VMware Certified Technical Associate (VCTA) Practice Exam

What the VMware Certified Technical Associate (VCTA) exam covers

• Virtualization Concepts123 questions
• vSphere Management189 questions
• Storage and Networking145 questions
• VM Operations143 questions

Free VMware Certified Technical Associate (VCTA) sample questions

A sample of 10 questions with answers and explanations. Sign up free to practice all 600.

1. Question 1Virtualization Concepts

   What is VMware ESXi?

   • AA backup tool
   • BA DNS server
   • CA web browser
   • DA type-1 (bare-metal) hypervisor that runs VMs directly on physical hardwareCorrect
   ✓ Correct answer: D

   ESXi is the bare-metal hypervisor hosting VMs. It isn't DNS, backup, or a browser.

2. Question 2VM Operations

   Long-lived VM snapshots are reported as hurting datastore performance. Why?

   • ASnapshots disable VMware Tools drivers
   • BEach running snapshot creates a delta (redo) disk that grows and adds read/write overhead as the chain lengthensCorrect
   • CSnapshots compress the base VMDK, slowing reads
   • DSnapshots force the VM onto slower NFS storage
   ✓ Correct answer: B

   Active snapshots write changes to growing delta disks, increasing I/O overhead and consuming space — so they should be short-lived. They don't compress the base disk, disable Tools, or relocate the VM.

3. Question 3Virtualization Concepts

   When designing host CPU sizing, why is heavy vCPU overcommitment (many vCPUs per pCPU) a tradeoff to evaluate carefully?

   • AIt removes the need for shared storage
   • BIt can increase CPU ready time/contention, raising scheduling latency for VMsCorrect
   • CIt permanently disables vMotion on the cluster
   • DIt converts thin disks to thick automatically
   ✓ Correct answer: B

   Overcommitting vCPUs lets the scheduler timeshare physical cores, but excessive ratios cause CPU ready/co-stop contention and latency. It does not disable vMotion, change disk provisioning, or affect storage requirements.

4. Question 4vSphere Management

   Which vCenter feature provides built-in performance charts (CPU, memory, disk, network) for hosts and VMs?

   • AA DHCP lease table
   • BA print spooler log
   • CPerformance charts under the Monitor tab in the vSphere ClientCorrect
   • DA DNS lookup tool
   ✓ Correct answer: C

   The Monitor tab exposes real-time and historical performance charts for objects in vCenter. DNS/DHCP/print tools do not provide vSphere performance metrics.

5. Question 5VM Operations

   After a host crashes, its VMs do not restart on other hosts even though vSphere HA is enabled. What is the MOST likely cause?

   • ADRS is set to fully automated
   • BVMware Tools is out of date in the guests
   • CThe cluster has too many vCPUs configured
   • DThe VMs reside on datastores not accessible by the surviving hostsCorrect
   ✓ Correct answer: D

   HA can only restart a VM on a host that can access the VM's datastore; if storage isn't shared/accessible, restart fails. DRS automation, VMware Tools version, and vCPU count don't prevent HA restart.

6. Question 6Virtualization Concepts

   Which characteristic most accurately distinguishes a Type 1 hypervisor from a Type 2 hypervisor?

   • AA Type 1 hypervisor runs directly on the physical hardware, while a Type 2 hypervisor runs on top of a host operating systemCorrect
   • BA Type 1 hypervisor requires a host operating system, while a Type 2 hypervisor runs on bare metal
   • CA Type 1 hypervisor can only run a single virtual machine, while a Type 2 hypervisor runs many
   • DA Type 1 hypervisor is used only for desktops, while a Type 2 hypervisor is used only in datacenters
   ✓ Correct answer: A

   A Type 1 (bare-metal) hypervisor such as ESXi installs and runs directly on physical hardware. B reverses the definitions. C is false; both types run multiple VMs. D is backwards: Type 2 products like Workstation are typical for desktops, Type 1 for datacenters.

7. Question 7Virtualization Concepts

   Which DRS automation level applies recommended VM placement and migration actions automatically without requiring administrator approval?

   • AFully automatedCorrect
   • BManual
   • CPartially automated
   • DDisabled
   ✓ Correct answer: A

   In fully automated mode, DRS performs both initial placement and ongoing load-balancing vMotion migrations automatically. Manual mode only offers recommendations the admin must approve for both placement and migration. Partially automated handles initial placement automatically but only recommends migrations. Disabled turns DRS off entirely, so no automation occurs.

8. Question 8vSphere Management

   In the vSphere Client, under which cluster menu do you enable and select the EVC mode?

   • ACluster > Configure > Configuration > VMware EVC > EditCorrect
   • BCluster > Configure > Services > vSphere HA
   • CHost > Configure > Networking > VMkernel adapters
   • DVM > Edit Settings > CPU
   ✓ Correct answer: A

   EVC is enabled and its baseline chosen under Cluster > Configure > Configuration > VMware EVC. The vSphere HA service page configures availability, the VMkernel adapters page configures host networking, and the VM CPU settings configure a single VM's vCPUs - none of these set cluster EVC.

9. Question 9Storage and NetworkingSelect all that apply

   Which TWO are valid reasons to use a dedicated VMkernel adapter and network for vMotion rather than sharing the management network? (Choose TWO)

   • AvMotion can saturate a link, and isolating it prevents starving management/heartbeat trafficCorrect
   • BA dedicated vMotion network allows higher throughput and predictable migration performanceCorrect
   • CSharing the management network is required for vSphere HA to function
   • DvMotion cannot use VLANs unless it is on the management network
   ✓ Correct answer: A, B

   A is correct: vMotion bursts can consume an entire link, so isolation protects management/heartbeat traffic. B is correct: a dedicated network gives vMotion predictable bandwidth and faster migrations. C is wrong: HA does not require sharing the management network with vMotion. D is wrong: vMotion can use VLANs independently of the management network.

10. Question 10VM Operations

    Which statement correctly describes how a linked clone depends on its parent VM?

    • AThe linked clone relies on a snapshot of the parent; if that parent snapshot or its disks become unavailable, the linked clone is affectedCorrect
    • BThe linked clone copies all parent data and has no ongoing dependency
    • CThe linked clone can only run when the parent VM is powered off
    • DThe linked clone must reside on a completely different datastore than the parent
    ✓ Correct answer: A

    A linked clone is based on a parent snapshot and shares the parent's base disks, so it keeps an ongoing dependency on those disks/snapshot. A full clone (not linked) copies all data with no dependency. There is no requirement that the parent be powered off or that the clone be on a different datastore.

VMware Certified Technical Associate (VCTA) practice exam FAQ