- A
Hyper-Threading should be disabled to reduce scheduling overhead.
Why wrong: Incorrect: Disabling HT reduces available logical CPUs, worsening the overcommitment.
- B
The host has too many vCPUs relative to physical cores; reduce vCPU count on some VMs.
Correct: vCPU overcommitment leads to high ready time.
- C
The VMs are not configured with NUMA awareness.
Why wrong: Incorrect: NUMA awareness helps memory locality but does not directly reduce CPU ready time.
- D
Memory overcommitment is causing excessive swapping.
Why wrong: Incorrect: The issue is CPU-related, not memory.
Question 180 of 521
VCP-DCV vSphere Performance and Scaling Practice Question
This VCP-DCV practice question tests your understanding of vsphere performance and scaling. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
An administrator notices that a critical VM running a database has a high CPU ready time average (over 20%) on a host with 2 physical CPUs (16 cores each). The host is running 6 VMs, each with 8 vCPUs. What is the most likely cause of the high ready time?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"most likely"Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
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 host has too many vCPUs relative to physical cores; reduce vCPU count on some VMs.
Option B is correct because the host has 32 physical cores (2 CPUs × 16 cores) but the 6 VMs each with 8 vCPUs total 48 vCPUs, resulting in a vCPU-to-core ratio of 1.5:1. A CPU ready time average over 20% indicates severe contention for physical cores, as the hypervisor cannot schedule all vCPUs simultaneously. Reducing the vCPU count on some VMs would lower the ratio and alleviate the scheduling bottleneck.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Hyper-Threading should be disabled to reduce scheduling overhead.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Disabling HT reduces available logical CPUs, worsening the overcommitment.
- ✓
The host has too many vCPUs relative to physical cores; reduce vCPU count on some VMs.
Why this is correct
Correct: vCPU overcommitment leads to high ready time.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
The VMs are not configured with NUMA awareness.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: NUMA awareness helps memory locality but does not directly reduce CPU ready time.
- ✗
Memory overcommitment is causing excessive swapping.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: The issue is CPU-related, not memory.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse CPU ready time with memory pressure (Option D) or assume Hyper-Threading is the culprit (Option A), when the core issue is simply an over-provisioned vCPU-to-core ratio.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
CPU ready time is the percentage of time a vCPU is ready to run but waiting for a physical core to become available, measured by the ESXi scheduler. With a vCPU-to-core ratio exceeding 1.0, the hypervisor uses a co-scheduling algorithm (relaxed co-scheduling in modern vSphere) to allocate time slices, but oversubscription beyond 1.5:1 often leads to significant contention. In real-world scenarios, database VMs are particularly sensitive to ready time because they rely on consistent CPU availability for transaction processing.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the VCP-DCV exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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vSphere Performance and Scaling — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this VCP-DCV question test?
vSphere Performance and Scaling — This question tests vSphere Performance and Scaling — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The host has too many vCPUs relative to physical cores; reduce vCPU count on some VMs. — Option B is correct because the host has 32 physical cores (2 CPUs × 16 cores) but the 6 VMs each with 8 vCPUs total 48 vCPUs, resulting in a vCPU-to-core ratio of 1.5:1. A CPU ready time average over 20% indicates severe contention for physical cores, as the hypervisor cannot schedule all vCPUs simultaneously. Reducing the vCPU count on some VMs would lower the ratio and alleviate the scheduling bottleneck.
What should I do if I get this VCP-DCV question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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.
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