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CKAD Exam

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Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) validates a developer's skills in creating, deploying, and maintaining applications on Kubernetes. Knowledge in topics such as pod creation and configuration, application deployment, services, storage, and other aspects related to application development in Kubernetes will be tested during the exam.

Tip! The exam costs approximately 300 dollars, but discounts of 35% to 50% are possible during Black Friday and end-of-year sales

What is covered in the exam?​

pdf

Application Design and Build (20%):

  • Define, build, and modify container images.
  • Understand Jobs and CronJobs.
  • Understand multi-container pod patterns.
  • Use persistent and ephemeral volumes.

Application Deployment (20%):

  • Understand deployment strategies.
  • Perform rolling updates.
  • Use Helm packages to deploy applications.

Observability and Maintenance (15%):

  • Understand API deprecations.
  • Implement readiness, liveness, startup, and health checks in applications.
  • Check container logs.
  • Debug in Kubernetes.

Application Environment, Configuration, and Security (25%):

  • Extend the Kubernetes API with CRDs and how to use them.
  • Authentication, authorization, and permissions using RBAC.
  • Understand and define the necessary resources for applications such as limits and quotas.
  • Understand ConfigMaps.
  • Create and use Secrets.
  • Understand Service Accounts.
  • Extra permissions in pods/containers using Security Contexts.

Services and Networking (20%):

  • Demonstrate basic knowledge of network policies (NetworkPolicies).
  • Troubleshoot application access via services.
  • Create ingress rules and expose applications

Retake Policy​

A second attempt is available if the candidate fails the first one. If they don't pass either attempt, a new purchase will allow a new retake.

Rescheduling or Cancellation Policy​

If you need to reschedule or cancel, it must be done 24 hours in advance, otherwise it's considered a TOTAL failure with no retake rights

About the exam​

  • Online and monitored by an instructor in real-time
  • Completely practical
  • Not a multiple-choice exam
  • 2 Hours
  • Requesting a pause through the pause function does not stop the timer.
  • Results within 24 hours via email

About the exam environment​

  • The location must be quiet, private, and well-lit. Cannot be conducted in public spaces.
  • Cannot have a window behind the candidate
  • Cannot have bright lights behind the candidate.
  • Only the candidate can be in the room.
  • The desk must be clean and free of notes and electronics.

Conduct Rules​

  • The candidate cannot communicate with anyone other than the proctor during the exam.
  • Cannot read questions aloud.
  • Cannot leave the webcam view and desk unless the proctor allows it.
  • Only allowed to drink transparent liquids during the exam. The bottle and cup used to contain the liquid must be transparent and without labels.
  • Cannot use headphones or any electronic device on the body or head unless clinically necessary. Therefore, headphones will not be allowed.
  • Cannot make repetitive and excessive noises. If there's construction near your home, take the exam in another environment.
  • Cannot cover the mouth or face.
  • Cannot write any information on paper or any electronic device. Only on the console screen.
  • Cannot exhibit inappropriate or questionable behavior.

Allowed Tools​

A VM will be provided for the exam and within this VM we can use:

  • Use of the command line
  • Review documents installed by the Linux distribution, i.e., /usr/share/*
  • Use packages that are part of the distribution.
  • Access to documentation pages using the VM's own browser. Allowed pages including subdomains are:
  • The search tool from https://kubernetes.io/docs/ can be used but only access subdomains from the links above.

I recommend using only the command line for everything throughout the course

System Requirements​

https://docs.linuxfoundation.org/tc-docs/certification/tips-cka-and-ckad

To check if your environment is capable of running the test, visit https://syscheck.bridge.psiexams.com/

The latest version of Chrome is recommended. An extra monitor can be used and 1080p resolution is recommended to support the ExamUI.

Reliable internet connection:

  • Disable services that consume a lot of bandwidth
    • Streaming
    • Video Calls
    • Torrents and downloads
    • Disable firewalls and VPNs
    • Use wired network if possible.

You cannot use a virtual machine to take the exam even if the compatibility check shows no issues

Working webcam and microphone. The webcam must be movable to show the environment to the instructor.

No other applications or browser windows can be running during the exam.

System Check

Check the requirements at https://helpdesk.psionline.com/hc/en-gb/articles/4409608794260-PSI-Bridge-Platform-System-Requirements

Practice Exam​

When you purchase the course, you can take a test exam before the real exam. You only have two attempts, so don't waste them when you take it.

How to Study?​

The material used as a base was Mumshad Mannambeth's course on UDEMY, which is very good by the way.

But I found it necessary to do more exercises on https://killercoda.com/. At the time this material was written for CKAD, I found few exercises, but several from CKA can be used.

Since CKA and CKAD share a lot of material, I will make references so you study what's necessary in order.