While attending VMworld I have made a habit of taking advantage of the discounted certifications. Each year I have pushed into a new certification and given a try. This year I have my sights set on VCIX-NV. I normally like to schedule these tests during the general session to avoid the impact of a 3 hour test during VMworld sessions. (I can always watch the general sessions on YouTube Later) This year they closed my secret loop-hole only allowing me to take it during Thursday’s general session. This has a profound impact on my plans for Wednesday night. Wednesday Night is the VMworld party which is always really awesome. I am sad to say I skipped it 100% this year and spent the time studying and going to bed early. I am happy to announce I passed the exam and earned a VCP-NV and VCIX-NV in the same day. Here is some details on what I studied:
- The VMware HOL labs
- The blueprint documents (yes I read all the documentation provided by VMware except the CLI guide.. it’s a really more of a reference guide)
- I was lucky to spend some time with Elver Sosa and Ron Flax (both VCDX-NV’s) last year that helped me understand the technology
- Plural Sight course on NSX by Jason Nash (these are really good)
- Time in the HOL doing things not on the list (like more firewall rules)
This test requires that you do a series of live exercises that can build upon each other. Some time management tips are:
- Skip ahead if allows and see how tasks fit in
- Read carefully what is expected there are a lot of tips
- Do what you can partial credit is points (at least I think it is)
- Spend time before understanding how to troubleshoot nsx and verify your settings
- Don’t be afraid to skip a question if you really don’t know time is not your friend
It was like the VCAP-DCA test something I really enjoyed doing… I really wish it didn’t have the time crunch but it was a fun exam. The best advice I can give you is read the blueprint and documents and use the HOL from VMware to gain experience.