I sat the VMware VCAP-DCD 5 exam today and passed!! woohoo. Its the only good thing about the DCD exam over the DCA exam is that it tells you then and there if you have passed.
A little bit about my background. Im purely a technical hands on engineer, I have never done a design in my life. I have read over many but never been involved in one from the start. Im the guy who gets called in when the crap has hit the fan or when a design has failed and needs to be salvaged.
So to me the VCAP-DCD exam was harder than the VCAP-DCA. the technical side isn’t the problem its being able to break down requirements, risk, constraints and assumptions quickly and accurately.
My advice for sitting the VCAP-DCD is read the VCAP5-DCD official cert guide This book was fantastic and if you have the technical knowledge of VMware products this book will give you enough to get pass this exam.
Time is a massive constraint you do get 245 minutes which is 4 hours and gives you a false sense of security, but time is still very tight. The 9 design questions which involve drag and drop of items, identical to the example that VMware provide which is in swf format, time can really get away from you you need to read fast!!!!!
Quick checklist
- Read the blue print
- read the official cert guide
- know the VMware technologies
Cheers