The question showed up in my inbox twice last week, which means it is time to write about it properly.
“Brian, I am halfway through my VCP6-DCV study materials. Should I keep going or switch to the VCP6.5-DCV path?”
Here is the situation. VMware released vSphere 6.5 back in late 2016, and the VCP6.5-DCV exam has been available for a while now. VMware has also made it fairly clear that the original VCP6-DCV is not going to be around forever. If you are planning to sit for the older exam, the window is not staying open indefinitely, and that is worth factoring into your decision.
Whether to switch depends almost entirely on where you are in your preparation right now. If you are less than halfway through your study materials, make the switch. The exam objectives between VCP6 and VCP6.5-DCV are not radically different, but vSphere 6.5 introduced enough meaningful changes to vCenter, the storage layer, and the overall platform architecture that studying for the newer version is genuinely worthwhile. You will learn more relevant material, earn a credential tied to the version most shops are actually running in 2018, and avoid racing against a deprecation clock.
If you are deep into your preparation, say 75 percent or more, and you have an exam date already on the calendar, finish what you started. The VCP6-DCV is still a valid and respected credential. Passing it and then pursuing the upgrade path to VCP6.5-DCV afterward is a completely legitimate approach, and a lot of working professionals do exactly that. You do not have to throw away months of preparation just because a newer version of the exam exists.
One thing worth flagging before you decide: VMware requires mandatory training for the VCP path regardless of which version you are pursuing. If you completed your required training for VCP6 through an authorized training partner, that credit may or may not carry over to the 6.5 path depending on the course and the timing. Check the current requirements directly on the VMware certification site before committing to either direction. I have seen people make assumptions about this that cost them real time and real money, and it is an easy thing to verify upfront.
So what actually changed between the two exams? vSphere 6.5 brought significant improvements to the vCenter Server Appliance architecture, including the embedded Platform Services Controller topology that most organizations are migrating toward. The HTML5-based vSphere Client made its debut in 6.5, even if it was not fully featured at launch. There were meaningful updates to vSAN and real improvements to the encryption and security capabilities built into the platform. These are not academic differences. If you are managing a vSphere environment today, this is the material you are working with.
There is a broader principle at work here too. VMware certification exists to validate your understanding of the platform you are responsible for. A credential tied to the current shipping version of the product is going to serve you better on the job and hold up better on a resume than one tied to a version that is already a generation behind. That matters when hiring managers are scanning your certifications section and comparing you to other candidates.
My straight answer: if you have not booked your exam yet and you have any flexibility in your timeline, update your materials and go for VCP6.5-DCV. If you are a few weeks out from a scheduled exam date and you have been grinding through VCP6 content, sit for it, pass it, and look at the upgrade path afterward. Either way, get the credential done. A VCP in any current version is worth more than a study plan that never turns into an actual result.
Check your timeline, verify the requirements, and stop letting the decision stop you from making progress.
Brian Rhoades is a Senior VMware Instructor and IT veteran with more than 15 years of hands-on experience in virtualization, systems engineering, and cloud infrastructure. He has trained thousands of IT professionals to confidently work with VMware vSphere, vSAN, and NSX, and has authored multiple books and study guides for outlets across the industry. Brian has a habit of being somewhere new every few weeks, which if you've ever tried to pin down a good VMware instructor, explains a lot.