Veeam Certified Engineer 2021 Exam Released & Reviewed


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I was recently made aware that Veeam have released the 2021 edition of the Veeam Certified Engineer (VMCE) exam. If you’ve already got a VMCE 2020 certification, or have taken the VMCE 2020 training course within the past year, (or even been lucky enough to already take a seat on the VMCE 2021 training course) you’re eligible to take the exam.

To take the exam simply head to the VMCE certification page, sign in with your company email address that was used for either your training course or previous exam and you should see the below.

Description: An image showing the VMCE certification page with a button labelled “Manage VMCE 2021 Exam”

Simply click on “Manage VMCE 2021 Exam” and you’ll be taken to the PearsonVUE website to organise either a remote exam or in-person exam.

 

The Exam Online Proctor Experience

 

Over the course of the pandemic, PeasonVUE have got repeatedly better at delivering the remote training sessions, they’ve slowly adapted their security measures too, when the pandemic had started they didn’t want any screens within the room, now they allow for additional screens if you can evidence that they have no power. In other ways they’re still more strict, if you cover your mouth for example, you can be disqualified.

My top three tips for a successful remote exam experience are:

  • Ensure you are free from distractions and people/animals. Shut yourself in a room and make it clear you can’t be disturbed. PearsonVUE used to treat it as an automatic failure if someone else was detected entering the room, you’re now permitted to inform them you’re taking an exam and they must leave the room immediately, but it’s better not to invite any judgement on the part of the remote proctor as they can only base their judgement on what they can/can’t see/hear. If they have doubts, they can void the exam.
  • Use an adequately spec’d personal machine. Technologies such as Always On VPN are great for corporate machines, but they can cause issues with the delivery of the content due to corporate firewall restrictions. If you have remote monitoring agents as well, these might use systems such as VNC which are all forbidden by PearsonVUE. They will scan your machine and will not allow the exam to be started if they are detected. To elaborate on what I define as adequately spec’d, you’ll be streaming video at as high a frame rate as possible to PearsonVUE. I had an exam cancelled previously due to using an older, lower powered netbook and they said the frame rate was about 1-2 FPS.
  • You’re allowed to connect half hour before the exam starts, aim to connect at this time, you’ll need to use a mobile phone to take pictures of your ID and your room space, they’ll let you start the exam early if you get through all the checks quicker but as you’re allowed to start an exam up to 15 minutes late so this gives you ample opportunity to clear your workspace or relocate if the proctor has issues with your environment.

 

The VMCE 2021 Exam Experience

 

I’ve taken the VMCE 9.5, VMCE 2020 and VMCE-ADO exams previously so I’m familiar with the structure Veeam uses for the exams. I’ve always been extremely positive of the Veeam exam experience, they’ve always been focused on real-world examples and ensuring a suitable baseline for the majority of deployments, instead of focusing on fringe-cases that a fraction of their install base might utilise.

Historically the exams were much faster, with a pace that felt like a question a minute, the VMCE 2020 was 50 questions in 60 minutes and you got a 30 minute extension if the language the exam was delivered in wasn’t your native language, so this ratio wasn’t far off. The VMCE 2021 exam has changed this slightly, it’s now 50 questions in 75 minutes. I think this gave the exam a better flow. Traditionally the exam questions have predominately short sentences, but this time round it seems Veeam have started to elaborate on them a bit more, opting for diagrams and brief scenarios over a single sentence. I preferred this as the extra time and text allow you more time to double check exactly what’s being asked of you and make sure you select the right result.

 

Preparing for the Exam

 

You can’t take the exam without having attended a training course at some point in the past, but Veeam do recommend you take the latest training course before sitting the exam, and it’s easy to see why. Veeam have brought out so many features from the time I first sat my training course that whilst I believe I use most features frequently, there are always features that my customers don’t need, so I spend less time using them. Over time this will lead me to drift from the criteria for the exam, when the Veeam v12 training course inevitably comes around I’m going to attempt to take the training course again, to be sure I haven’t missed out on anything great along the way over these past few years, you never know what will become your new favourite feature!

As the VMCE 2021 exam is still quite new, there are limited resources from the wider community to help study, but thankfully there’s no shortage from Veeam. Check out the Exam Specification document from the VMCE certification page linked above and follow the relevant Veeam Help Centre links to ensure you’ve studied all the relevant content, and most importantly, the VMCE is designed for engineers using Veeam frequently, so if you’re not using a feature, give it a spin in a virtual environment.

Mr VMCE himself @haslund is also preparing a VMCE 2021 mock exam question set, check out his blog over at Rasmus Haslund – Virtualize everything! and see if they’re available. I recently had the honour of speaking to Rasmus about where he sources these questions from and was amazed at the level of dedication he puts into this process, so I strongly recommend checking out his previous mock questions too and then comparing any questions you may have to the help centre documentation in case Veeam has changed from his VMCE 2020 set.

