You can see it againUnder pressure people bring back shapes and positions long after the wording has gone.
Picture superiority · Shepard 1967, Standing 1973
DELL TECHNOLOGIESDell PowerMax Design v2
The Dell PowerMax Design v2 certification validates your ability to design and position PowerMax Family solutions, covering hardware components, system configurations, upgrades and migrations, replication, and management tools. It is for storage architects and pre-sales engineers who architect enterprise storage solutions. Earning it demonstrates you can translate customer requirements into resilient, high-performance PowerMax designs.
Exam formatProctored exam
DeliveryPearson VUE
Free questions595
Content last reviewed 30 July 2026 · Up to date
The certification
What POWERMAX-DESIGN-V2 proves, and what it asks of you
What this certification covers, who it is written for, and what the exam itself looks like on the day.
7domains
27objectives
149concepts
What it is
What this certification is
What it validates, who it is written for, and the experience it assumes.
About this certification
The Dell PowerMax Design v2 certification validates your expertise in designing and positioning Dell PowerMax Family solutions. It covers the full design lifecycle, from understanding PowerMax hardware components and system configurations to planning upgrades, migrations, and replication strategies. The exam also assesses your ability to use Unisphere for PowerMax and Solutions Enabler SYMCLI to manage and monitor PowerMax systems.
This certification is for storage architects, pre-sales engineers, and technical consultants who design enterprise storage solutions. Earning it demonstrates that you can architect PowerMax solutions that meet performance, availability, and scalability requirements, and that you can guide customers through the design and implementation process with confidence.
Who it’s for
This certification is for implementation specialists, pre-sales engineers, solution architects, storage architects, storage implementation engineers, technical consultants, and technical pre-sales representatives who design and position Dell PowerMax Family solutions. You are comfortable working with enterprise storage architectures, understand the role of high-end storage in modern data centers, and are ready to demonstrate your ability to design solutions that meet demanding performance and availability requirements.
Recommended experience
Dell recommends completing the PowerMax Design training and gaining hands-on experience with PowerMax systems, including configuration, replication, and management tools. Experience designing and positioning PowerMax Family solutions; Familiarity with PowerMax hardware components and system configurations; Hands-on experience with Unisphere for PowerMax and Solutions Enabler SYMCLI; Understanding of local and remote replication technologies, including SRDF and TimeFinder SnapVX
The syllabus
What you’ll learn
Every domain and objective Dell Technologies measures, with the weight they carry on the exam.
The official Dell Technologies exam outline · checked 30 July 2026 · See the source
PowerMax Family Features
- Compare PowerMax models, features, and offerings.
- Identify and describe the functionalities of PowerMax hardware components.
- Identify PowerMax system configuration and racking options.
- Access PowerMax and PowerMaxOS 10 systems.
PowerMax Design Resources and Environment
- Identify Dell sites used for Solutions Design.
- Perform My Work operations.
- Compare and analyze PowerSizer output summary to the manufacturing bin file.
PowerMax Upgrades and Migrations
- Identify supported PowerMax upgrades.
- Outline rules for PowerMax upgrades.
- Explain PowerMax hardware and software upgrade process.
- Classify configuration changes for upgrades.
- Explain and identify migration environment.
PowerMax Local and Remote Replication
- Explain TimeFinder SnapVX concepts and operations.
- Identify different SRDF topologies.
- Explain SRDF concepts and use cases.
- Perform SRDF operations using Unisphere for PowerMax.
Unisphere for PowerMax
- Describe Unisphere for PowerMax architecture, features, and deployment options.
- Describe and perform Workload Planning activities using Unisphere for PowerMax.
- Interpret Data Exclusion and Headroom features.
- Monitor virtual environments using Unisphere for PowerMax.
Solutions Enabler Implementation
- Describe Solutions Enabler concepts.
- Install and upgrade Solutions Enabler on Unix, Linux, and Windows hosts.
- Describe the functions and supported platforms of commonly used Solutions Enabler daemons.
PowerMax File
- Describe PowerMax File concepts (eNAS and SDNAS).
- Explain File replication and methods to manage File replication.
- Perform File system clone operations.
- Perform File system snapshot management operations.
On the day
The exam itself
Everything Dell Technologies publishes about sitting it, and nothing we inferred.
