Well, I've just done the exam a second time, and failed it again ... getting rather hacked off with it all 
Did better than the first time (first cert exam in over 5 years), but still evidently not good enough. Have prepped with my own lab (all virtual, but based on the Boerlowie lab), read the official Guide & done the 'exams' there (both the Guide & the 'exams' offered are, I feel, a waste of time & money - the Guide jumps about & lacks cohesion and the exams are so unrepresentative ... !), and read the Sybex book by Scott Lowe (far superior book) - but still no good.
Am at the stage where I'm ready to tell VMWare where to shove it, & go back to MS certification 
Really on a downer with this. Sure, I know the exams are hard - but this is ridiculous. It feels like they just don't want people ...