On January 22 2021, I successfully passed the 2V0-41.20 exam based on NSX-T 3.0 which made me a new happy VCP-NV. I thought it would be nice to share with you my experience with this exam.
How to prepare for the exam
For the record, I was initially going for the NSX-T 2.4 exam before it expires but I found myself pretty busy so I preferred to wait a little bit and get prepared for version 3.0.
I sat a while back for the NSX-T 2.4 ICM class that helped me a lot to understand the product. I have to say that this was one of the best course I ever had and I’d like to thank again the instructor Christian Regent who became later on my VCI mentor 🙂
Also if you have the chance to take the VMware NSX-T Data Center: Troubleshooting and Operations [V3.0] course, just go for it. This is a great course with plenty of information on the product, that in some way completes the ICM course plus the troubleshooting part which is great.
Then I continued over time to deep dive into NSX-T by reviewing the course but also attending webinars, working on my homelab etc…
If you don’t have a home lab. You can do some practice thanks to the free Hands-On Labs (HOL) from VMware here.
Study ressources
Read the blueprint, you have everything in there. Actually, almost everything. During the exam I had one question about Federation which is a new feature in NSX-T 3 ; but that apparently was not mentionned in the blueprint. So you better know what Federation is all about.
You’ll find right below some resources to help you study for the exam.
VMware NSX-T Data Center Documentation:
https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-NSX-T-Data-Center/index.html
NSX-T Command-Line Interface Reference:
https://vdc-download.vmware.com/vmwb-repository/dcr-public/182d387c-eaa8-4cdc-812d-8cb25812fefd/d09cad1f-553d-4c9e-a5b1-6544280eec25/NSX-T%20Command-Line%20Interface%20Reference.html#get%20load-balancer%20%3Clb-uuid%3E
VMware NSX-T Data Center 3.0 Release Notes:
https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-NSX-T-Data-Center/3.0/rn/VMware-NSX-T-Data-Center-30-Release-Notes.html#whats_new
VMware® NSX-T Reference Design:
https://communities.vmware.com/t5/VMware-NSX-Documents/VMware-NSX-T-Reference-Design/ta-p/2778093
NSX-T Data Center Blog:
https://blogs.vmware.com/networkvirtualization/
NSX-T Data Center Hands-on Labs (HOL):
https://labs.hol.vmware.com/HOL/catalogs/catalog/877
NSX-T Data Center Training and Demo videos:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdYldEmmLm2nBcfxkp-wzE4SCohw2ynD3
VMware Configuration Maximums:
https://configmax.vmware.com/guest?vmwareproduct=NSX-T%20Data%20Center&release=NSX-T%20Data%20Center%203.0.0&categories=17-0
Useful Blogs
- VIRTUALLY2CENTS:
Content are based on NSX-T 2.4 but most are still relevant for NSX-T 3.0. You can also watch the youtube video which is very helpful and use
https://virtually2cents.com/nsx-t-2-4-study-guide-support
- Funky Cloud Medina:
https://www.funkycloudmedina.com/study-guides/vcp-nv-2020-2v0-41.20/
About the exam
I found the exam challenging but also fair with questions on every feature of the product. But honestly, I didn’t find the exam very difficult.
The thing is that during my preparation, I heard so many times that the exam was tough and saw some people succeed on their second or third attempt. That gave me a lot of pressure, so I had to study really hard which paid off in the end.
Timing and tips for the exam
- You have plenty of time to complete all the questions, so no rush.
- Read each question twice to properly understand what’s been asked of you. If you don’t know, mark the question, move on and get back to it later.
- Also, pay attention to details. Sometimes the answers lie in the question, so be careful.
In my case, I still had an hour left when I answered all the questions. And then it took me around 15 minutes to check the questions I marked for review.
Final advice
Know the product! I won’t say it enough. You must know every piece of the NSX-T 3.0, every single feature, know what it does and where to find it.
CLI! Know your command lines for NSG Manager, Egde, ESXi and KVM. Do not omit KVM!
I hope this blog post will help you to suceed and pass this exam. Good luck 😉