About the VCP-DCV Exam (2V0-21.23)
Key Takeaways
The VMware vSphere 8.x Professional exam (2V0-21.23) leads to the VMware Certified Professional - Data Center Virtualization (VCP-DCV) certification.
2V0-21.23 has 70 items, a 135-minute time limit, a scaled passing score of 300, and a US$250 fee, according to Broadcom's VCP-DCV page.
The exam guide lists seven standardized blueprint sections, but Section 3 (Planning and Designing) has no testable objectives in this exam.
Broadcom's retake policy requires a 7-calendar-day wait after each failed proctored VCP attempt.
The exam guide states that the exam's vSphere content is based on version 8.0 and tells candidates to review all 8.0 release notes.
About the VCP-DCV Exam (2V0-21.23)
Quick Answer: The VMware vSphere 8.x Professional exam (2V0-21.23) earns the VMware Certified Professional - Data Center Virtualization (VCP-DCV) certification. Broadcom's certification page lists 70 questions, 135 minutes, a passing score of 300 (scaled), single and multiple choice items, proctored delivery, English only, and a price of US$250.
The exam validates that you can install, configure, operate, and troubleshoot a vSphere 8 environment: ESXi hosts, vCenter Server, clusters, storage, networking, security, and lifecycle management. Broadcom lists virtualization administrators, system engineers, and consultants as the target roles.
Exam Format
| Detail | Information (Broadcom VCP-DCV page and exam guide) |
|---|---|
| Exam code | 2V0-21.23, VMware vSphere 8.x Professional |
| Number of items | 70 |
| Time limit | 135 minutes (includes extra time for non-native English speakers) |
| Passing score | 300, scaled |
| Item types | Single and multiple choice (official samples include "Choose two/three/four") |
| Delivery | Proctored, delivered through Pearson VUE |
| Language | English |
| Price | US$250 |
| Product version | vSphere content is based on version 8.0 |
Broadcom has been moving its VMware certification program toward VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) credentials, and this exam's availability has changed before. Confirm on Broadcom's VCP-DCV certification page that 2V0-21.23 is still open for registration before you book. When this guide was reviewed (September 2026), the page listed 2V0-21.23 as the required exam with registration open.
Who Passes: the Minimally Qualified Candidate
The exam guide describes the minimally qualified candidate as someone who can install and configure a vSphere 8.0 infrastructure (ESXi and vCenter), occasionally needs to research topics, understands most requirements for running a highly available and scalable virtual infrastructure, and can monitor day-to-day operations with minimal help. Hands-on practice in a lab is the single most useful preparation.
The Blueprint and How This Guide Maps to It
VMware blueprints use seven standardized sections. The 2V0-21.23 guide lists 64 objectives:
| Blueprint Section | Objectives | Where This Guide Covers It |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Architecture and Technologies | 1.1-1.13 (13) | Chapters 1-6 (architecture, clusters, storage, vSAN, networking, security concepts) |
| 2. VMware Products and Solutions | 2.1, 2.3, 2.4 (3; 2.2 is not included) | Sections 1.4 and 1.7 |
| 3. Planning and Designing | No testable objectives | - |
| 4. Installing, Configuring, and Setup | 4.1-4.20 (20) | Sections 1.2, 1.5, 1.6, 5.x, 6.x, 7.x |
| 5. Performance-tuning, Optimization, Upgrades | 5.1-5.13 (13) | Sections 2.2, 3.4, 5.4, 7.x, 8.x |
| 6. Troubleshooting and Repairing | 6.1-6.3 (3) | Sections 2.6 and 8.3 |
| 7. Administrative and Operational Tasks | 7.1-7.12 (12) | Sections 2.x, 3.x, 6.x, 7.x, 8.5 |
The objective numbers can appear on your score report, so after a failed attempt you can map weak objectives straight back to this table. The exam guide does not publish section weights, so study every objective rather than guessing at a weighting.
Training, Registration, and Retakes
- Training: The Broadcom page lists recommended courses, such as VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage [V8] and VMware vSphere: Operate, Scale and Secure [V8]. The only required item it lists is the exam itself.
- Registration: Start from Broadcom's VCP-DCV page (its "Register for Exam" link), then schedule the proctored exam with Pearson VUE.
- Retakes: The VMware retake policy (last updated April 2024) requires a seven-calendar-day wait after every failed proctored attempt. A candidate who fails on March 1 can retake on March 8 or later. Once you pass, you cannot take the same exam again until a new major exam revision is released.
A Study Plan That Follows the Objectives
- Build a lab. Install ESXi and deploy vCenter, then work through clusters, a distributed switch, a datastore, and vLCM.
- Read the references the item writers used. The exam guide points to the vSphere product documentation and to Knowledge Base articles on collecting diagnostic information (KB 653), vCenter High Availability (KB 2148003), Quick Boot compatibility (KB 52477), and snapshot best practices (KB 1025279).
- Learn the numbers. Exam items often hinge on limits and defaults: vCenter sizes, HA timers, share values, vMotion concurrency, vSAN host counts, and SSO policies.
- Practice scenario questions. Official samples are short scenarios with "Choose two/three" answers, so practice explaining why each wrong option is wrong.
How to Use This Guide
Each section follows the same pattern: why the topic matters, the facts and rules, tables for quick review, realistic scenarios, and three or more practice questions with explanations. A practical plan:
| Week | Focus | Sections |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | Platform and vCenter: ESXi, vCenter deployment, SSO domains, DSE, Tanzu | Chapter 1 |
| 3-4 | Clusters and compute: HA, DRS, vMotion, FT, vCLS, migrations | Chapter 2 |
| 5-6 | Storage and vSAN | Chapters 3 and 4 |
| 7 | Networking | Chapter 5 |
| 8 | Security: SSO, RBAC, encryption, certificates, VM security | Chapter 6 |
| 9 | Lifecycle: vLCM, host configuration, vCenter updates, snapshots | Chapter 7 |
| 10 | Monitoring, alarms, logs, and troubleshooting, then full practice tests | Chapter 8 |
Answering Exam Items
- Count the answers. Multiple-choice items say how many to pick ("Choose two"). Pick exactly that many.
- Look for the constraint word. Phrases like "without downtime", "minimize cost", "no intermediate CA", or "must survive a cluster failure" usually eliminate most of the options.
- Prefer the documented feature over a workaround. When a vSphere feature solves the problem directly (Retreat Mode, Advanced Cross vCenter vMotion, a VM-VM anti-affinity rule), it usually beats manual steps.
- Watch the version. The exam targets vSphere 8.0. This guide flags later-update features (8.0 U1-U3) so you can tell them apart from the 8.0 baseline.
According to Broadcom's VCP-DCV certification page, what are the item count and passing score for exam 2V0-21.23?
65 items and a passing score of 70%
70 items and a scaled passing score of 300
85 items and a scaled passing score of 500
60 items and a raw passing score of 42 correct
Which section of the standardized VMware blueprint has no testable objectives in the 2V0-21.23 exam?
Section 1 - Architecture and Technologies
Section 6 - Troubleshooting and Repairing
Section 7 - Administrative and Operational Tasks
Section 3 - Planning and Designing
A candidate fails the proctored 2V0-21.23 exam on March 1. Under Broadcom's retake policy, when is the earliest date the candidate can retake it?
March 8
March 2
March 15
April 1
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.