Effective Study Methods for the 3V0-22.25 Exam
(Based on how the exam actually evaluates knowledge and skills)
1. Prioritize understanding mechanisms over memorization
This exam evaluates whether you understand:
How vSphere, vSAN, and NSX actually work
Why the platform behaves a certain way
What the correct decision is under constraints
How to troubleshoot with limited information
Examples:
Why does vSAN initiate a resync?
Why does DRS refuse to migrate a VM?
Why does CPU Ready spike?
Why does TEP unreachable break overlay connectivity?
The deeper your mechanism-level understanding, the easier the exam becomes.
2. Build a layered knowledge structure, not fragmented knowledge
Your preparation should be organized into four layers:
Layer 1: Component-level knowledge
vSphere / ESXi / HA / DRS / FT
vSAN / SPBM / FTT / RAID
NSX / overlay / routing / DFW
Layer 2: Component interactions
HA + vSAN object behavior
DRS + NUMA performance interaction
NSX overlay dependency on underlay
Lifecycle Manager impact on drivers/firmware
Layer 3: Scenario interpretation
Analyze design feasibility
Identify misconfigurations
Recognize failure patterns
Layer 4: Troubleshooting procedures
Compute troubleshooting flow
Memory troubleshooting flow
vSAN latency and resync workflow
NSX connectivity workflow
The exam questions are designed around these four layers.
3. Use diagram-based learning
VMware technology is easier to understand visually.
Draw diagrams for:
HA failover flow
vSAN object/component placement
NSX overlay traffic path
T0/T1 routing
vMotion and DRS interactions
The more diagrams you draw, the faster you recognize patterns in the exam.
4. Use scenario-driven learning
For every technical topic, ask yourself:
What typical symptoms occur when this component fails?
Why do these symptoms happen? (mechanism-level root cause)
How do I verify the issue?
How do I fix it?
Example:
vSAN latency spike →
Why does it spike?
What subsystem is causing it?
How to verify with UI and CLI?
How to isolate the host/disk group at fault?
Scenario-driven thinking is essential for this exam.
5. Build your own troubleshooting playbooks
Create (and memorize) these six troubleshooting documents:
Compute troubleshooting playbook
Memory troubleshooting playbook
vSAN troubleshooting playbook
vSAN resync and object compliance decision flow
NSX overlay connectivity troubleshooting playbook
DFW firewall troubleshooting playbook
The exam frequently asks:
“What is the next step you should check?”
Your playbooks guide your reasoning.
6. Review limitations, dependencies, and risks of each technology
The exam often tests:
When you CANNOT perform an action
What prerequisites are required
What risk a design choice introduces
Examples:
DRS cannot migrate VMs using certain devices
RAID5 requires at least 4 hosts
Overlay requires correct underlay MTU
HA admission control may reject VM restarts
Understanding constraints quickly eliminates wrong answers.
7. Teach concepts to yourself
Explain a topic aloud as if you are teaching someone else.
If the explanation feels unclear, you have not mastered the concept.
This is extremely effective for advanced-level exams.
Exam Techniques for the 3V0-22.25 Exam
(Practical strategies tailored for the question style)
1. Identify key technical signals in the question
Most exam scenarios contain keywords pointing directly to the root cause:
Examples:
Cross-NUMA latency → vNUMA misalignment
High CPU Ready → contention or oversubscription
Resync storm → network or policy change
TEP unreachable → MTU or underlay routing
Host non-compliant → lifecycle image/driver mismatch
VM cannot vMotion → DRS restrictions or passthrough devices
These keywords guide your decision instantly.
2. Use elimination before choosing the correct answer
Most questions include:
1 correct answer
1 reasonable but not best-practice answer
2 incorrect answers
Remove the impossible ones first.
Then choose the option that best matches:
VMware recommended practices
stability
operational consistency
minimal risk
This mirrors how VMware designs real-world guidance.
3. The exam never asks you to guess
The exam focuses on:
mechanisms
best practices
correct operational sequences
reasoning under constraints
If one answer matches VMware best practices and the others do not, the best-practice answer wins every time.
4. When information is incomplete, apply the “minimum viable change” principle
If multiple options can solve a problem, VMware favors the one with:
least disruption
lowest risk
minimal configuration change
highest predictability
Example:
If only a storage policy adjustment is required,
the exam will not want you to rebuild the cluster.
5. Remember the critical upgrade order
This is one of the most frequently tested sequences:
vCenter → ESXi → NSX → vSAN
Deviating from the correct order will break compatibility.
6. Time management: do not overthink any single question
If you cannot solve a question in roughly 2 minutes:
mark it
skip it
return later
Many later questions may give clues that help answer earlier ones.
7. When uncertain, ask: “Which option is safer?”
Safer options almost always win in this exam.
Safer means:
more stable
more consistent
best-practice aligned
easier to operate
lower risk
This simple heuristic resolves many difficult questions.
8. Avoid rare or obscure features
Any option involving:
niche functions
non-standard workflows
unusual configurations
is almost never correct.
The exam focuses on mainstream, widely recommended VMware practices.
9. Prepare for the exam by mastering seven troubleshooting patterns
These are by far the most common categories:
Compute contention patterns
Memory pressure patterns
vSAN latency + resync patterns
NSX overlay MTU/TEP patterns
Routing advertisement failure patterns
DFW rule blocking patterns
Host upgrade or remediation failure patterns
Exam questions repeatedly follow these patterns.