Thursday 23 August 2018

Major Update to VMware Certification Naming and Schedule

VMware have announced a major shift in the naming and versioning for all certifications - alignment to the year in which a certification is earned, and a new annual release/update schedule for all VCP, VCAP, and VCDX certifications!

Naming Convention
Using the Data Center Virtualization (DCV) track, here's an example of the the next generation of certification names:

  • VCP-DCV 2019
  • VCAP-DCV Design 2019
  • VCAP-DCV Deploy 2019
  • VCDX-DCV 2019

Certifications launched from this month will use this new convention, starting with the release of:

  • VMware Certified Professional – Desktop and Mobility 2018 (VCP-DTM 2018)
  • VMware Certified Advanced Professional – Data Center Virtualization Deploy 2018 (VCAP-DCV Deploy 2018)
  • VMware Certified Advanced Professional – Cloud Management and Automation Deploy 2018 (VCAP- CMA Deploy 2018)

Release Schedule
As you might expect from such a naming convention, there's also a switch to an annual release schedule:

  • January 1st: Release and update all VCP certifications
  • March 1st: Release and update all VCAP Design certifications
  • May 1st: Release and update all VCAP Deploy certifications
  • VCDX certification updates will follow VCAP releases

Benefits
These changes give you:

  • Better predictability in certification releases
  • Stronger relevancy in the market - you can easily communicate your current status
  • Clarity of paths and requirements for upgrading and recertification

For further information and an FAQ document please see this blog announcement

6 comments:

  1. Do the changes speed up VCAP releases ? Certain VCAP exams, especially of the Deploy kind, seem to be released very close to EOL of the product being tested ...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As I mentioned above, ALL VCAP Deploy certifications will be released annually, starting from May 1st 2019.

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  2. Does this mean that recertification is no longer needed? If I got a VCP-DCV-2019, and two years later I get a VCP-DTM-2021 my DCV would still be 2019. So, a renewal doesn't actually refresh my existing certificates.

    Further, now to stay current I need to take one exam (per track) annually. This seems insane.

    I'm up for renewal in the next couple months, and with this change I'm considering just letting letting them lapse. My 10 year old CCNA is just as valid as day one because I've renewed it every 3 years. My 2003 MCSA (though dated) is still valid even though I haven't taken a Microsoft exam in 8 years.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The recertification policy remains at 2 years, so nobody will be forced to take exams annually. In the example you give, I would expect the result to be a DCV 2019 and a DTM 2021 - the key being that because you recertified, your DCV won't be expired. Expired certifications can never be reinstated, and if you hadn't done that DTM 2021 you would need to take training to gain another certification.

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  3. Soooo..... If I hold a VCP6 and want to go to VCAP 2019. Will I be required to get the VCP-DCV 2019 first?

    Will there be a VCP6 to VCP 2019 upgrade delta exam? Or will I be forced to do 6.5 as well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. None of those details have been announced yet. January 1st will see the first wave of "2019" certifications.

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