{"id":3858,"date":"2022-07-22T02:40:32","date_gmt":"2022-07-22T02:40:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reviewnprep.com\/blog\/?p=3858"},"modified":"2023-10-03T11:05:19","modified_gmt":"2023-10-03T11:05:19","slug":"certified-kubernetes-administrator-cka-preparation-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reviewnprep.com\/blog\/certified-kubernetes-administrator-cka-preparation-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) Preparation Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) exam aims at bringing standardization into the Kubernetes community, which has led to the large-scale adoption and use of Kubernetes. Passing the certification exam can be a rewarding experience that contributes to personal growth in the longer term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>CKA is a much sought after certification in DevOps as it is a practical exam and passing this exam needs some true hand-on practice. If you are aspiring to become a DevOps engineer, CKA is a great certificate to have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This blog has all the details to get you started.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_66_1 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-69f0afc369d87\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-69f0afc369d87\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/reviewnprep.com\/blog\/certified-kubernetes-administrator-cka-preparation-tips\/#CKA_Certification_Exam_Details\" title=\"CKA Certification Exam Details\">CKA Certification Exam Details<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/reviewnprep.com\/blog\/certified-kubernetes-administrator-cka-preparation-tips\/#Tips_for_CKA_Exam_Preparation\" title=\"Tips for CKA Exam Preparation\">Tips for CKA Exam Preparation<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/reviewnprep.com\/blog\/certified-kubernetes-administrator-cka-preparation-tips\/#1_Research_the_material\" title=\"1. Research the material\">1. Research the material<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/reviewnprep.com\/blog\/certified-kubernetes-administrator-cka-preparation-tips\/#2_Practice_practice_practice\" title=\"2. Practice, practice, practice\">2. Practice, practice, practice<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/reviewnprep.com\/blog\/certified-kubernetes-administrator-cka-preparation-tips\/#3_Take_the_practice_exams\" title=\"3. Take the practice exams\">3. Take the practice exams<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/reviewnprep.com\/blog\/certified-kubernetes-administrator-cka-preparation-tips\/#4_Stay_up-to-date_with_changes_in_Kubernetes\" title=\"4. Stay up-to-date with changes in Kubernetes\">4. Stay up-to-date with changes in Kubernetes<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/reviewnprep.com\/blog\/certified-kubernetes-administrator-cka-preparation-tips\/#5_Important_Links_from_CNCFIO\" title=\"5. Important Links from CNCF.IO\">5. Important Links from CNCF.IO<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/reviewnprep.com\/blog\/certified-kubernetes-administrator-cka-preparation-tips\/#Exam_Tips_for_CKA_Certification\" title=\"Exam Tips for CKA Certification\">Exam Tips for CKA Certification<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/reviewnprep.com\/blog\/certified-kubernetes-administrator-cka-preparation-tips\/#Conclusion\" title=\"Conclusion\">Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"CKA_Certification_Exam_Details\"><\/span>CKA Certification Exam Details<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Exam Cost: <\/strong>$375 USD<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Passing Score<\/strong>:&nbsp;A score of 66% or above must be earned to pass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Certification Validity<\/strong>:&nbsp;CKA Certification is valid for 3 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Retake Policy<\/strong>: You get a maximum of 2 attempts (per exam registration) to give the test. If you miss a scheduled exam for any reason \u2013 your second attempt gets nullified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Exam Format<\/strong>: Practical hands-on labs certification exam<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tips_for_CKA_Exam_Preparation\"><\/span>Tips for CKA Exam Preparation<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re gearing up for the Kubernetes Certified Administrator (KCA) exam, there are a few key things you need to do to prepare. Here are some tips:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Research_the_material\"><\/span>1. Research the material<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>There&#8217;s a lot of material covered in the CKA exam, so it&#8217;s important to familiarize yourself with all of the concepts and terminology. Also, there are a lot of commands that you might need for this hands-on exam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You shouldn&#8217;t just know the basic concepts; you should know where to find a particular case in the official documentation. Bookmark this official <a href=\"https:\/\/kubernetes.io\/docs\/reference\/kubectl\/cheatsheet\/?ref=hackernoon.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">cheat sheet<\/a>\u00a0page well<strong><em>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/reviewnprep.com\/blog\/cheat-sheet-kubernetes-and-linux-commands\/\">Check out the most commonly used Kubernetes and Linux commands and download the pdf version for free.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Practice_practice_practice\"><\/span>2. Practice, practice, practice<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The best way to learn is by practicing. You can also use simulations or virtual machines to practice in a controlled environment. Set up your own local kubernetes cluster (hands-on labs) using <a href=\"https:\/\/kubernetes.io\/docs\/tasks\/tools\/install-minikube\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">minikube<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/microk8s.io\/docs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">microk8s\u00a0<\/a>or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/kind.sigs.k8s.io\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">kind<\/a> for practicing and getting familiar with Kubectl commands and YAML Files. As you are learning, use Imperative commands over Declarative way. This is much faster and efficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the actual exam, you will have approximately 6 minutes to answer each question. Ideally, you should spend less than 5 minutes to complete each question and 1 minute to verify yourself and resolve the issues if it is necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>PRO TIP: Bookmark all the necessary URLs from the Kubernetes docs site, since it will save time in searching things at the last moment.