Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) is the best CNCF-designed certification examination model that measures the practical knowledge of Kubernetes (k8s). You may have gone through several CKA exam forums and google, and most of those would describe the CKA exam as a hard one as it measures your practical knowledge on k8s instead of standard patterns.
Instead of just asking a bunch of MCQ questions that would test your expertise, this challenging CKA exam focuses mostly on your ability to perform at a realistic level. Knowing some tips and tricks allows you to get prepared during the exam time.
Instructions to know
- For any information about the test, the Candidate Handbook is your definitive source. But make sure to read it thoroughly.
- CKA focuses on the skills needed to be an effective k8s administrator.
- This open-book CKA test gives access to the official k8s documentation test and focuses more on practical experience.
- Unlike AWS and GCP certifications, on a Kubernetes cluster, you are supposed to do provision, address, debug real issues, and provision resources.
CKA Exam pattern
The CKA exam pattern consists of 24 questions, and there is no multiple-choice, and while taking the test, do not attempt any manipulation. It’s a proctored online test where you are challenged to perform specific tasks on the command line.
The curriculum covers the following domains with weighting percentages.
- Application Lifecycle Management – 8%
- Installation, Configuration & Validation – 12%
- Core Concepts – 19%
- Networking – 11%
- Scheduling – 5%
- Security – 12%
- Cluster Maintenance – 11%
- Logging / Monitoring – 5%
- Storage – 7%
- Troubleshooting – 10%
Candidate guidelines
- The exam is primarily composed of 24 questions that you can solve in no particular order.
- The CKA exam duration is 3 hours.
- Candidates have to get a pass mark as 74% in the CKA exam.
- Mobile phones/Headphones/Smartwatches/Earphones are not permitted.
- You should not open multiple windows; only two tabs – in 1 tab, the exam site, and the 2nd tab Kubernetes.io
- You can copy Yaml files from kuberneter.io to notepad (while the exam window has notepad) and edit and run them for any queries.
- During the test, the applicant should not talk or sound with a more significant effect and the chance to quit the exam.
- If the candidate does not obey exam rules, the examiner has all the rights to close the exam terminal.
- Exams are remotely proctored through streaming feeds for audio, video, and screen sharing.
- The results are mailed after 36 hours of exam completion.
- You will have one free take at any time of the next year if you fail in the first attempt
Helpful tips before taking the CKA exam
1. You can read the whole curriculum for the exam on Kubernetes.io and its pages to better understand it. The following websites are allowed to be accessed during the test:
- io/docs
- io/blog/
- com/kubernetes
2. A few books are useful for those preparing to write these tests. They will help you prepare properly, mainly if the Kubernetes cluster is to be better understood. With them, the Kubernetes cluster can be run and managed. All of them are not necessary. Choose one or two and focus your study on those choices.
3. Learn how to solve a cluster problem. Know what the elements are and how to measure them. It means to know more on systemctl, journalctl, and the few derivative commands to pause/boot services and see at logs. As a Kubernetes admin, you do the evaluation, not a SysAdmin. You should know how to scratch the surface with commands; you don’t have to be an expert.
4. Learn how the Kubernetes cluster is built, configured, and tested.
5. Use the search functionality of a website: Time is essential. You will have to find things quickly. You can open only one tab for the docs. Use it well.
6. Make your questions priority: 74% of the questions are amusing. It’s possible to make you correct 17 of the 20 easy ones and correct 2 of the four hard ones.
7. Read all questions and note the weight of each problem with the integral notepad. Then plan a strategy. Complete either all the easy ones to establish your confidence high. Or make it harder to put all the points under your belt first.
8. Finding a fast way to meet your goals by using Kubectl is essential. But finding the quickest routes and shortcuts is still easier. The test duration is limited.
9. Taking an online course is also helpful. If you do not know the topic at hand, some guidance is required. The CKA courses are worth the money because they are comprehensive and sophisticated. The hand-on laboratory can also be re-worked until you can recite it by heart.
10. If you do any free exercises, it would be more comfortable.
11. Users can search and make use of Kubernetes.io pages. Do not give up if you have no idea about any of the examination questions. Search the pages of Kubernetes.io by typing and searching for specific keywords. You may be lucky to find any answers or tips on this website.
12. Plan well time management – stop difficult questions. Save your time and don’t waste any time on questionable things, in other words. You can invest the rest of your time in these tough questions. But if you wanted to try all simple issues first, it would be most comfortable. You don’t have to beat everything to pass the test. The examination requires a minimum score of 74% to give in the CKA.
Concluding words
Kubernetes is one of the most in-demand technologies, and it can only boost the chance to obtain this new position or contract to demonstrate your skills. The goal of the CKA is to guarantee that the k8 administrators will fulfill their tasks following their expertise, experience, and abilities. It is perfect to register now for the exams when preparing CKA certification in the coming year.