 

How did it go?

 

As the title suggests, this is a review, so I did sit the VMCE 2021 exam, I’m extremely thrilled to announce I passed with 85%, and now I’ve got a feel for where my studying should go next to fill in some knowledge gaps, as every day is a school day!

Description: Score Report with an 85% pass score!

114 comments

Userlevel 7
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Thank you @Chris.Childerhose@MicoolPaul@vNote42@Nico Losschaert 😃

Userlevel 1

Congrats to all of the members whom had passed the certification. If you dnt mind kindly share the guide book which you people followed to pass the exam.

 

Thank you.

Userlevel 7
Badge +17

Hello @mumer19 ,
have alook at @haslund s great sample question videos at youtube. These videos are a great source of information.

Do a search here in the community for Rasmus Haslund and you will find many references to the videos. At the moment he is posting a great series of vidoes for the VMCA exam, too.

Userlevel 7
Badge +11

Congrats to all of the members whom had passed the certification. If you dnt mind kindly share the guide book which you people followed to pass the exam.

 

Thank you.

Thank you @JMeixner and others for the kind mentions :blush:

@mumer19: I put together a mini-study guide here along with three separate (unofficial) practice exams for about 150 questions.

The journey should definitely start with looking at the official exam guide and then start moving through each line and using the traffic light system (see linked video below for more details on how to prepare).

 

Userlevel 1

@haslund Thank you for sharing the video...as I want to proceed with the certification so I need Availability Suite v11: Configuration and Management guide that it would be easy for me to study first and after that give the practice quiz that you are sharing. 

Userlevel 7
Badge +17

Hello

the course “Availability Suite v11: Configuration and Management” is a prerequisite for taking the VMCE exam.

You have to take the course and there you will get a bunch of materials to study.

Userlevel 1

Dear Members thank you for the guide.

Kindly guide me the step by step procedure for preparation of VMCE 2021 certification.

Userlevel 7
Badge +17

I take the following approach:

  • Get hands-on experience with as much Veeam products as possible.
  • Take the Availability Suite v11: Configuration and Management course.
  • Study the materials and the labs given during the course.
  • Study the sample question videos.
  • Take the exam 😎
Userlevel 7
Badge +20

I take the following approach:

  • Get hands-on experience with as much Veeam products as possible.
  • Take the Availability Suite v11: Configuration and Management course.
  • Study the materials and the labs given during the course.
  • Study the sample question videos.
  • Take the exam 😎

I second this and be sure you get hands on as that is very important. Also the videos and questions from @haslund are invaluable to use for study. If you get to the VMCA level they are great too.  Bit follow this stuff and you will be able to take the test.

Userlevel 7
Badge +22

Congrats to all of the members whom had passed the certification. If you dnt mind kindly share the guide book which you people followed to pass the exam.

 

Thank you.

Hi Mumer19.

 

I think how you prepare really depends. For the VMCE if you have a lot of experience with Veeam then I would go over the practice exams very thoroughly and identify areas that you don’t know or never work with. After that I would focus on the User guides for those particular areas. 

If you don’t have a lot of experience with Veeam then it is really a good idea to setup a lab and start working on muscle memory for all the basics, then move to the step above. 

As for the VMCA, in my opinion this is a different animal. Here I believe concentration and logic play huge roles. Obviously you need Veeam knowledge but compared to VMCAv1 in my opinion this VMCA2022 is much more procedural and the emphasis should be on focus. Again @haslund has great practice exam questions that would get you prepared for this. 

On a personal note after doing a whole bunch of certification exams last year in a relatively short period I found that listening to Tibetan singing bowls beforehand really helped. Not joking :). I tend to get nervous and mentally hyperactive before exams so my brain is running all over the place. This is dangerous as it can result in stupid errors and carelessness. The sound of the bowls I found calmed me down enormously. Again this is a very individual thing but I would advise that unless you have nerves of steel you find some method to get yourself calmly focused. You don’t want to fail not because you were not ready but because you were not in the right frame of mind.

 

Good Luck!!

Userlevel 4
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I just passed my exam with 89%.
@haslund Thanks for the great materials to study with. 

Regards

Userlevel 7
Badge +11

I just passed my exam with 89%.
@haslund Thanks for the great materials to study with. 

Congrats @vergoted, well done! 89% is a VeeAmazing score! I am proud to hear you found the materials useful.

Userlevel 7
Badge +20

I just passed my exam with 89%.
@haslund Thanks for the great materials to study with. 

Regards

Congrats on the pass. Nice score for sure and Rasmus's material is top notch. 😎

Userlevel 7
Badge +9

Congratulations @vergoted 

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