The Circle is Complete

The line-up of VMware certifications is now complete, and standardised across 3 distinct disciplines:

- Data Center Virtualisation (DCV) - focused on vSphere
- Desktop (DT) - focused on View with vSphere
- Cloud - focused on vCloud Director with vSphere

Certification levels
Each discipline has 3 levels of certification:

- VCP - Professional
- VCAP - Advanced Professional
- VCDX - Design Expert

VCAP tracks
The VCAP level for each discipline has 2 standard tracks:

- Administration
- Design

There is a third VCAP certification for the Cloud discipline - Cloud Governance.

Requirements
Now the line-up is complete, VMware have also adopted a new principle for each level in terms of requirements:

- VCP - training requirement in that discipline, or VCP in other disciplines
- VCAP - VCP requirement in any discipline
- VCDX - VCP requirement in any discipline plus the VCAPs in that discipline

Bridging exams for VCP5-DCV holders
Something else that's now standardised for VCP5-DCV holders is the ability to take a "bridging" exam to achieve the VCP in other disciplines:

VCP-Cloud certification 
- VCP5-DCV holders can do the IaaS exam which only tests on vCD 
- Those that don't hold VCP5-DCV must do the VCP-Cloud exam which tests on vSphere and vCD 

VCP-DT certification 
- VCP5-DCV holders can do the View exam which only test on View 
- Those that don't hold VCP5-DCV must do the VCP-Desktop exam which tests on vSphere and View

More information
The full set of requirements for each individual certification and the latest information can be found at http://www.vmware.com/certification