VCP Exam

[peterdcross]

Having just taken the exam today, I have a couple of observations. I paid for a fast track course and took a week off work, not cheap, as a contractor the cost to me is in the order of $10,000. I am not stupid, I have looked at the market and decided that the potential returns on this investment are justified. Secondly I purchased another Desktop with a duo core to install inf3 (evaluation version) in work station for training purposes. I spent a lot of time learning the esx cmds and Linux prior to the exam. The GUI being a GUI is largely intuitive once you know what you wish to achieve. So back by a circular route to the exam. Primitive, absolutely primitive. What is the point of requiring attendance at a training course to present an exam that tests whether you can remember a series of lists. Where is the skill based assessment? Where is the discovery of intuitive understanding of the product? I can easily produce a series of (interactive) questions to evaluate understanding. The list scenario is summed up by an incident attributed to Albert Einstein. When asked for his telephone number he open a telephone directory. When questioned about this behaviour, he said "I never remember something I can look up in book" Some fifty years have passed and VMWare are still asking us to remember lists. Contract me to produce a decent exam and drop the certified parrot qualification.

[goku]

Your obervations are very interesting I've taken the install and configure class and I'm preparing for the exam. A little off topic I have a friend that did the fasttrack class we had lunch and compared our text books it seemed that the fasttrack class had a lot more command line stuff than my install and configure class mainly in the networking and storage areas. I would like to see vmware correct this they need to show the command line stuff in both classes not just the fast track. He told me that his teacher stated that you will not see any command line stuff on the exam but imo its still worth knowing. I'm still rereading my class text I have wondered though do they ask you real questions or bs ones like where do I click for this or that.

[TomHowarth]

There is a reason for the extra content in your colleagues manual, and this is the fact that he is actually sitting 2 courses in one week, your Install and Configure, and also the Secure and Deploy. The second course is aimed at a more knowledgeable audience.

Kind Regards

Tom,

[peterdcross]

Hi

70 % of the exam was chose 3 from 5 options. Every thing asked was what you answer with a GUI opened up in front of you, hence my list complaint. Not one question asked "how you you etc etc." or "place the following in order to achieve etc etc."

Hence my observation of the "Parrot" qualification.

Thank you for contacting me.

Any further queries email or call:

Home. 01604 763196

Mobile. 07749670995

from: Peter Cross . MCSE 2003, 2000, NT4

Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2007 16:07:23 -0800> From: communities-emailer@vmware.com> To: peter_d_cross@hotmail.com> Subject: New message: "VCP Exam" > > peterdcross,> > A new message was posted in the thread "VCP Exam":> > http://communities.vmware.com/message/792149>; > Author : goku> Profile : http://communities.vmware.com/people/goku>; > Message:

[peterdcross]

Hi Tom,

As there is only one exam, VCP. A more intense course that covers areas not touched in the exam has to have a point. In this case a better understanding of the product. The requirement to attend a course inorder to qualify to sit the VCP is, I presume, to avoid the paper qualification that is attributed to other qualifications. The exam has to test a management skill (in terms of using the product) and knowledge of the product features, when it fall short of this standard by requiring one to remember a series of lists it fails in its higher objective.

[TomHowarth]

The intensive course does have a value, it is two courses delivered in a contracted time-scale. ie 5 days rather than 8. it is the Install and Configure course (the focus of the VCP exam) and the Secure and Deploy course (not subject to an exam)

The value that I see here is that, instead of having to take 8 days away from billable work (I too am a Contractor) I will only have to take 5, (this is to me a significant saving).

Having not yet taken the course or Exam though I cannot comment on the content of either. but I do agree that List driven questions on there own do not provide an adequate testing environment. Personally I have not found a prometice/Vue testing experiance satifying since I used to take the Novell qualifcations in the mid to late 90's. thier tests were in advance of serveral vendors test to date.

Peter your not that far from me, I live near Preston Lancs.

If you found this or any other post helpful please consider the use of the Helpfull/Correct buttons to award points

Kind Regards

Tom,

[peterdcross]

I believe that VUE & Prometric only provide the environment not exam content which is set by the originating organisation.

Wekk Tom, here in the tropic of northampton I am cooking today. It makes a nice change.

Have you loaded/followed the xtravirt SIM methodolgy? Very good.

Thank you for contacting me.

Any further queries email or call:

Home. 01604 763196

Mobile. 07749670995

from: Peter Cross . MCSE 2003, 2000, NT4

Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 03:59:58 -0800> From: communities-emailer@vmware.com> To: peter_d_cross@hotmail.com> Subject: New message: "VCP Exam" > > peterdcross,> > A new message was posted in the thread "VCP Exam":> > http://communities.vmware.com/message/792341>; > Author : tom howarth> Email : tom.howarth@tca-consulting.com> Profile : http://communities.vmware.com/people/tom howarth> > Message: