VMware VCP-DCV
VMware/Broadcom
Complete guide to passing the VMware VCP-DCV exam on your first attempt.
$250
~55%
2 years
Global
VMware/Broadcom
$100k-$150k
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Complete Overview
VMware Certified Professional - Data Center Virtualization 2024 is the credential earned by passing the VMware vSphere 8.x Professional exam, code 2V0-21.23. The exam guide itself carries no price; the voucher lists at $250 USD through Pearson VUE, which is the channel Broadcom sells it through. The exam is a 70-item proctored test delivered through Pearson VUE, with an appointment time of 135 minutes and a passing score of 300 on a scaled score. Broadcom notes that the 135 minutes already includes adequate time for non-native English speakers, and lists English as the exam language.
The candidate Broadcom describes in the exam guide is specific. A minimally qualified candidate can install and configure a vSphere 8.0 infrastructure including ESXi and vCenter but occasionally needs to research topics, understands most of what is required to manage a highly available and scalable virtual infrastructure, can monitor day-to-day operations with minimal assistance, and holds a basic understanding of virtual data center, network, and storage concepts. That is a working administrator, not an architect and not a beginner.
Questions are single and multiple choice. The sample question published in the official exam guide is a scenario: an administrator maintaining a single cluster with network-intensive workloads finds live migration slow, and the candidate must choose three actions that reduce migration time. Expect that shape throughout, where several plausible options exist and the scenario details decide which are correct.
Broadcom standardises every VMware exam blueprint into the same seven sections, and states that some sections may not appear in a given exam. For 2V0-21.23, Section 3, Planning and Designing, has no testable objectives at all, and Objective 2.2 is marked as not included. Broadcom does not publish percentage weights for the remaining sections, so the useful signal is the objective count. The guide numbers 65 objectives in total and 64 of them are testable: 13 in Section 1, 4 in Section 2 of which Objective 2.2 is excluded, 20 in Section 4, 13 in Section 5, 3 in Section 6, and 12 in Section 7.
The vSphere content is based on version 8.0, and the exam guide directs candidates to review all 8.0 release notes. Objective numbering appears on the score report at the end of the testing event, which is how you find out where to concentrate if a retake is needed. Broadcom's exam retake policy imposes a seven calendar day waiting period after every failed attempt on a proctored VMware exam, and states that once you pass, you cannot take that exam again until a new major exam revision is released.
Broadcom lists VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage [V8] and VMware vSphere: Operate, Scale and Secure [V8] as the recommended courses, and the exam guide names VCP-DCV 2023 under certification requirements. Broadcom has changed the training and prior-certification requirements for this track more than once, so check the current VCP-DCV page before you buy anything.
Why Get VMware VCP-DCV Certified?
The $250 USD voucher buys a single 135-minute appointment rather than a multi-hour lab, and Broadcom states that the 135 minutes already includes adequate time to complete the exam for non-native English speakers.
The blueprint is unusually explicit. Broadcom numbers 65 objectives with sub-objectives across six testable sections, 64 of which are scored, so you can build a study checklist that maps one to one onto what is tested.
Objective numbering appears on your score report, which means a failed attempt tells you exactly which of the six sections to rebuild before the seven-day retake window closes.
The exam covers vSphere 8 specifics that older material misses, including the Express Storage Architecture in vSAN 8, data processing units under vSphere Distributed Services Engine, and vSphere Zones with Tanzu.
Pass or fail status is available at the end of the Pearson VUE testing event, so you know your result before you leave the test centre rather than waiting days.
The 135-minute appointment already accounts for non-native English speakers, so candidates sitting in English as a second language do not need to file a separate time-extension request.
Broadcom lets you keep the credential without re-sitting: once you pass, the retake policy blocks you from taking the same exam again until a new major exam revision is released.
Exam Format & Structure
Duration
135 minutes, which Broadcom states includes adequate time to complete the exam for non-native English speakers
Questions
70 items
Passing Score
300, using a scaled scoring method. Broadcom's exam guide does not publish the endpoints of the scale.
Question Types
- Single choice
- Multiple choice, including scenario items that ask you to choose three correct actions
Delivery Method
Proctored exam delivered through Pearson VUE
Exam Domains & Topics
The largest conceptual section, with 13 objectives running from 1.1 to 1.13. It covers vSphere 8 prerequisites and components, vCenter architecture and topology, storage concepts from access protocols through policies and vSAN, ESXi cluster features, the split between standard and distributed switches, Lifecycle Manager concepts, encryption, identity federation, DPUs, and vSphere with Tanzu.
Key Topics to Master:
- Storage access protocols for vSphere including NFS, iSCSI, and SAN
- VAAI, VASA, multipathing, datastore clusters, and Storage I/O Control
- DRS, EVC, how DRS scores virtual machines, vSphere HA, and fault tolerance use cases
- VMkernel networking, networking policies, and Network I/O Control on a distributed switch
- vSAN requirements and Express Storage Architecture concepts for vSAN 8
- Virtual Machine Encryption, vSphere Trust Authority, and the role of a KMS server
- vTPM use cases, BIOS versus UEFI firmware, and Microsoft virtualization-based security
- Identity federation architecture and use cases
- Supervisor Cluster, Supervisor Namespace, vSphere Zones, and Tanzu Kubernetes Grid clusters
The shortest testable section, and Broadcom marks Objective 2.2 as not included in this exam. What remains covers the role of vSphere inside the software-defined data center, use cases for VMware vCenter Converter, and disaster recovery, specifically vCenter replication options and use cases for VMware Site Recovery Manager.
Key Topics to Master:
- The role of vSphere in the software-defined data center
- Use cases for VMware vCenter Converter
- Identifying disaster recovery use cases
- vCenter replication options
- Use cases for VMware Site Recovery Manager
- How replication choices interact with recovery point objectives
The broadest hands-on section, with 20 objectives from 4.1 to 4.20. It runs from single sign-on domains and distributed switch creation through deploying vCenter Server Appliance, HA and DRS advanced options, vCenter High Availability, content libraries, file-based backup, Trust Authority, certificates, Lifecycle Manager, host profiles, ESXi boot options, Cluster Quickstart, ESXi setup, and configuring vSphere with Tanzu.
Key Topics to Master:
- Configure or join a single sign-on domain, and set up identity sources with federation and LDAP
- Create a distributed switch, add ESXi hosts, and examine the configuration
- Deploy and configure vCenter Server Appliance and vCenter High Availability
- Create HA and DRS advanced options including Admission Control and Proactive HA
- Create, populate, publish, and subscribe to content libraries, and manage VM template versions
- Configure vCenter file-based backup, vSphere Trust Authority, and vSphere certificates
- Configure Lifecycle Manager, network stacks, and host profiles
- ESXi boot options including Quick Boot and Secure Boot, plus Lockdown Mode and the ESXi firewall
- Cluster Quickstart workflow to add hosts, configure a cluster, and expand it
Thirteen objectives covering resource control and lifecycle. Resource pools with shares, limits, and reservations sit alongside monitoring the vCenter Server Appliance and the wider environment, Network and Storage I/O Control, offloading a port group to a DPU, snapshot performance impact, Update Planner, Lifecycle Manager updates, performance charts, VMware Skyline, and Tanzu lifecycle activities.
Key Topics to Master:
- Resource pool use cases, and shares, limits, and reservations
- Monitor VCSA and the wider vSphere 8.x environment with resource monitoring tools
- Configure Network I/O Control and Storage I/O Control
- Configure a virtual machine port group to be offloaded to a data processing unit
- The performance impact of maintaining virtual machine snapshots
- Use Update Planner to identify vCenter update opportunities
- Use Lifecycle Manager to update virtual machines and ESXi
- Use performance charts, and perform proactive management with VMware Skyline
- Update a Supervisor cluster, and back up and restore vSphere with Tanzu
The smallest testable section, with three objectives, but the questions are precise. You need to know when to enable vSphere Cluster Services retreat mode, be able to tell the main management services in ESXi and vCenter apart along with their corresponding log files, and know how to generate a log bundle. Broadcom's exam guide references the ESXi diagnostic information knowledge base article for this material.
Key Topics to Master:
- Use cases for enabling vSphere Cluster Services retreat mode
- The main management services in ESXi and their corresponding log files
- The main management services in vCenter and their corresponding log files
- Generate a log bundle for support
- Collecting diagnostic information for ESXi
- Reading vCenter High Availability behaviour when a node is degraded
Twelve objectives, 7.1 to 7.12, covering day-to-day operations. Snapshot management, virtual machine creation by several methods, VM settings including per-VM EVC and latency sensitivity, datastore and storage policy management, DRS affinity rules, migration requirements, role-based access control, host profiles, Lifecycle Manager operations, alarms, and encrypted virtual machine deployment and migration.
Key Topics to Master:
- Create and manage virtual machine snapshots
- Create virtual machines from OVF templates and from a content library
- Modify VM settings including per-VM EVC, latency sensitivity, and CPU affinity
- Configure datastores, create virtual machine storage policies, and set storage cluster options
- Create DRS affinity and anti-affinity rules for common use cases
- Requirements for Storage vMotion, cold migration, vMotion, and Cross vCenter Export
- Configure role-based access control and manage host profiles
- Firmware, component, and driver updates for ESXi, hardware compatibility checks, and cluster image export
- Use predefined alarms, create custom alarms, and deploy, convert, and migrate encrypted virtual machines
Recommended Study Plan
- 1Download the VMware vSphere 8.x Professional exam guide from docs.broadcom.com and turn all 64 testable objectives into a checklist
- 2Build a nested lab with at least two ESXi 8 hosts and one vCenter Server Appliance, or use a hosted lab
- 3Bookmark the four reference sources the exam guide names: docs.vmware.com, kb.vmware.com, blogs.vmware.com, and core.vmware.com
- 4Read the vSphere 8.0 release notes end to end, as the exam guide instructs
- 5Note which objectives you cannot demonstrate today and mark those for extra passes
- 1Map the components and topology of a vCenter architecture from Objective 1.2 by drawing it from memory
- 2Compare NFS, iSCSI, and SAN access paths and be able to state when each is the right answer
- 3Study VAAI, VASA, multipathing, datastore clusters, and Storage I/O Control as separate concepts
- 4Read the vSAN 8 announcement material on blogs.vmware.com for Express Storage Architecture
- 5Learn the use cases for RDM, PMem, NVMe, NVMe-oF, and RDMA over iSER
- 1Study DRS, EVC, how DRS scores virtual machines, HA, and fault tolerance use cases
- 2Compare standard switches with distributed switches, then configure both in the lab
- 3Study VMkernel networking, networking policies, and Network I/O Control
- 4Learn Virtual Machine Encryption, vSphere Trust Authority, and what a KMS server does
- 5Study vTPM use cases, BIOS versus UEFI, virtualization-based security, and identity federation architecture
- 1Deploy a vCenter Server Appliance from scratch and configure a single sign-on domain
- 2Join an existing SSO domain in the lab and configure LDAP integration
- 3Create a distributed switch, add both hosts, and examine the resulting configuration
- 4Configure advanced options on a virtual standard switch and compare the two
- 5Deploy and configure vCenter High Availability and observe a failover
- 1Create a local content library, add content, and publish it
- 2Create a subscribed library, subscribe to the published one, and deploy a VM from it
- 3Update a template in the content library and manage template versions
- 4Configure vCenter file-based backup and confirm a backup completes
- 5Configure vSphere certificates and read the Enterprise PKI material for Objective 4.13.1
- 1Configure Time Configuration, ESXi services, Product Locker, Lockdown Mode, and the ESXi firewall
- 2Enable Quick Boot and study the Quick Boot compatibility knowledge base article the exam guide cites
- 3Use the Cluster Quickstart workflow to add hosts, configure a cluster, and expand it
- 4Configure a Supervisor Cluster and Supervisor Namespace, and set namespace permissions
- 5Configure a Tanzu Kubernetes Grid cluster and vSphere Zones
- 1Configure resource pools and be able to explain shares, limits, and reservations without hesitating
- 2Configure Network I/O Control and Storage I/O Control and observe the effect under load
- 3Configure a virtual machine port group offloaded to a DPU, at least conceptually if the lab lacks hardware
- 4Use Update Planner to check a vCenter update, and Lifecycle Manager to update ESXi and VMs
- 5Read the snapshot best-practice knowledge base article the exam guide names and note the performance impact
- 1Create and manage snapshots, then delete a chain and watch consolidation
- 2Create VMs from an OVF template and from a content library and compare the workflows
- 3Configure datastores, create storage policies, and set storage cluster options
- 4Create DRS affinity and anti-affinity rules for a realistic workload pair
- 5Configure role-based access control with a custom role and test it with a limited account
- 1List the requirements for Storage vMotion, cold migration, vMotion, and Cross vCenter Export from memory
- 2Perform each migration type in the lab and note what blocks each one
- 3Deploy an encrypted virtual machine, convert a non-encrypted VM, and migrate an encrypted VM
- 4Configure virtual machine vMotion encryption properties
- 5Use predefined alarms and build a custom alarm that fires on a condition you can trigger
- 1Enable vSphere Cluster Services retreat mode in the lab and understand exactly when it is appropriate
- 2List the main ESXi and vCenter management services and match each to its log file
- 3Generate a log bundle from both ESXi and vCenter
- 4Study vCenter replication options and Site Recovery Manager use cases from the Site Recovery Manager documentation
- 5Read the vSphere Replication technical overview on core.vmware.com that the exam guide cites
- 1Re-read the sample question in the exam guide and note how the scenario details eliminate wrong options
- 2Work through practice scenarios that ask for three correct actions, since partial answers score nothing
- 3Time yourself at roughly 115 seconds per item to match 70 questions in 135 minutes
- 4Revisit every objective still unchecked on your week-one list
- 5Re-read the vSphere 8.0 release notes with the blueprint beside you
- 1Do a full 70-question timed run and mark every item where you guessed
- 2Rebuild the weakest section from the objective list rather than from a summary
- 3Confirm your two forms of identification meet the Broadcom test admission policy before booking
- 4Schedule through the Broadcom certification portal and Pearson VUE, and check the reschedule window
- 5Plan to arrive at the test centre 15 minutes early, since arriving more than 15 minutes late means refused admission
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Best Study Resources
VMware vSphere 8.x Professional exam guide
Official exam blueprintThe authoritative document. It carries the 70-item count, the 300 scaled passing score, the 135-minute appointment, the minimally qualified candidate description, all 65 numbered objectives, the reference list, and a sample question.
Free
VCP-DCV certification page on broadcom.com
Official certification pageWhere Broadcom publishes the current exam details for 2V0-21.23, including the $250 USD price, the English language listing, and the recommended courses and certification requirements.
Free
VMware by Broadcom Certification Test Admission Policy
Official policy documentStates the 15-minute early arrival rule, the two-identification requirement, the ban on watches and wallets in the test room, the Candidate Agreement, and the 24-hour reschedule and cancellation windows.
Free
VMware by Broadcom Exam Retake Policy
Official policy documentSets the seven calendar day waiting period after every failed attempt on a proctored VMware exam, and states that once you pass you cannot retake that exam until a new major revision is released.
Free
VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage [V8]
Official courseOne of the two courses Broadcom names as recommended in the exam guide. It maps most directly onto Section 4 of the blueprint.
Paid, priced by region and partner
VMware vSphere: Operate, Scale and Secure [V8]
Official courseThe second recommended course in the exam guide. It covers material concentrated in Sections 5, 6, and 7, including performance tuning, troubleshooting, and encryption.
Paid, priced by region and partner
VMware product documentation
DocumentationThe exam guide names docs.vmware.com as a source item writers used, specifically vSphere, vCenter Converter Standalone, and Site Recovery Manager documentation.
Free
VMware knowledge base articles cited in the exam guide
Knowledge baseThe guide names four specific articles: collecting diagnostic information for ESXi (653), vCenter High Availability (2148003), Quick Boot compatibility (52477), and snapshot best practices (1025279).
Free
VMware Tech Zone at core.vmware.com
Technical content libraryThe exam guide cites the vSphere Replication technical overview here, which is the most efficient way to cover Objective 2.4.1 on vCenter replication options.
Free
Pearson VUE Broadcom exam scheduling
Test deliveryWhere the proctored exam is booked, rescheduled, and cancelled. The reschedule and cancellation windows both require at least 24 hours notice.
Free to use, exam fee $250 USD
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Studying vSphere 7 material for a vSphere 8 exam. The blueprint adds Express Storage Architecture in vSAN 8, vSphere Distributed Services Engine with DPUs, and vSphere Zones, none of which existed in the 7.x objectives.
Work only from the 2V0-21.23 exam guide and the vSphere 8.0 release notes, which Broadcom explicitly instructs candidates to review for features and function.
