What this exam actually proves

The 2V0-21.20: Professional VMware vSphere 7.x exam is the core skills check for people working with ESXi, vCenter Server, and day-to-day vSphere 7.x administration. It sits in the VCP-DCV track and expects more than product familiarity. You need to know how to deploy, configure, administer, optimize, and troubleshoot a vSphere environment.

Expect the exam to focus on practical administration decisions:

How to build and configure a vSphere environment correctly
How to manage compute, storage, and networking objects in vCenter
How clusters, HA, DRS, and resource pools behave
How VM provisioning, templates, cloning, snapshots, and migrations work
How to secure and harden hosts and virtual machines
How to diagnose common faults in hosts, clusters, and VMs

This is not a design-heavy architecture exam. It is also not a pure troubleshooting lab. It is a broad administrator exam with a strong operational emphasis.

If you already manage vSphere, the exam feels fair. If your experience is limited to creating VMs in a GUI, it will expose the gaps quickly.

What makes this exam tricky is not obscure trivia. It is the breadth:

vCenter deployment and lifecycle
host configuration
storage and networking choices
availability and load balancing features
permissions, certificates, and identity
monitoring and remediation workflows

You should prepare as if you are the person responsible for a small-to-medium vSphere 7 environment.

Read the blueprint like an admin runbook

VMware’s blueprint for vmware-2v0-2120 is the best starting point because the exam objectives are concrete. The major domains are typically organized around these areas:

Architecture and Technologies
Products and Solutions
Planning and Designing
Installing, Configuring, and Setup
Performance-tuning, Optimization, and Upgrades
Troubleshooting and Repairing
Administrative and Operational Tasks

Do not treat all domains equally.

For this exam, the highest return comes from mastering:

Install / Configure / Setup
Administrative and Operational Tasks
Troubleshooting and Repairing
Performance / Optimization / Upgrades

The lighter domains still matter, but they are usually there to test whether you understand why a feature exists and where it fits:

what vSphere Lifecycle Manager does
where vCenter Server Appliance (VCSA) fits
when to use vDS versus standard switching
what Storage vMotion changes and what it does not
how HA admission control impacts capacity

A good way to use the blueprint is to convert every objective into one of three buckets:

Can explain: definitions and feature purpose
Can configure: steps, settings, dependencies, prerequisites
Can troubleshoot: symptoms, likely root causes, corrective action

If an objective is only in your “can explain” bucket when it should be in “can configure” or “can troubleshoot,” you are not ready.

Core vSphere 7 building blocks you must know cold

Before you dive into the weighted domains, make sure the foundation is solid. Many exam questions are easy if you understand object relationships in vSphere.

Focus on these components and how they interact:

ESXi host
- bare-metal hypervisor
- management networking
- storage adapters and datastores
- VMkernel adapters
- host profiles and lockdown modes
vCenter Server Appliance (VCSA)
- central management plane
- inventory, permissions, alarms, tasks, events
- linked mode concepts
- certificate and identity integration basics
Datacenter / Cluster / Host / VM hierarchy
- inventory organization
- permissions inheritance
- cluster services such as HA and DRS
Datastores
- VMFS, NFS, and vVol awareness
- datastore capacity, mounting, accessibility, multipathing concepts
Networking
- vSphere Standard Switch (vSS) and vSphere Distributed Switch (vDS)
- port groups, uplinks, teaming, VLANs
- VMkernel services: Management, vMotion, Provisioning, Fault Tolerance, vSAN
Virtual machines
- compatibility levels
- VMware Tools
- virtual hardware versions
- snapshots, cloning, templates, customization specs

Know the difference between tasks done at these layers:

host-level only
cluster-level only
vCenter-managed only
VM-level only

Example areas where people get caught:

confusing host profiles with VM templates
mixing up vMotion and Storage vMotion requirements
assuming HA balances load like DRS
not knowing which features require shared storage or a vDS

If you cannot explain the prerequisites for vMotion, HA, DRS, and vSAN from memory, stop and fix that first.

