VCP-DCV vSphere Performance and Scaling Practice Question
A resource pool has the following configuration: CPU shares = 4000, reservation = 2 GHz, limit = 4 GHz. The parent cluster has 10 GHz total CPU capacity. Another resource pool contains VMs with higher shares. If both resource pools contend for CPU, which statement is TRUE?
⚠ Common exam trap
VCP-DCV often tests the confusion between reservation (guaranteed minimum), limit (maximum cap), and shares (relative priority) — candidates conflate shares with a guaranteed allocation or mistake the limit for the reservation.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The pool will receive at least 2 GHz and at most 4 GHz.
A resource pool's reservation guarantees a minimum CPU allocation (2 GHz) during contention, while the limit caps the maximum it can consume (4 GHz). Shares only determine relative priority when contention occurs — they do not guarantee an exact amount. Therefore the pool is guaranteed at least 2 GHz and can use up to 4 GHz.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The pool is guaranteed 4 GHz when contention occurs.
Why it's wrong here
The reservation is 2 GHz, not 4 GHz; 4 GHz is the limit, which caps usage rather than guaranteeing it. The pool is guaranteed 2 GHz during contention, and 4 GHz would be the correct figure only if the reservation field itself read 4 GHz.
- ✗
The reservation is ignored because a limit is set.
Why it's wrong here
Reservations and limits are independent controls; a limit caps consumption but does not cancel the guaranteed floor, so the 2 GHz reservation still applies during contention. This option would hold only if the pool's configuration omitted a reservation entirely.
- ✗
The pool will always receive exactly 4 GHz due to its shares.
Why it's wrong here
Shares only determine the relative division of unreserved capacity during contention; they do not guarantee an absolute figure, and the 4 GHz limit caps the pool regardless. Exactly 4 GHz would follow only if the pool were the sole consumer with no contention.
- ✓
The pool will receive at least 2 GHz and at most 4 GHz.
Why this is correct
Reservations guarantee a floor and limits impose a ceiling, independent of shares. Shares only arbitrate contention above the reservation. The pool therefore receives no less than its 2 GHz reservation and never exceeds its 4 GHz limit, even when the other pool holds higher shares.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
This VCP-DCV question is part of Courseiva's 281-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on VCP-DCV
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. Which TWO are correct statements about vSphere resource pools? (Select two.)
easy- ✓ A.Resource pools can be nested.
- B.Resource pools can be used to isolate performance for individual VMs.
- C.Resource pools inherit settings from parent pools by default.
- D.Resource pools are only available in clusters.
- ✓ E.Resource pools can have shares, limits, and reservations.
Why A: Correct: A (resource pools can be nested) and E (resource pools can have shares, limits, and reservations). Option B is false because resource pools aggregate resources for multiple VMs, not isolate individual VMs. Option C is false because child resource pools do not inherit settings from their parent by default; they have their own allocations unless explicitly configured. Option D is false because resource pools are available on standalone hosts as well as clusters.
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official VMware exam blueprint
This VCP-DCV practice question is part of Courseiva's free VMware certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the VCP-DCV exam.