Preparing for Section 3, Planning and Designing, because it appears in the standardised list of seven VMware blueprint sections.
Broadcom states there are no testable objectives for Section 3 in this exam, and Objective 2.2 is also excluded. Spend that time on Section 4, which carries 20 objectives.
Treating multi-select scenario items as if partial credit exists. The published sample question offers six options and asks for three.
Practise eliminating options against the scenario constraints rather than picking the three that sound most sensible. On the published sample, the cluster's existing standard switches and network-intensive workloads are the details that decide the answer.
Learning HA and DRS as vocabulary rather than as configurable features. Objective 4.6 asks for Admission Control and Proactive HA configuration, and Objective 1.4.3 asks how DRS scores virtual machines.
Configure both in a nested lab, change Admission Control policy, and read the resulting DRS score explanations in the vSphere Client rather than in a summary article.
Skipping the troubleshooting section because it has only three objectives. Those three objectives are precise, and log file to service mapping is easy to get wrong under time pressure.
Build a table of ESXi and vCenter management services against their log files, generate a real log bundle from both, and read the ESXi diagnostic information article the exam guide names.
Confusing the four migration types. Objective 7.6.1 asks specifically for the requirements of Storage vMotion, cold migration, vMotion, and Cross vCenter Export.
Run all four in the lab and record what blocks each one, such as EVC mismatch, shared storage requirements, or network prerequisites. Requirements questions are answered by what fails, not by what succeeds.
Arriving at the test centre with only one form of identification. Broadcom requires two.
Bring a primary government-issued ID with name, photo, and signature, plus a second ID with name and signature. Both must be originals. In India the Aadhaar Card is not accepted at Pearson VUE check-in.
Assuming you can rebook quickly after a failure the way you can with some vendors.
Broadcom imposes a seven calendar day waiting period after every failed attempt on a proctored VMware exam. Plan the week between attempts around the objective numbers on your score report.
Booking before checking the current certification requirements. The exam guide lists VCP-DCV 2023 under certification requirements, and Broadcom has changed the training and prior-credential rules for this track more than once.
Read the VCP-DCV page on broadcom.com immediately before purchase and confirm what the current path requires for someone in your situation, since a required course changes the total cost far more than the $250 exam fee does.
Exam Day Tips
- 1
Arrive at the test centre 15 minutes before your appointment. Broadcom states that if you arrive more than 15 minutes late you will be refused admission and the exam fee is still due.
- 2
Bring two forms of identification. The primary must be government-issued with your name, photo, and signature; the second needs your name and signature but no photo. Photocopies are not accepted.
- 3
If your government ID has no visible signature or an embedded one, bring an additional ID with a matching name and signature, and note that any exception to the ID policy must be pre-approved by Pearson VUE at least three business days before your appointment.
- 4
Leave everything outside the test room. Broadcom's admission policy bans bags, purses, books, notes, personal computers and devices, phones, pagers, watches, and wallets.
- 5
You must accept the VMware by Broadcom Certification Candidate Agreement before starting. Declining at the test centre cancels the exam and forfeits the fee, so read it in advance.
- 6
Budget roughly 115 seconds per item to cover 70 questions in 135 minutes, and flag rather than agonise over scenario questions that ask for three actions.
- 7
The 135 minutes already includes extra time for non-native English speakers, so do not expect a separate allowance on top of the appointment length.
- 8
Pass or fail status is available at the end of the testing event, and the objective numbering on your score report tells you which of the six testable sections to rebuild if you need to return.
- 9
If you need to reschedule or cancel, contact Pearson VUE at least 24 hours before the appointment. Inside 24 hours you forfeit the fee, and fees are due for no-shows.
Career Paths & Salary Ranges
Virtualization administrator
The role the blueprint is written around: installing and configuring vSphere 8, running vCenter and ESXi day to day, and monitoring a highly available virtual infrastructure with minimal assistance.
$100,000-$120,000
Infrastructure engineer
Owns compute, storage, and networking together. Sections 1 and 4 of the blueprint, covering storage protocols, distributed switches, and cluster configuration, map straight onto this work.
$110,000-$130,000
Data center operations lead
Runs upgrade cycles and capacity planning. Section 5 material on Update Planner, Lifecycle Manager, Skyline, and performance charts is the operational core of the role.