Prerequisites
No mandatory prerequisites — this certification has no required predecessor exam or credential.
Exam codePOWERMAX-DESIGN-V2
CertificationDell PowerMax Design v2
Exam formatProctored exam
DeliveryPearson VUE
LanguagesEnglish, French
After you pass
Where this credential goes next
The path Dell Technologies lays out, how the credential is kept, and where to book.
Step-by-step path to Dell PowerMax Design v2
Credential earnedDell PowerMax Design v2 Certification Lifecycle status
This certification is currently active and available. Dell Technologies maintains this certification to validate current skills and industry relevance.
Exam status: ActiveMaintained by Dell Technologies
Exam registration
Register for the exam through Pearson VUE, Dell Technologies’s authorized testing partner.
Schedule your examVisit the official Dell Technologies certification page for exam policies and requirements.
View the official pageYour coach
And when you are serious, your coach Pip takes over
Your coach in the app reads what you have answered with the book closed and tells you one thing to do tonight. It will not count an answer you gave with the page open, and it will tell you when you are not ready.
See how the coach worksBefore you book
Questions people ask
Is the Dell PowerMax Design v2 exam a proctored exam?
Yes, the PowerMax Design v2 exam is a skills certification exam and is proctored. It is administered through Pearson VUE testing centers and OnVUE online proctoring.
Can I take the PowerMax Design v2 exam online?
Yes, the exam is available through Pearson VUE's OnVUE online proctoring, as well as at physical testing centers.
What job roles does the PowerMax Design v2 certification align with?
The certification is designed for implementation specialists, pre-sales engineers, solution architects, storage architects, storage implementation engineers, technical consultants, and technical pre-sales representatives.
Are practice tests available for the PowerMax Design v2 exam?
Yes, Dell offers practice tests that are unproctored web-based exams. They are available through the Dell Learning site.
How do I schedule the PowerMax Design v2 exam?
You can schedule the exam through Pearson VUE using an exam voucher code. The Dell Learning site provides a 'Schedule Your Exam' link for this purpose.
What is the exam voucher process for PowerMax Design v2?
You request digital exam vouchers through the Dell Learning site, then use the voucher code when scheduling your exam with Pearson VUE.
Is there a hands-on lab component in the PowerMax Design v2 exam?
The official exam description does not mention a hands-on lab component. The exam focuses on assessing your ability to design and position PowerMax solutions, including the use of Unisphere for PowerMax and Solutions Enabler SYMCLI.
How soon will I receive my results after taking the PowerMax Design v2 exam?
The official exam page does not specify the exact timing for score reports. Typically, results are available immediately for computer-based exams, but you should confirm with Pearson VUE.
Information freshness · Content last reviewed on 2026-07-30 Up to date
Practice free questions 595 questions, free, no account needed.
The curriculum
The whole exam, mapped and written
Every domain, every objective, and every concept Dell Technologies measures — each one written out.
7domains
27objectives
149concepts
132free pages
The domains, and what sits inside them
Every objective below is a page you can open and practise now, without an account.
The official Dell Technologies exam outline · checked 30 July 2026 · See the source
1PowerMax Family Features77 questions
Compare PowerMax models, features, and offerings.4 concepts · 3 pagesOpen →Identify and describe the functionalities of PowerMax hardware components.7 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →Identify PowerMax system configuration and racking options.5 concepts · 4 pagesOpen →Access PowerMax and PowerMaxOS 10 systems.5 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →
2PowerMax Design Resources and Environment56 questions
3PowerMax Upgrades and Migrations103 questions
Identify supported PowerMax upgrades.4 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →Outline rules for PowerMax upgrades.5 concepts · 6 pagesOpen →Explain PowerMax hardware and software upgrade process.5 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →Classify configuration changes for upgrades.4 concepts · 3 pagesOpen →Explain and identify migration environment.4 concepts · 4 pagesOpen →
4PowerMax Local and Remote Replication107 questions
5Unisphere for PowerMax108 questions
Describe Unisphere for PowerMax architecture, features, and deployment options.3 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →Describe and perform Workload Planning activities using Unisphere for PowerMax.7 concepts · 6 pagesOpen →Interpret Data Exclusion and Headroom features.5 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →Monitor virtual environments using Unisphere for PowerMax.12 concepts · 7 pagesOpen →
6Solutions Enabler Implementation58 questions
7PowerMax File86 questions
Describe PowerMax File concepts (eNAS and SDNAS).4 concepts · 6 pagesOpen →Explain File replication and methods to manage File replication.4 concepts · 4 pagesOpen →Perform File system clone operations.5 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →Perform File system snapshot management operations.4 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →
Not a table of contents
Every line on this map already opens
In front of every objective the practice pages are already there, free and without an account. This is one objective, opened.