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Take_the_practice_exams\"><\/span>3. Take the practice exams<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to practicing, taking a mock exam is another great way to gauge your progress and verify that you&#8217;ve mastered the material. There are multiple free practice exams available online, as well as paid exams from various providers. Below are some links for courses (free and paid):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Free <a href=\"https:\/\/training.linuxfoundation.org\/linux-courses\/system-administration-training\/introduction-to-kubernetes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Introduction to Kubernetes course<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mumshad\u2019s course on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.udemy.com\/course\/certified-kubernetes-administrator-with-practice-tests\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Udemy<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kodekloud.com\/p\/json-path-quiz\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Free Jason Path Quiz\u00a0<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Training on <a href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/StenlyTU\/K8s-training-official\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">GitHub<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Stay_up-to-date_with_changes_in_Kubernetes\"><\/span>4. Stay up-to-date with changes in Kubernetes<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As Kubernetes evolves over time, it&#8217;s important that you&#8217;re aware of any changes so that you can keep up with them and learn from them if necessary. The curriculum may change with every K8s release. Make sure you have the latest exam guide from CNCF.IO. You can download the official CKA guide on <a href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/cncf\/curriculum\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">GitHub<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>PRO TIP: Additionally, do not skip the official <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.linuxfoundation.org\/tc-docs\/certification\/faq-cka-ckad-cks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">FAQ<\/a>s docs.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_Important_Links_from_CNCFIO\"><\/span>5. Important Links from CNCF.IO<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Do not ignore these important official exam links from CNCF kubernetes. You don&#8217;t need to memorize any, but having a quick glance should do the trick here &#8211;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cncf.io\/certification\/candidate-handbook\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Candidate Handbook<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cncf.io\/certification\/cka-cirriculum\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Curriculum Overview<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cncf.io\/certification\/tips\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Exam Tips<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cncf.io\/certification\/expert\/faq\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Exam_Tips_for_CKA_Certification\"><\/span>Exam Tips for CKA Certification<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Below are some tips for your exam day:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>1. While you can start with any question, it is advisable to start with questions that have a higher weightage. The aim is to achieve passing score of 66%. However, if you find yourself stuck, it\u2019s better to note question number in notepad available within the environment and come back to it later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2. Remember you can spend 6 mins on each question. So, to be more efficient setup alias for kubeclt and bash\/zsh completion.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>alias k=kubectl\nalias ks='k -n kube-system'\nalias krun=\"k run -h | grep '# ' -A2\"<br>alias kgp=\"k get pod\" <br>alias kgd=\"k get deploy\" <br>alias kgs=\"k get svc\" <br>alias kgn=\"k get nodes\" <br>alias kd=\"k describe\" alias kge=\"k get events --sort-by='.metadata.creationTimestamp' |tail -8\"<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00a03. There\u2019s a great video on the CNCF YouTube channel introducing the CKA exam environment that you should check out before your exam\uff1a<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9UqkWcdy140\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9UqkWcdy140<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>4. Enable kubectl auto completion<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>source &lt;(kubectl completion bash)\necho \"source &lt;(kubectl completion bash)\" &gt;&gt; ~\/.bashrc<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p>5. Remember K8s certification is an open book exam. So, you can use the online documentation for reference during the exam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span>Conclusion<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For an experienced DevOps individual, Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) Exam, shouldn&#8217;t take more than three weeks of preparation, provided you chalk out time everyday to study. For anyone just starting with Kubernetes, remember that Certification is secondary. Spend 2 months, giving yourself enough time to practice and learn. Your primary goal should be learning and being better at Kubernetes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Good luck on your exam!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Further Learning: <a href=\"https:\/\/reviewnprep.com\/blog\/how-to-get-certified-kubernetes-application-developer-ckad\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">How to get Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) explained in this blog<\/a><\/p>\n<cite>Blog<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>CKA is an all hands on certification exam. Without proper game-plan passing this exam is not easy. This blog has all the details to help you get started.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3861,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[80,81,76,3],"tags":[17,82],"class_list":["post-3858","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cka","category-kubernetes","category-linux","category-reviewnprep","tag-certified-kubernetes-administrator","tag-kubernetes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/reviewnprep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3858"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/reviewnprep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/reviewnprep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reviewnprep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reviewnprep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3858"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/reviewnprep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3858\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4765,"href":"https:\/\/reviewnprep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3858\/revisions\/4765"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reviewnprep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3861"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/reviewnprep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3858"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reviewnprep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3858"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reviewnprep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3858"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}