VMware is allowing all of the VCPs from VI3 to test and certify on vSphere to obtain their VCP4 without having to take a VMware authorized course-- this is, however, only until the end of the year.

So while gathering some information to &quot;get my study on&quot;, I came across the new scoring format of the exam, which I found to be pretty interesting.

&quot;The current number of items on the VCP exam is 75, with a 70 required to pass. The passing score is not a raw 70 (example: 70 out of 75), and it is not really a percentage of the items (example: 53 out of 75), it is what is called a <strong>scaled score</strong> . A scaled score is calculated using a mathematical formula that considers a variety of factors, including the number and type of exam questions included in a specific version of the exam. Because this combination may vary in different versions of the same examination, scaled scores provide a fair score for each individual based on the version of the exam they took.

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Now I am sure everyone knows that we periodically release new versions of the exam as items become obsolete or as needed to address new features in the same revision. This is how the exam remains consistent with the latest updates. These varying versions of the exam have different combinations of questions and is why we take the approach of using a scaled score.&quot;

The link for that post is <a href="http://communities.vmware.com/thread/221038" target="_blank">here</a>

There are also an additional 10 or so questions on the exam that do not count towards your score-- this is common across the board for IT exams though. The exam is scored from 100-500-- you must score greater than 300 to pass, and greater than 400 to become a VMware instructor.