Compare PowerMax models, features, and offerings.3 pagesOpen →
Free in front of it
12 questions on this objective, five to a page. Every range above is a real page, open now, with no account.
Reading the map is not the same as knowing the ground
The curriculum tells you what is on the exam. Proving you know it is a different job — and it is the one the closed-book run does.
Free questions
595 questions. No account, no card.
The whole bank is open. 5 questions to a page, every answer explained, and a discussion thread on each one.
595questions
132pages
27objectives
Freealways
Browse by domain
Every objective, and every page range, is a link — so you can pick up exactly where you left off.
1PowerMax Family Features77 questions
2PowerMax Design Resources and Environment56 questions
3PowerMax Upgrades and Migrations103 questions
4PowerMax Local and Remote Replication107 questions
5Unisphere for PowerMax108 questions
6Solutions Enabler Implementation58 questions
What a practice page gives you
1Five to a page
Short enough to finish, long enough to matter.
2Every answer explained
Not only which one is right — why the others are wrong.
3A discussion on each
Ask, answer, and vote. Every question has its own thread.
A question, and the idea behind it
Every question comes from a concept
These are not trivia. Each one is written against a concept in the book, so when you get one wrong there is somewhere to go and find out why.
The visual book
See it once. Carry it into the exam.
The pages shown here come from our AI-900 book — an example of how each concept is written in plain language and, where the idea needs one, drawn as a full page you can take in at a glance.
149concepts
595free questions
Why a picture, and not another paragraph
Three reasons, and each one is a real finding rather than a slogan.
You can see it againThe whole idea at onceWhere it starts, what happens in the middle, what comes out, and the mistake to avoid.
Multimedia principle · MayerThe look-alikes sit togetherThe pairs the exam tests are drawn side by side, so the difference is seen, not told.
Dual coding · PaivioWhat one page is made of
You are never asked to read a poster here — only to see how one is built. After that, every other page is legible at a glance.
1A numbered strip on top
The idea as a sequence, followed with a finger before a word is read.
2Panels for the parts
What it is, how the machine learns it, when it is the right tool.
3The trap, framed
The distinction the exam tests, given its own box instead of buried in prose.
4One line at the bottom
The sentence to carry into the exam room.
Open book, on purpose
Answer it with the picture beside you
This is the part that teaches. The illustration and the written explanation stay where they are while you work, so a scenario stops being a memory test and becomes something you can simply look at.
It teaches · it does not count
A smartphone uses AI to unlock when the owner looks at the camera. Which AI capability is being used?
AImage classification
BFacial recognition
COptical character recognition
DObject detection
Look at the five steps. Detect finds a face, align straightens it, encode turns it into numbers, search compares it with a stored face, and decide answers one question: is this the same person? Classification would only say “a face”. Detection would only draw a box. Neither decides whose.
Then the page shuts, and it starts counting
The same questions come back with the book closed — that run is the one that counts. After it, your coach picks one thing for tonight, sized to the time you have, and brings pages back before you lose them.
Testing effect · Roediger & Karpicke 2006 · spacing effect · Cepeda et al. 2006
Official resources
Straight from Dell Technologies
Where the exam is defined, scheduled and scored.
2official links
149concepts mapped
The source
Dell Technologies’s own pages
We link to them rather than repeat them, so nothing here goes stale behind them.
Checked against the source
Every objective on the official Dell Technologies outline already has questions here
We build from the official skills outline, not from a summary of it — 27 objectives, 149 concepts written under them, and free questions against every one. When Dell Technologies changes the outline, this page changes with it.
27objectives on the outline→149concepts written→595free questions
An official page tells you what will be asked. It cannot tell you what you will get right.
That is the only question worth answering the night before, and no link answers it. You answer it by taking the questions with the book closed, and seeing what comes back.