Sounds like all you're missing is the hands-on experience. I've been working with ESX for a little over 2 years, and administering it for the past 12 months. I took the fast track in August of 08 and wouldn't recommend it for the price - all we really covered that I hadn't discovered on my own was some of the advanced command line tools. I don't know about discounted training courses, I guess it would depend on your reseller.
I'd recommend dusting off your old books from the Install & Config class, grabbing a 60 day eval of VI3, and have some fun with it. Aside from the hand-on work, know the config maximiums guide () - that's good info you won't come across playing with a test lab.
Good luck on your exam!
LoneStarVAdmin - VCP