Deployment, configuration, and setup: the heaviest lift

This is where you should spend the biggest share of your study time. The exam expects you to understand how a vSphere 7 environment is stood up and configured correctly.

vCenter Server Appliance deployment

Study the VCSA deployment workflow in detail:

deployment stages
appliance sizing
embedded vs external service history for context
network settings and DNS requirements
time synchronization importance
SSO domain basics
backup and restore concepts

Be clear on dependencies:

forward and reverse DNS matter
NTP consistency matters
certificate warnings are common operationally
identity source integration changes login and permissions behavior

ESXi installation and host setup

Know how hosts are installed and prepared:

interactive install basics
configuring management network
setting hostname, DNS, gateway, VLAN
enabling SSH and ESXi Shell only when needed
configuring NTP
adding hosts into vCenter and clusters
licensing hosts and vCenter

Understand the role of Auto Deploy, even if you do not use it daily.

Storage configuration

This exam expects practical storage administration knowledge:

creating and presenting VMFS datastores
mounting NFS datastores
datastore accessibility and resignaturing concepts
storage policy awareness
storage multipathing policy basics
protocol differences at a high level

You should know when storage issues are likely caused by:

zoning or presentation problems
path failures
host connectivity issues
datastore capacity exhaustion

Virtual networking configuration

You need to be comfortable with both vSS and vDS.

Study these tasks:

create standard switches and port groups
create distributed switches and distributed port groups
assign uplinks and vmnics
configure VLAN tagging
understand NIC teaming and failover order
enable LLDP/CDP awareness on vDS
configure VMkernel adapters for management, vMotion, and other services

Be able to compare:

standard switch: host-local configuration
distributed switch: centralized management across hosts

Cluster services setup

You must know how to enable and configure:

vSphere HA
DRS
EVC
resource pools
vSphere Lifecycle Manager baselines/images concepts

For HA, know:

host monitoring
VM restart priority
admission control purpose
isolation response
datastore heartbeating concept

For DRS, know:

initial placement
load balancing
migration recommendations
automation levels
affinity and anti-affinity rules

VM provisioning and lifecycle

This area is heavily testable because it is common admin work:

create a VM from scratch
deploy from template
clone a VM
convert VM to template and back
use customization specifications
install VMware Tools
manage snapshots correctly
understand virtual hardware compatibility

The exam often rewards precision here. For example:

snapshots are not backups
templates speed consistent deployment
customization specs automate guest identity settings
VMware Tools affects guest operations, shutdown, and performance features

Operations that separate a real admin from a casual user

This domain is broad and very VMware-specific. It covers the tasks you perform after the environment is live.

Permissions, roles, and identity

You need to understand RBAC in vSphere:

users, groups, roles, permissions
permission propagation through inventory
built-in roles vs custom roles
integrating with Active Directory or another identity source

Typical exam angle: identify the minimum permission model that allows a task without over-privileging.

Monitoring, alarms, and events

Study how vCenter surfaces operational issues:

tasks and events
alarms and alarm actions
host and VM performance charts
capacity and utilization indicators
hardware health basics

Know what each tool is best for:

events for what happened
tasks for action status
alarms for threshold-based attention
performance charts for trend and bottleneck analysis

Resource management

This is a favorite area because it tests whether you understand virtualization economics.

Master:

shares, reservations, and limits
CPU and memory overcommit concepts
resource pools and their risks
VM swap behavior basics
ballooning and host memory pressure concepts

A lot of candidates memorize definitions but cannot apply them. You need to know the operational consequence:

a reservation guarantees minimum resources
a limit can throttle a VM even when the host has spare capacity
shares matter during contention, not when resources are plentiful

Migrations and mobility

Know the requirements and use cases for:

vMotion
Storage vMotion
cold migration
cross-host and cross-datastore movement basics

Be ready for prerequisite questions involving:

compatible CPUs or EVC
networking consistency
VMkernel configuration for vMotion
shared versus non-shared storage scenarios

Lifecycle and patching

For vSphere 7, make sure you understand vSphere Lifecycle Manager (vLCM):

patching and remediation workflows
host images versus baselines concepts
compliance checking
cluster remediation behavior
firmware/add-on awareness at a conceptual level

This is one of the places where older vSphere experience can hurt you if you rely on outdated Update Manager mental models without understanding vLCM terminology.

