VCP Supplemental Material

tkerber

Hello fellow techies..

Recently I've managed to get myself some free VCP training via my company. I work for a rather large tech company and they occasionally have a one week VCP class that employees can attend. Now I've heard the class alone won't entirely prepare you for the VCP but it's definitely useful.

I'm wondering if anyone has any good suggestions for VCP training. I've seen a few of you mention Pluralsight--to which I used to have any account for. I would ideally like to get my VCP but I am studying for lots of other stuff with WGU as well. Any input on good material would be greatly appreciated. Also for those of you who have the VCP--how challenging is it?

jibbajabba

The class isn't just useful but actually mandatory

As to how challenging it is depends on your experience, like with everything really. The most useful supplement to the course is the Blueprint and a lab.

The Blueprint will show you exactly what is covered in the exam and the lab (yours or company) will help you to do and learb the tasks described in the Blueprint.

So if you worm with vSphere on daily basis, the VCP is probably just a way of proving your skills. If you start from scratch and you just about know how to spell vSphere, then you likely will have to invest a lot of hours.

Whilst people have passed the VCP before without practical experience, it isn't really common I don't think (without cheating anyway).

A very good book is 'Mastering vSphere 5.5' or 'Mastering vSphere 6', depending on the version you want to go for.

Then you could always sign up to Pluralsight or CBT Nuggets as a trial and go through those videos.

But you could just read the book, lab, and use YouTube / vBrownbags as study aid.

Lexluethar

You have to take the course in order to register for the exam as jibba said. They also require you to be in the class 4 out of the 5 days, generally the last day they take attendance and set you up with a vmware login.

Pluralsight was okay for 5.5 - most of their material was for 5.1 and it wasn't really blowing my socks off. The Mastering 5.5 book is really good, tons of great detail but it might be too much detail. I have yet to take the exam so i can't say for certain but the amount of detail they go into is crazy. I look at that book as more of a bible of sorts that will go over everything (although the exam could technically cover everything).

I went to a training course through GlobalKnowledge, they are pretty solid from what I've experienced. Expensive but quality.

My advice (coming from a guy that has yet to take the exam but has studied a decent amount) would be to purchase the mastering 5.5 book and read it front to back, anything you don't understand lab the crap out of it until you understand it. Ditch pluralsight because their vmware stuff wasn't great (i've used them for my MCSA stuff and it was quality material). Use the blueprint available on vmware's website and simply go through the blueprint and make sure you understand everything.

Good luck!

scott28tt

Technically you can take the exam without having done the class, but you won't get certified til you've met the class requirement too.

Instructors are given a guideline around a student's active participation - there's more to the "4 out of the 5 days" comment above than just physically being in the room

Lexluethar

Correct Scott, sorry just going off my experiences. I've taken two classes and both times they took attendance on the end of the 4th day.