Gladly I could earn the Tanzu Specialist Badge today. This article shares my experience with the vSphere with Tanzu Specialist remote exam and hopefully motivates other to try it out as well.
So, this new type of exam will test you on your knowledge in various domains, vSphere, vSphere with Tanzu, NSX-T and Kubernetes.
Overview
Included in the vSphere with Tanzu: Deploy and Manage course you get two E-Books obtained through an application called “Bookshelf”. One is the Lab Manual and the other is the study guide. Already start taking notes during the exam and mark the technical details.
After the course I highly advice to read the book once again to memorize the different requirements and architectural details. Especially the basic Kubernetes commands are essential to pass the exam like Kubectl get, describe, apply and delete.
Furthermore, try to get familiar with the new concepts like container, pods, deployment, service, network policy and of course YAML files.
Also, I highly advice to draw the architecture yourself on a blank sheet of paper or a whiteboard. Through that I really understood the different network topologies with NSX-T and HAProxy. Reading it is not enough.
Download the exam guide – this is crucial to have an overview of all topics. Then you know your blind spots.
The references are linked in it too at the end, and I highly recommend studying or skim them at least.
Finally, you need some hands-on experience either in your lab or lab as a service: VMware Hands on Labs
Mandatory requirements to earn the badge
Hold a valid vSphere Certified Professional certification (VCP 2020 or 2021)
Attend the VMware vSphere with Tanzu: Deploy and Manage [V7] training course
Pass the 5V0-23.20: VMware vSphere with Tanzu Specialist exam
Meta tips for the exam
- Pearson Webcam/Connection precheck to ensure browser compatibility
- Close all running applications
- Pictures of your front/rear/side view of your desk are required
- You need a valid passport and active mobile phone
- Prepare your environment in advance and make sure nobody is allowed to enter the room
- Clean your desk and put everything away
- Clear your whiteboard
- Mobile phones are strictly prohibited
- Put your mobile phone and headset away – if you use anything you may be disqualified
- Don’t wear your headset 😉
- No food & drinks
- Be prepared to show your desktop environment via webcam
- Don’t leave the webcam view during the exam
During the exam
The exam itself consist of different multiple choice questions with up to six different answers. In my case, 62 questions in total. For that, you receive about 120 minutes in time.
You either have to pick up to three correct answers or just one. Which the question clearly indicates.
No drag and drop or live lab configuration.
Please read the questions meticulously and don’t hurry!
Example question (Just my imagination)
What are the requirements for using the vSphere POD Service? (Choose two)
- Configure AD Authentication in vSphere
- vSphere 6.5 U3
- Preconfigured NSX-T environment with one T-0 Router
- vSphere Standard Licensing
- vSphere Enterprise Plus Licensing with vSphere for Kubernetes add-on
- Buy a bone for your dog
Select exactly two answers
Pro-tips
- You mark one of the multiple choice answers as false by right-clicking on the text.
- You can tag uncertain answers by using the “mark” button in the top-right corner.
- After the last question you can view the marked again and don’t lose time by reading all again
- After you click the finish button it is over 😉
You will instantly receive your score X/500 you need 300/500 to pass the exam. After that, you can print the result.
Wish you good luck! Stay healthy and save.