So you attempted you VMCE and didn’t do that well. The pass score was 70% (85% for trainers) and you didn’t quite get there.

That’s okay! Most of us have been through that one exam that makes a conspiracy theorist of us. Don’t give up. DON’T. GIVE. UP.

You could be on  your first, second, fifth or even 10th attempt. WD-40 was named after its number of attempts at the formula. Angry Birds took 50+ attempts. You’ll be fine!

The important thing you need to remember is the below:

1. DON’T. GIVE. UP.
2. Attempt the VMSP and/or VMTSP at the very least. Although these are sales courses they cover some good enough ground.
3. Reach out – You as an individual have MULTIPLE resources. It could be REDDIT, Veeam Forums, the SLACK channel or even contacting a trainer.
4. Use as many exams as you can to point you to your weakness.
   • Rhys Hammond/Rose’s Quiz Take 50 or the entire 300+ question bank!
   • PerfectCloud: Created by the man himself, Rasmus Haslund!
   • Official Exam : Easier than the above with fewer challenging questions.
5. Use Material that’s out there!
   • Best Practice Guides: Give  you an deeper understanding of how things work.
   • Flash Cards by Bart Pellegrino
   • Flash Cards by me (Work in Progress)
   • What’s New with 9.5 has its own official guide. However, I recommend Anthony Spiteri’s and Luca Dell’Oca’s summarised take on it. If you aren’t an avid reader, here is a video! (Watch from 5:00)
6. Know how new features works. Your course may or may not have had a live example so its good to see how things take place:
   • Office 365 Restore Video
   • Office 365 How to Guide
   • Azure Walkthrough
   • Azure Restore Video
   • Azure Setup – Manual Configuration Guide
7. Check out materials from the pros. One awesome thing about Veeam is the community and how everyone is so eager to network and help out where they can.
   • Clint Wycoff’s website. Fan girl moment! This is an awesome link for anyone in their heads in the cloud. (GET IT?!)
   • Powershell: Okay, Fan girl moment AGAIN. I had the pleasure of meeting Jose Mendoza and Shawn Lieu at Veeam On.
   • Tim Smith: I have specified the page because it takes you in parts from the installation all the way through to the failover and replication BUT Tim has a heap of other goodies.
   • HTML Guide: Can’t afford a lab? Need to see what a screen looked like? Look no further and a special thanks to Bilel Kammoun for this.
   • NFR License: Need a lab license but its too expensive? Get your NFR license!

Last but not least, believe in yourself. Do get in touch and I’ll be happy to schedule a class with you on Skype to build the skills where you need to. I usually manage 2 modules in a hour and provide extra if required. This is not chargeable but done only when  you’ve attempted the exam at least twice and been unsuccessful at both attempts. I’ll need proof.

Now go out there and be a WD-40! Or an Angry Bird!