Skip to main content

Clarke Moyer VMware VCP6-CMA Certification Passing Guide

⚠️ VMware Training Prerequisite

VMware certs require attending an official VMware training course to be eligible for the exam. This is a hard requirement — no workaround exists.

BLUF: To pass the VCP6-CMA, do 4 things

  1. Create a contest publicly with another person to complete your certification before they complete a similar or identical educational objective.
  2. Go audio-first — find audiobooks or lecture recordings and consume them on your phone while walking, driving, or commuting.
  3. Practice tests are the core of passing. Buy the book primarily to get the digital test prep access that comes with it.
  4. Test methodology: run all questions once, then rerun only the ones you got wrong until you hit zero wrong, then restart with a real-test mix until you’re scoring 90%+. Don’t over-study — test when you hit 80% and use the re-take as your safety net.

☁️ The Cloud Era Culmination

The VCP6-CMA represents the peak of Clarke’s VMware specialization track. After years building private and dark clouds on DCGS, this cert validated cloud management and automation at the platform level — vRealize Automation, vRealize Operations, and the VMware cloud management stack. This was the endpoint of an era.

🏟️ VMworld Testing Center

Clarke completed several VMware certifications at the VMworld testing centers— on-site Pearson VUE testing facilities available to conference attendees. VMworld conference tickets historically included exam vouchers, making the conference itself a cost-effective way to both learn and certify. This is a model Clarke strongly endorses: industry conferences that bundle certification opportunities with attendance. It’s efficient, motivating, and puts you in the room with the community at the same time.

About VCP6-CMA

The VMware Certified Professional 6 – Cloud Management and Automation (VCP6-CMA) validates skills in vRealize Automation, vRealize Operations Manager, and cloud management at the vSphere 6 level. It demonstrates you can deploy and manage VMware’s cloud management stack in enterprise environments — a credential that was particularly relevant for DoD and large enterprise VMware shops in the 2016–2020 timeframe.

Clarke obtained this certification on May 15, 2018 as part of his DoD 8570 Computing Environment certification track.

Key Topics Covered

  • vRealize Automation (vRA) — blueprint design, tenant management, and catalog services
  • vRealize Operations Manager (vROps) — performance analytics, capacity planning, and compliance
  • vRealize Orchestrator — workflow automation and integration
  • NSX integration for cloud networking
  • Identity management and multi-tenancy

Study Materials

VMware vRealize Automation Study Guide

Search Amazon for current vRealize Automation study guides — the landscape changes with VMware product versions. Focus on the version that matches your exam blueprint.

Search: VMware vRealize Automation Study Guides ↗

VMware VCP Cloud Management Exam Prep

Practice test books and exam prep materials for the VCP cloud management track.

Search: VMware VCP Cloud Management Exam Prep ↗

Training Options

VMware requires completing an authorized training course before you can sit for the exam. Options include:

  • VMware Education Services — official in-person and online courses at mylearn.vmware.com
  • VMware Authorized Training Centers (VATCs) — third-party authorized training providers
  • Some courses are available via government training channels (e.g., Army ATIS, DISA training programs)

This page contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Product links help support this site at no extra cost to you. See Affiliate Disclosure.

📅 See also: Industry Conferences

🚀 What Comes Next

The VMware cloud management era is over. The industry has moved decisively to cloud-native architecture under the CNCF. Clarke’s recommendation for anyone entering cloud today:

  • Focus on application and network service delivery, not underlying infrastructure components
  • The underlying cloud is now commoditized — AWS, Azure, GCP, and private clouds built on OpenStack/Kubernetes are fungible
  • Certify on what runs ON the cloud, not what the cloud runs on
  • KubeCon + CloudNativeCon (commonly called KubeCon) is co-located with CNCFCon — both run simultaneously at the same venue. Clarke recommends attending both. KubeCon is the Kubernetes-focused track; CNCFCon covers the broader CNCF project ecosystem. Clarke attended last year in Atlanta.

Cloud Native Computing Foundation → | KubeCon + CloudNativeCon → | CNCFCon →

← Back to Certification Guides