Quickest option to recertify your VCP5-DCV

VMware created a special exam for those wanting to recertify their VCP5-DCV - a delta exam for those who have passed the vSphere 5.0/5.1 exam - the code is VCP550D.

It's only available for a limited time, you can take it from any location, it's a lower cost than a regular VCP exam too.

Find out more here: VMware Education and Certification blog

You can download the exam blueprint and request exam authorisation here: VCP5-DCV Delta Recertification Exam page

Some quick tips:

1. Only request authorisation when you're ready to take the exam as you only get 48 hours from authorisation time to take the exam itself.
2. Focus on the 5.5-specific elements of the blueprint.

Update: The VCP550D exam was originally only available til November 30th 2014, but it has now been made available til March 10th 2015 which gives all VCP5-DCV holders the chance to recertify.

New VCP exam discounts - for current VCPs and NSX class delegates

The title of this post says it all really - VMware have 2 new promotion for discounts on VCP exams:

25% discount for current VCPs (to help reduce the cost of recertification):

https://mylearn.vmware.com/mgrReg/plan.cfm?plan=51574&ui=www_cert

50% discount exam voucher if you attend a class on NSX:

https://mylearn.vmware.com/mgrReg/plan.cfm?plan=51447&ui=www_edu

See the relevant pages above for all the terms, eligibility dates, etc.

Both promotions have been added to a page I keep in my bookmarks - the Training and Certification Special Offers page.

Common VMware Certification Questions

Have a question about VMware certification?

Well, you could email certification@vmware.com with your question and wait for a response, but in fact you're likely to find the answer via the list of KB articles on this page:

VMware Education & Certification Blog : Common Questions Answered

I created my own Top 5 of the questions I'm asked most often too:

VCP Common Questions

Isn't it great to be able to help yourself instantly?

New VCAP5-DCD exam for vSphere 5.5

First it was VCP5-DCV, then VCAP5-DCA, and now it's the turn of the VCAP5-DCD certification to have an exam specific to vSphere 5.5...

Learn more here: https://mylearn.vmware.com/mgrReg/plan.cfm?plan=47317&ui=www_cert

VCAP5-DCA - New vSphere 5.5 exam version available

Today sees the launch of a new exam for the VCAP5-DCA certification, VDCA550 which is based on vSphere 5.5.

The original VCDA510 exam based on vSphere 5.0/5.1 remains available, so be careful when you book the exam to make sure you're registering for the one that matches the software versions you've used during your preparations.

This is the same approach as VMware took for VCP5-DCV back in January: http://vmwaretraining.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/vcp5-dcv-now-updated-for-vsphere-55.html

Passing either of the exam will meet the requirement to become VCAP5-DCA certified, the pre-requisite certifications remain the same.

The recommended training class vSphere: Optimize & Scale was also recently updated for the 5.5 release: http://mylearn.vmware.com/mgrreg/courses.cfm?ui=www_edu&a=one&id_subject=46566

You can read more about the new exam and access the blueprint for both the VCDA550 and VCDA510 exams here: http://mylearn.vmware.com/mgrReg/plan.cfm?plan=47316&ui=www_cert

Josh Andrews from the VMware Certification team has created a post on his blog describing the new lab environment and blueprint changes: http://sostechblog.com/2014/04/07/vcap5-dca-update-for-vsphere-5-5/

VMware Training & Certification Promotions

Here's a handy page to have in your browser bookmarks - it lists all current VMware training and certification special offers and beta classes:

http://mylearn.vmware.com/mgrReg/plan.cfm?plan=41387&ui=www_edu

There's a list of global discounts and promotions, plus those that only apply to certain geographical regions.

You can also sign-up to be notified of new discounts and promotions here:

http://www.vmwarelearningpaths.com/notify_me?source=learning

Recertification policy for VCP level certifications

Well here's a change in policy from VMware - those that hold VCP-level certifications will now have to recertify in order to retain their certification and all the related benefits.

Here's the official announcement on the new policy:

http://mylearn.vmware.com/mgrReg/plan.cfm?plan=46667&ui=www_cert

There are 2 milestones to watch out for:

- If you earned all your VCP level certifications prior to March 10th 2013 you have til March 10th 2015 to recertify
- If you earned your most recent VCP level certification since March 10th 2013 you have 2 years from the date you earned that certification to recertify

You can recertify in any of these ways:

- Pass the current exam for the VCP level certification in the same discipline
- Pass the current VCP level exam in another discipline
- Pass a current VCAP level exam in the same or another discipline

Note: there is no training requirement for recertification - this is a shift in policy as previously individuals would have to take a What's New class (in the case of DCV) or even a full class as part of updating their VCP certification to a new version once a grace period had passed

Today there are 3 disciplines that have VCP certifications - Data Center Virtualisation, Cloud, and Desktop - expect to see VCP for additional disciplines such as Networking Virtualisation added in the future.

If you do not recertify by the relevant milestone your certification will be revoked and you will no longer be entitled to use the certification logo or represent yourself as VMware certified. To regain certified status, you will need to meet all the prerequisites for the specific certification.

At this time there are no recertification policies for VCA, VCAP, or VCDX certifications - but I suspect that will change in the future so watch out for other announcements.