NCP Study Guide 2026
Everything you need to pass the NCP exam in one place: the exam format, every topic to study, real practice questions with explanations, flashcards, and full-length practice tests. Free, no sign-up needed.
📋 NCP Exam Format at a Glance
📚 NCP Topics to Study (31)
✍️ Sample NCP Questions & Answers
1. What is required for node discovery during deployment?
For Nutanix Foundation to successfully discover and image nodes during deployment, all nodes and the Foundation instance must reside on the same broadcast domain or subnet. This network configuration allows Foundation to communicate with the nodes via ARP and other discovery protocols, enabling the automated imaging and cluster creation process.
2. In AHV, what determines which physical host a VM is initially placed on during power-on?
The AHV Scheduler evaluates available CPU, memory, and defined affinity/anti-affinity rules to optimally place a VM when it is powered on.
3. Which Nutanix component is responsible for managing the distributed storage fabric across all nodes in a cluster?
Stargate is the Nutanix data I/O manager that handles all data operations and manages the distributed storage fabric.
4. Which Nutanix protocol allows VMs to access block storage volumes directly, bypassing the hypervisor datastore?
Nutanix Volumes (formerly Acropolis Block Services) exposes iSCSI LUNs that can be attached directly to VMs or physical hosts, enabling block-level access to Nutanix storage.
5. What is the minimum number of nodes required to form a Nutanix cluster with Replication Factor 2 (RF2)?
RF2 requires a minimum of 3 nodes to ensure that the cluster can survive a single node failure while maintaining a quorum for metadata.
6. How frequently should ongoing assessments be conducted in Certified Nutanix Professional practice?
Ongoing assessments should follow established protocols and also respond to changing conditions.