$115,000-$140,000
Cloud infrastructure engineer
Bridges on-premises vSphere estates and public cloud. Objectives on vSphere with Tanzu, Supervisor Clusters, and vSphere Zones are the parts of the blueprint that carry into container platforms.
$120,000-$145,000
Systems engineer, pre-sales or partner
Broadcom positions VCP as the professional level for people who architect, install, configure, manage, and support VMware solutions, which is the standard requirement for partner-facing technical roles.
$125,000-$150,000
Disaster recovery specialist
Section 2 covers vCenter replication options and Site Recovery Manager use cases, and Section 7 covers encrypted virtual machine migration, which together form the technical base of a DR practice.
$115,000-$140,000
Prerequisites & Requirements
- Broadcom's exam guide for 2V0-21.23 lists VCP-DCV 2023 under certification requirements, and names VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage [V8] and VMware vSphere: Operate, Scale and Secure [V8] as recommended courses.
- Broadcom has changed the training and prior-certification requirements for the VCP-DCV track more than once, so confirm the current path on the VCP-DCV page at broadcom.com before purchasing an exam voucher or a course.
- The exam guide sets a clear experience expectation rather than a formal prerequisite: a minimally qualified candidate can install and configure a vSphere 8.0 infrastructure including ESXi and vCenter, understands most requirements for managing a highly available and scalable virtual infrastructure, and can monitor day-to-day operations with minimal assistance.
- You must accept the VMware by Broadcom Certification Candidate Agreement before the exam begins.
- You must present two forms of identification at check-in, one of them a government-issued photo ID carrying your signature.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does the VCP-DCV exam cost?
The 2V0-21.23 voucher lists at $250 USD through Pearson VUE, the channel Broadcom sells the exam through. The exam guide PDF itself states no price. That figure covers the exam attempt only. If the current certification path requires you to attend VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage [V8] or VMware vSphere: Operate, Scale and Secure [V8], the course fee is a separate and much larger cost, priced by region and by training partner, so confirm what your situation requires before you budget.
How many questions are on 2V0-21.23 and how long do I get?
The exam is a 70-item test with an appointment time of 135 minutes. Broadcom states in the exam guide that the 135 minutes includes adequate time to complete the exam for non-native English speakers. That works out to just under two minutes per item, which is comfortable for recall questions and tight for the multi-select scenario items.
What is the passing score?
300, calculated using a scaled scoring method. Broadcom's exam guide states the passing score but does not publish the endpoints of the scale, so the number of correct answers required is not something you can derive from the published material. Pass or fail status is available at the end of the testing event.
What happens if I fail the exam?
Broadcom's exam retake policy imposes a seven calendar day waiting period after all failed attempts on proctored VMware certification exams, which includes VCP. The policy gives a worked example: fail on 1 March and you may retake on 8 March or later. Each attempt requires a new registration and a new fee. Your score report carries the objective numbering from the blueprint, which tells you which of the six testable sections to rework during that week.
Can I retake the exam after passing it?
No. Broadcom states that once a candidate passes a proctored exam, they cannot take that exam again until a new major exam revision is released. That rule matters if you were hoping to improve a score or re-sit for a renewal; you would need to wait for the next revision or take a different qualifying exam.
What identification do I need at the test centre?
Two forms, both original documents. The primary must be a government-issued ID showing your name, photo, and signature. The second must show your name and signature, and does not need a photo. Broadcom notes that in India the Aadhaar Card is not accepted at Pearson VUE check-in. Expired IDs may be accepted only when accompanied by valid renewal papers, and any exception to the ID policy must be pre-approved by Pearson VUE customer service at least three business days before your exam date.
What can I take into the test room?
Nothing personal. Broadcom's test admission policy bans all bags and purses, books, notes, personal computers and devices, cell phones, pagers, watches, and wallets from the test room. There is no calculator requirement and no reference material is provided or permitted, which is one reason the exam guide's list of reference sources matters so much during preparation rather than on the day.
How do I reschedule or cancel?
Contact Pearson VUE at least 24 hours before your scheduled appointment time. Broadcom states that rescheduling less than 24 hours before the exam risks forfeiting the fee, and the same 24-hour rule applies to cancellations. Exam fees are due for no-shows, so a missed appointment costs the full $250.
Which vSphere version is the exam based on?
