News

VMware Extends Recertification Deadline

• By Keith Ward
• 03/09/2015

If you woke up today and realized to your horror that your VMware certification expires tomorrow and you totally forgot, you can take a breath now; the deadline's been extended nearly two months.

VMware Inc. reminded its VMware Certified Professional (VCP) community back in December that the renewal deadline was March 10. Today, a blog post by Paul Sorensen announced a reprieve until May 8. The extension was granted to everyone, Sorensen noted.

He said the decision was made for two primary reasons: there wasn't enough time allowed for some of VMware's partners to pull their VCPs out of the field and get them recertified, and some test takers encountered technical issues over the past weekend that prevented them from taking the exam.

Sorensen also threw a bone to those who may feel aggrieved at having worked hard to recertify within the original deadline: 65 percent off of the normal $225 price to upgrade to a VCP6 certification, making it $79. To get the discount, the exam has to be taken by Aug. 31, 2015.

The decision to add the certification grace period was apparently a last-minute one by VMware. In comments following the blog posting, Sorensen said the extension “was a bit sudden for us, so we are still working on the details.” In fact, as of this writing, the recertification Web site still shows March 10 as the deadline.

VMware didn't require recertification until 2014, when it implemented the new system requiring recertification every two years. Penalties for failing to recertify include revocation of the VCP certification and elimination of access to the VCP portal. In addition, using the certification logo or representing oneself as VMware certified will be disallowed.