Troubleshooting, repair, and performance tuning: where many candidates slip

VMware exams rarely expect deep log-forensics at the level of a specialist support engineer, but they do expect structured troubleshooting.

Host problems you should recognize quickly

Common issue patterns:

host disconnected in vCenter
management network misconfiguration
DNS resolution failures
NTP drift
datastore inaccessible
path redundancy degraded
vMotion network unreachable
licensing or compatibility problems

Be able to reason from symptom to likely cause. Example:

vMotion fails: check VMkernel service enablement, IP reachability, shared storage assumptions, CPU compatibility, and networking consistency.

Cluster and availability issues

Study failure scenarios around:

HA not enabling
DRS recommendations not applying
admission control blocking power-on
host isolation behavior
affinity rules causing placement constraints

You should know that some “problems” are expected outcomes of policy. If HA admission control blocks a new VM power-on, that may be correct behavior, not a fault.

VM-level troubleshooting

Know the basics for:

guest OS not responding
VMware Tools out of date or not running
snapshot sprawl affecting performance
insufficient resources due to reservations/limits
boot issues after hardware or storage changes

Performance tuning mindset

You are not expected to become an esxtop expert for this exam, but you should understand the main performance lenses:

CPU contention
memory pressure
storage latency
network throughput and packet loss

Study the practical remediation options:

rebalance with DRS
remove unnecessary limits
right-size oversized or undersized VMs
reduce snapshot accumulation
verify datastore and path health
separate traffic types where needed

Know the purpose of tools such as:

performance charts in vCenter
esxtop/resxtop at a conceptual level
logs in /var/log on ESXi at a high level
vSphere Client health and monitor views

The exam usually values the next-best administrative step more than obscure command syntax.

Security, hardening, and upgrade knowledge you cannot skip

Candidates often underprepare this area because it feels secondary. It is not.

Host and management plane security

Study:

Lockdown Mode purpose and behavior
firewall configuration basics on ESXi
enabling/disabling services like SSH
certificate replacement concepts
secure access through roles instead of shared accounts
auditability through vCenter tasks/events

VM security-relevant settings

Know the basics of:

VMware Tools trust and management implications
virtual device control
snapshot handling discipline
template hygiene

Upgrade path awareness

For vSphere 7, understand upgrade sequencing and compatibility checks:

verify hardware compatibility with the VMware Compatibility Guide
understand interoperability between ESXi, vCenter, and VM hardware versions
know why vCenter is usually upgraded before hosts
use vSphere Lifecycle Manager for host remediation planning
understand rollback limits conceptually

Compatibility and planning

The blueprint includes some planning/design thinking. It is not deep architecture, but you should be able to choose the right feature based on requirements.

Examples:

need centralized switch configuration across many hosts -> vDS
need automated host patch compliance -> vLCM
need workload balancing -> DRS
need restart after host failure -> HA
need CPU compatibility across generations -> EVC

That kind of decision logic shows up often.

A realistic prep plan based on your current vSphere experience

This exam is manageable in a few weeks if you already administer vSphere regularly. If you are new, you need lab time, not just reading.

If you already work with vSphere weekly: 3 to 4 weeks

Week 1

Read the official exam guide and blueprint
List every objective you have touched in production vs never used
Review VCSA deployment, ESXi setup, clusters, HA, DRS, vMotion, Storage vMotion

Week 2

Lab networking and storage tasks
Practice VM provisioning, templates, cloning, snapshots, customization specs
Review permissions, alarms, resource pools, shares/reservations/limits

Week 3

Focus on vLCM, upgrades, security, and troubleshooting scenarios
Run through common failure cases: HA config, vMotion errors, datastore access, disconnected hosts
Start timed practice questions

Week 4

Tighten weak areas only
Re-read official docs for features you keep missing
Do one full review of all objectives, not another random deep dive

If you have some virtualization experience but limited VMware admin time: 6 to 8 weeks

Spend the first two weeks building foundation:

install ESXi in a lab if possible
deploy VCSA
create a datacenter, cluster, and a few hosts
configure standard and distributed networking
provision shared storage if your lab supports it

Then spend the next three weeks on operations:

HA, DRS, EVC
templates and customization specs
lifecycle management
alarms and monitoring
permissions and identity

Use the final two to three weeks for:

troubleshooting drills
practice questions
reading the docs on anything you have only done once

If you are new to VMware: 8 to 10 weeks

Be honest with yourself. This is not a “memorize dumps and pass” exam if you want the knowledge to stick.