Version 8.0. The exam guide instructs candidates to review all 8.0 release notes and material for features and function. Practically, that means the exam tests things introduced in vSphere 8 that older study material will not mention, including the Express Storage Architecture in vSAN 8, the role of a data processing unit under vSphere Distributed Services Engine, and vSphere Zones alongside Supervisor Clusters.
Are the exam section weights published?
No. Broadcom standardises every VMware blueprint into seven sections and lists the objectives under each, but does not publish a percentage weight for any section. The most useful proxy is objective count: Section 4 on installing, configuring, and setup has 20 objectives, Section 5 has 13, Section 1 has 13, Section 7 has 12, Section 6 has 3, and Section 2 has 3 with one more excluded. Section 3 has no testable objectives at all.
In what languages is the exam offered?
Broadcom lists English on the VCP-DCV certification page for 2V0-21.23. Because the 135-minute appointment time already includes additional time for non-native English speakers, candidates testing in a second language do not need to request a separate extension for that reason. If you require accommodations for a disability, raise it with Pearson VUE customer service before scheduling.
Does the VCP-DCV certification expire?
Broadcom does not publish an expiration date for VCP-DCV on the certification page. VMware removed the mandatory two-year recertification requirement for VCP credentials before the Broadcom acquisition. The 36-month expiration and renewal window announced in July 2025 applies exclusively to the VMware Cloud Foundation certifications, and VMware stated at the time that Broadcom Software certifications follow a separate renewal policy. Check your own credential's status in the Broadcom certification portal rather than relying on any single published rule.
How does VCP-DCV compare with VCP-VCF Administrator?
They target different platforms. VCP-DCV, earned through 2V0-21.23, validates implementing, managing, and troubleshooting a vSphere 8.x infrastructure. The VMware Cloud Foundation Administrator certification validates deploying and managing VCF, and the vSphere Foundation Administrator certification covers VVF environments. VMware also stated that the VCF certifications carry a 36-month expiration and renewal window and that certification titles no longer include a year, whereas VCP-DCV 2024 still carries one. If your estate is vSphere rather than VCF, 2V0-21.23 is the exam that matches the job.
Is a training course required before the exam?
The exam guide lists VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage [V8] and VMware vSphere: Operate, Scale and Secure [V8] as recommended courses and names VCP-DCV 2023 under certification requirements. Broadcom has changed the training and prior-credential requirements for this track more than once, and the answer differs for a new candidate versus someone holding a previous VCP-DCV. Read the VCP-DCV page on broadcom.com immediately before buying, because a mandatory course changes the total cost by thousands of dollars.
How should I split my study time across the sections?
Follow the objective counts, since no weights are published. Sections 1 and 4 together account for 33 of the 64 testable objectives, so roughly half of preparation belongs there. Section 4 in particular is hands-on and rewards lab time rather than reading. Section 6 has only three objectives but they are precise, so a single focused day on management services, their log files, log bundles, and vSphere Cluster Services retreat mode is a good return.
What does the sample question in the exam guide tell me about the format?
It shows how the multi-select items work. The published sample describes a single cluster with a single vCenter, network-intensive workloads, identically configured nodes with four 10GbE connections each, and hosts currently using vSphere Standard Switches. It then asks which three actions reduce live migration time, offering six options. The scenario details, particularly the existing standard switches and the network-intensive workloads, are what eliminate the wrong choices. Broadcom notes the sample is illustrative and should not be used as a preparation resource on its own.
Where do I book the exam?
The exam is proctored and delivered through Pearson VUE. Broadcom's registration process routes candidates through single sign-on from the Broadcom User Authentication Portal to CertManager and then to Pearson VUE to register. Pearson VUE also offers Broadcom exams through OnVUE online testing, so check the current delivery options for 2V0-21.23 when you book rather than assuming a test centre visit is the only route.
What reference material does Broadcom recommend?
The exam guide names the exact sources its item writers used: docs.vmware.com for vSphere, vCenter Converter Standalone, and Site Recovery Manager documentation; kb.vmware.com for four specific articles covering ESXi diagnostic information (653), vCenter High Availability (2148003), Quick Boot compatibility (52477), and snapshot best practices (1025279); blogs.vmware.com for the vSAN 8 announcement and the vSphere+ enterprise workload platform post; and core.vmware.com for the vSphere Replication technical overview. Reading those specific items is a better use of time than a broad documentation sweep.
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