VCAP-DCA Prep Resources and Thanks

Last Friday I received my VCAP-DCA Exam results from VMware and I PASSED. It took 8 business days to get my results and when I left the exam I did not have a great feeling about my performance. The exam was tough and the time limit makes it brutal. I continued to prepare for the exam up until I received the results fearing that I was going to have to sit for it again. What a relief.

Since that is behind me now I am taking a break for a few weeks to enjoy the summer then I am on to preparing for the VCAP-DCD exam.

Here are some resources I used to prepare for the exam and I want to just say “Thank You” to those that have taken the time to provide them.

These study guides were extremely valuable resources when preparing. Each one of them is very well put together following the objectives of the VCAP-DCA Exam Blue Print providing detailed notes and examples for each objective and sub-objective. Many thanks go out to these folks for taking the time to put these excellent study guides together.

• http://www.vexperienced.co.uk/vcap-dca/ – follow @egrigson
• http://www.seancrookston.com/vcap-dca/ – follow @seancrookston
• http://kendrickcoleman.com/index.php?/Tech-Blog/vcap-datacenter-administration-exam-landing-page-vdca410.html – follow @kendrickcoleman

The ProfessionalVMware.com BrownBags which are organized by @cody_bunch (<- Follow him) were also a great resource. The BrownBags are held every other week and there is an archive of previous sessions here. You can sign up to participate in future BrownBags here. Cody, I am sure these take a lot to put together and I appreciate you taking the time to do it. They provide a lot of good information. The PowerCLI 101 session was great and very helpful.

I also want to thank my Instructor from TCC, Mr. Guess, for allowing me to use the lab environment there to practice. My lab at work is not what it should be and my home lab runs in VMware Workstation (I am working to build a proper home lab). I was able to get a lot of practice with vCenter Heartbeat, vShield Zones, and Fault Tolerance which I do not work with day to day. If you are looking to get your VCP (or VCAP-DCA) TCC is part of the VMware Academy and offers the Install, Configure, and Manage Class to meet the VCP training requirements. They also offer the Advance Troubleshooting, Performance, and Security classes. It is a good program and if you are in the Tidewater area and interested in virtualization check it out. More information on the Virtualization program at TCC can be found here. Information on the Virtualization Career Studies certificate can be found here.

Thanks again to everyone for providing these resources. They were a tremendous help in preparing for the exam!

To anyone that is preparing for the VCAP-DCA – have fun and good luck with it. Practice, practice, practice and when you sit for the exam try not to focus on the clock. Time management is important but do not let it consume your focus – don’t rush. Read the lab questions carefully and pay attention to detail when you are working through the labs.

Hersey