Your first month should be lab-first:

install and break things
reconfigure networking
mount and lose datastores
test migration prerequisites
create bad resource pool settings and observe behavior

Then move into structured objective review and practice testing.

Weekly study split that works

For most candidates, this ratio is efficient:

50% lab work
30% official documentation and course review
20% practice questions and objective recall

That ratio matters. vSphere is operational. Reading alone is not enough.

Resources worth your time for vmware-2v0-2120

Use fewer resources, but use good ones.

Official VMware resources

Start here:

VMware 2V0-21.20 Exam Guide
Professional VMware vSphere 7.x (2V0-21.20) Exam Preparation Guide from VMware Learning
vSphere 7 Documentation on docs.vmware.com / techdocs.broadcom.com depending on current hosting
vCenter Server Installation and Setup guide
vSphere Availability guide
vSphere Resource Management guide
vSphere Networking guide
vSphere Storage guide
vSphere Security guide
vSphere Lifecycle Manager documentation
VMware Compatibility Guide

Do not try to read every page. Read by objective.

VMware training and labs

If you have access, these are excellent:

VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage [V7]
VMware Hands-on Labs (HOL), especially vSphere 7 administration labs

Hands-on Labs are very useful if you cannot build a full home lab.

Books that still help

A practical reference many admins still use:

Mastering VMware vSphere 7 by Nick Marshall, Scott Lowe, and Forbes Guthrie

Use it to clarify concepts, not as your sole source.

Practice questions

Use practice questions to identify weak objectives, not to replace study. Since you mentioned 107 practice questions on Truekia, use them late in the process:

first pass: untimed, topic by topic
second pass: timed
third pass: review only missed areas and explain why the right answer is right

If you cannot explain the distractors, you are still guessing.

Lab options

Best case:

nested ESXi hosts in VMware Workstation, Fusion, or a capable home lab
a small VCSA deployment
shared storage simulation where possible

If hardware is limited:

use Hands-on Labs
use evaluation licenses
focus on workflows in the vSphere Client even if scale is small

How to use practice questions without sabotaging yourself

For this exam, practice questions are useful only if they push you back into the product or docs.

Use a three-pass method:

Diagnostic pass
- Take 30 to 40 questions cold
- Tag misses by domain: networking, storage, HA/DRS, lifecycle, permissions, troubleshooting
Repair pass
- For every wrong answer, open the matching VMware documentation
- Recreate the feature in lab if possible
- Write one or two lines on the prerequisite or decision rule you missed
Pressure pass
- Take mixed sets under time constraints
- Train yourself to spot keywords like admission control, reservation, distributed switch, customization specification, EVC, Lockdown Mode, vLCM

Avoid two bad habits:

memorizing answer patterns
overtrusting unofficial explanations that conflict with VMware docs

On a VMware exam, wording matters. “Best,” “most secure,” “minimum permissions,” and “first step” often change the correct answer.

Exam-day tactics for VMware question style

VMware exams tend to reward careful reading more than speed.

A few practical rules:

Read the last line first. Know what the question is actually asking.
Identify whether it wants a feature purpose, a prerequisite, a configuration step, or a troubleshooting action.
Eliminate answers that are technically possible but not the best administrative action.
Watch for version-specific terminology, especially around vSphere 7 and vSphere Lifecycle Manager.

When stuck, ask yourself:

Is this a host, cluster, vCenter, or VM scope issue?
Is this about availability, performance, security, or operational convenience?
What dependency would block this feature from working?

Good last-minute review topics on the day before the exam:

HA settings and behavior
DRS purpose and rules
vMotion and Storage vMotion prerequisites
shares, limits, reservations
vSS vs vDS
templates, clones, snapshots, customization specs
vLCM terminology
permissions inheritance
Lockdown Mode and service security basics

Do not cram obscure commands. Review workflows and dependencies.

If you have real admin experience and you study to the blueprint instead of chasing random question banks, this exam is very passable. The candidates who struggle are usually the ones who know the interface but not the underlying behavior.