Nutanix Certified Associate is the first step in the Nutanix certification track. This is an entry-level exam that tests knowledge of general Nutanix theory, basic cluster management skills, and an understanding of the Prism interface.
In this article I will share my experience of passing the Nutanix Certified Associate exam version 6.5, and also leave some tips for self-preparation.
Briefly about the exam and the passing procedure:
The exam is a test consisting of 50 questions. 90 minutes of time are given for answers. The maximum number of points that can be scored in the exam is 6000. The passing score is 3000. Questions have different weights, which means that simply answering half of them may not be enough.
The cost of the exam is $99, but very often you can get a promo code for a 50% or even 100% discount, so you should stay tuned for news on next.nutanix.com, as well as follow the Nutanix University Twitter account.
You can take the exam either at the PSI test center or online.
Since I took the exam online, I will briefly describe the requirements:
- You must have a document confirming your identity. The first and last name must be in Latin;
- Having a computer/laptop with a webcam and microphone is mandatory;
- Stable Internet connection;
- There should be nothing unnecessary in the room, especially behind the workplace where the exam is being taken. Preferably, a completely free table with only a keyboard and mouse. Additional displays, TVs, etc. will need to be turned off;
- Of course, there should be no one in the room and it should be quiet.
Let’s move on to preparation:
When preparing for any exam, you should begin by studying the official document that lists the topics that will be covered in the exam.
The Blueprint Guide for the NCA 6.5 exam can be found here.
Nutanix recommends taking this exam to specialists with at least 6 months of experience in maintaining IT infrastructure and, in particular, Nutanix solutions. The candidate must be able to perform basic operations on Nutanix clusters and navigate the Prism interface.
To put it differently, you need to understand what Nutanix is, what it consists of and how it works, and be able to perform basic cluster management operations: create machines, networks, update the cluster, troubleshoot problems, monitor performance and navigate the interface. Naturally, in the context of this exam, all these points do not require a deep understanding of the process.
Let’s look at the sections from Blueprint:
- Describe Lifecycle Management – how to update software and microcode in Nutanix clusters;
- Describe Nutanix Fundamental Concepts – understanding the Nutanix concept, basic terms, components, their purpose;
- Explain Cluster Alerts and Monitoring Administration – where to look at statistics, errors and how to check the status of the cluster? How to react to errors? How Nutanix behaves during certain emergency events. Also included are questions regarding the Pulse engine and support portal;
- Describe Storage Concepts – Nutanix disk subsystem, how data replication works within a cluster, the concepts of Replication Factor and Redundancy Factor. Compression, deduplication and Erasure Coding technologies;
- Explain Virtual Infrastructure Administration – Managing virtual machines and Image Service.
Above I described the main, but not all topics from the Blueprint, so be sure to check it out.
Having understood the list of topics, we can build a preparation plan for the exam.
Online courses:
Since this is an entry-level exam, I assume that we need to prepare almost from scratch.
A good place to start is by taking the Nutanix Hybrid Cloud Fundamentals course. This course is available for self-study absolutely free online on the Nutanix University portal.
Perhaps this course is the best place to start immersing yourself in the world of Nutanix and preparing for the exam.
If you have the time and desire, I would also recommend jumping ahead a little and taking the Nutanix Enterprise Cloud Administration (ECA) course. This course is recommended in preparation for the Nutanix Certified Professional certification, but it will be useful to study in this case.
The course is also available online absolutely free of charge at Nutanix University.
Video:
For those who like to learn through video, I can recommend visiting the Nutanix University YouTube channel, where you can find many videos on all sorts of topics. There are also thematic playlists here.
One of these playlists was compiled specifically for preparing for the Nutanix Certified Associate exam and is called NCA Certification Prep.
Literature:
It’s worth starting with the most important book – the Nutanix Bible. The book has been translated into several languages, but the most relevant information always appears first in the English version and it is recommended to read it.
This book is recommended reading for everyone involved in Nutanix, regardless of whether they are currently passing the exam or not.
When preparing for the exam, you should definitely read the Book of Basics, Book of Prism, Book of AOS and Book of AHV.
If there are still gaps in knowledge, you should refer to the official documentation.
Reading all the documentation in a row takes a long time and is not always necessary, but if you understand that there are problems with a certain topic, deciding what to read is quite simple – in each section of the Blueprint Guide there is a link to recommended literature on the topic.
Practice:
In addition to theoretical knowledge of how Nutanix works, you need to be familiar with the Prism and Prism Central interface, and know how to perform basic operations:
- Managing virtual machines;
- Cluster update;
- Monitoring and reporting;
- Reaction to faults and their elimination.
The best recommendation to practice without damaging a productive cluster is Nutanix Community Edition (Nutanix CE). You can even deploy Nutanix CE on a virtual machine; it’s not difficult and absolutely free. And just recently, CE was updated to version 2.0, which corresponds to Nutanix AOS 6.5 and is just right for preparing for the exam.
With one or even multiple Nutanix CE clusters, you can practice virtually every aspect of cluster management, including Prism Central, data protection, replication, and backup.
Let me remind you that I have an article on my website on how to deploy Nutanix Community Edition 2.0 in a VMware vSphere environment (You need to use Google Translate here).
In addition to getting hands-on experience with Nutanix, I want to mention the Nutanix Test Drive. Nutanix Test Drive is a series of realistic simulations that demonstrate specific functionality of various products from the ecosystem.
Check of knowledge:
A great way to test your knowledge and understand the gaps is to take the NCA practice exam on the Nutanix University portal.
The questions in the exam are as close as possible to the real ones and will help you understand your weaknesses before the exam, and you will have time to master those areas.
As a conclusion:
With the proper level of preparation, passing the exam will not be too difficult. The amount of material for independent study can be mastered in a month, studying for a couple of hours a day.
When studying, I strongly recommend writing down what you didn’t know before in a special cheat sheet. This will help you quickly repeat what you need the day before the exam and refresh your memory.
I wish everyone good luck. I hope someone may find this material useful in their preparation.
