly if you have the keyboard issue. No good to waste energy and negative head-space on little issues. Also, when there is a task that you can’t complete, be sure to time-box your troubleshooting. Move on to the next if it takes too long.

Overall experience

The overall experience of the exam was very good. It is an excellent exam to take and sit for. Even in the unfortunate case you won’t pass, I am still quite sure you will like the exam. For those in doubt, I would highly recommend to just go for it. Do not fear failure and undergo the experience.

Tips for preparation

Most useful tips I can think of would probably just state the obvious and can be found plenty on many blogs and forums around on the internet. That being said, let me point out a few things which were important and helpful for me.

• Read the exam preparation Guide. This should be a no-brainer, but still worth to mention. Most topics will somehow show up in the exam.
• Use the Hands On Labs. Or your own lab if you have one. I do prefer the HOL’s because it doesn’t matter when I break them. Also, they live for a maximum of 9 hours which means the next study cycle you must start all over again. This means repetition, which is good!
• Build your own small environments in the HOL’s according to the study material. Most labs are simple but have everything you need to study the objectives.
• Use simulators. There are two that I really like
  • https://www.jortechnologies.com/vcap-dcv-deploy-hol-based-simulator-free/ – uses free Hands On Labs
  • https://enjoythelab.com/vcap-simulator
    here you will get an actual lab with 3 hours lab time to complete tasks. It costs $15 to do this, but it is 15 bucks really well spent.
• Make sure you are in the mood to make the exam. Like try to have a good sleep the night before, be confident about the knowing the objectives. If not, little stuff might throw you off-balance causing you to ‘not-pass’ the exam.
• Don’t be afraid to reschedule the exam when you don’t feel ready. My original exam date was in the middle of a heatwave. I tried to study in the scorching heat, but eventually decided that it would be much smarter to move the exam ahead.

Conclusion

I was able to complete all tasks within the given time. When I pressed the finish button I was really confident that I would pass the exam. After two days I finally got the mail, passed! With a score of 439 out of 500. Quite honestly, I am super curious where I lost those points! That being said, also I am super happy and satisfied. This brings me to the double VCIX level (DCV and NV).

Vacation

Currently I am enjoying a little vacation. After my vacation I will return with some technical posts again and make good on the promise in my previous post !

Till next time!