The VMware 2V0-21.23 exam, also known as VMware vSphere 8.x Professional for the VCP-DCV track, remains a current VMware certification exam with defined availability and retirement timelines.

Background

The 2V0-21.23 exam is a VMware Certified Professional – Data Center Virtualization (VCP-DCV) exam focused on VMware vSphere 8.x Professional. This exam was introduced as the successor to the older vSphere 7 exam (2V0-21.20), which reached end of life on January 31, 2024, in favor of this newer version tailored to vSphere 8 technologies.

Historically, VMware structured the VCP-DCV certification such that candidates demonstrate their competency in installing, configuring, managing, and optimizing VMware vSphere environments. The 2V0-21.23 exam reflects these objectives for vSphere 8.x and has been referenced in official VMware training and certification announcements since its release.

Current Availability and Status

As of the most recent official information available:

• The 2V0-21.23 exam remains an active VMware certification exam for professionals seeking the VCP-DCV (vSphere 8.x Professional) credential. It continues to be recognized as the current version for this certification path.
• According to the VMware Certified Professional – Data Center Virtualization certification page (hosted on the official Broadcom site, which maintains VMware certification data post-acquisition), the exam has a defined retirement date. The certification and its associated exam are scheduled to retire on December 15, 2025, with no new exam registrations available after October 31, 2025.

This retirement planning means that candidates must schedule and pass the exam before these cutoff dates if they intend to earn the VCP-DCV credential via this specific exam route. After retirement, VMware is expected to update or replace the exam with a newer version aligned with future product releases (e.g., evolving vSphere versions). Official certification pages list any replacement exam once VMware announces it.

Exam Availability and Scheduling Notes

While official VMware documentation outlines broad timelines for exam availability and retirement, some test-takers and community discussions have noted occasional scheduling changes or cancellations at testing centers — for example, candidates reporting that specific exam seats were removed in late 2025. These reports typically reference surveys from test-takers, not official VMware announcements, and may relate to availability at particular Pearson VUE centers rather than a change in VMware’s exam policy.

Candidates should therefore rely on Pearson VUE’s official appointment system and the VMware certification web pages for authoritative scheduling availability, rather than anecdotal reports. Changes at local test centers do not necessarily reflect a worldwide retirement of the exam ahead of the officially published retirement date.

Certification Context and Path

Passing the 2V0-21.23 exam leads to VMware’s VCP-DCV certification, which verifies a candidate’s ability to manage enterprise data center virtualization using VMware vSphere technologies. The exam typically includes multiple-choice and scenario-based questions covering topics such as architecture, configuration, operation, and optimization of the vSphere environment.

This VCP credential remains a valuable industry certification for systems administrators, engineers, and IT professionals working in virtualized infrastructure environments.

Outlook

Given VMware’s product evolution, certification exams are periodically updated to align with new software releases and best practices. With the announced retirement of 2V0-21.23 in late 2025, candidates should plan their certification timeline accordingly if this exam is their targeted path to VCP-DCV. VMware is expected to introduce a successor exam that reflects newer versions of vSphere and cloud-native virtualization topics once the 8.x exam retires. Official VMware certification pages will list any such successor and its requirements.