After passing the exam in early October 2011 at a first attempt, here are a few notes on the exam (without infringing the confidentiality agreement) that might help you:
i: The exam is 85 questions in 90 minutes (only slightly more time than one minute per question) so you need to know your stuff and answer the questions efficiently.
ii: The questions are all multiple choice.
iii: The passing score is 300 out of a maximum possible score of 500.
Some useful resources
i: Notes Part 1 → well worth going over and understanding, and since the notes fit nicely in a smartphone screen, it is convenient to study these whilst out and about.
ii: Notes Part 2: vSphere 5 Configuration Maximums → are also worth going over but it is unlikely you will see many questions – perhaps only 1 or 2 – on this in the exam – then again those 1 or 2 questions can be the difference between a pass and a fail! Do not spend too much time on trying to remember these, the time can be better spent elsewhere.
iii: Lab work → highly recommend you have a vSphere 5 lab setup and where possible practice setting up, configuring and administrating all features. Especially have a good play around with / get a good understanding of:
sDRS
Storage Profiles
vSphere Distributed Switch
*Remember that vSphere runs nicely inside VMware Workstation / Oracle VirtualBox
iv: Web resources →
v: Experience → if short on experience then going on a VMware vSphere 5 course (a prerequisite before taking the exam if not a pre-existing VCP4 – and even VCP4's will need to take the What's New course after 29th Feb 2012,) more lab work and a well written book.
vi: Time → always the hardest resource to get enough of!
vii: A bit of luck!
Final Comment
The pass mark is definitely not 60%. The scoring method used has a minimum score of 100, a maximum score of 500, and a passing score of 300 - but your score is definitely not a percentage within that possible range.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't 300/500 = 60%. I knew I was bad at maths, but I didn't think I was that bad...
ReplyDeleteQuestions are weighted, so 1 question might be worth more than others.
ReplyDeleteThanks for mention my page.
ReplyDeleteJust another hint: the exam is not (only) a what's new of vSphere 5... you need to old well also previous features and remember also to upgrade paths.
Hi Andrew,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the comment and thank you very much for all the work you have put into your VCP5 page - it was a very helpful resource for me.
Cheers
If the score is 100-500, how dumb do you have to be to get only 100? Does getting your name right get you the first 100? Or paying the exam fee?
ReplyDeleteIf it was percentage based, 300 would be 75% (300 out of (500-100)).
Hello Anonymous, I have changed the wording to "The passing score is 300 out of a maximum possible score of 500." Cheers!
DeleteA score of 100 equals 0%, a score of 500 equals 100%, a score in the range 101-499 doesn't equal any kind of percentage at all as that's not how the score is calculated.
ReplyDeleteI run a blog dedicated to VMware training and certification: http://vmwaretraining.blogspot.com
Hi Scott, thank you for the comment. Cheers!
DeletePassed... thanks man, this helped.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your pass!
Delete