VCP 6.5 Study Material
Introduction
At the recent Scottish VMUG vBeers event certification seemed to be a common topic of conversation. I recommended some study material to people so thought it would be useful to list them out here plus some others I have used.
VCP 6.5 DCV Overview
The full title for the exam is VMware Certified Professional 6.5 - Data Center Virtualization Exam. To gain the certification two exams are required.
The first is the vSphere 6.5 Foundations Exam. This exam needs to be completed before you can proceed to any of the actual certification exams such - Data Center Virtualization, Network Virtualization, Cloud Management and Automation or the Desktop and Mobility track. Passing the Foundations exam does not mean you have a certification, it means you are on the right path to you first VMware certification. This exam is available online through Pearson Vue.
Once you have completed this exam you can move onto the VCP DCV exam. The bible for you study should be the Exam Guide. This will spell out exactly all the things you may be questioned on in the exam. Make sure you know each topic inside and out! The exam has to be completed at a Pearson Vue testing center.
One thing to note for the certification. You can pass both exams but you will not be certified until you attend one VMware’s courses. This page list the exact required courses and links to the Foundations and VCP exam pages.
Study Material
There is lots of both paid for and free resources available to study for the VCP. This includes online videos, books, community study guides, etc.
My recommended list is:
- Mastering VMware vSphere 6.5 Book. The Mastering VMware series is always a recommended book for filling in the gaps the official VMware training course misses
- Pluralsight has a learning path for the Foundations exam
- Chris Porter published a 10 week study guide. Great work Chris!
- Simon Long has created a practice exam on his website. It’s a brilliant resource for validating your study
- Vladan Seget has a truly excellent and comprehensive study guide. I have used previous a previous version of this for my VCP 6 and it was instrumental in my success at passing the exam
- Shane Williford also has a study guide that was instrumental to me passing the VCP 6. The 6.5 version is an essential resource
Wrap Up
Once you have completed the official VMware course and are eligible to earn the VCP 6.5 certification you will greatly increase your chances of success by using the resources above. Not all the exam objectives are covered on the course so further self study is required to pass.
Good luck on your certification journey!