Detailed Review Of Preparation

I am writing this as i have successfully passed the CKA exam in february 2020. I thought I would write up this to help others in the preparation. 

To start with, as you can read anywhere on internet, CKA is tough exam as its a pratical exam rather than a MCA based exam. You have to solve a list of problems on the live unix 

terminal. There will be 24 questions with mix of both easy, medium and hard questions. 

Lets begin point by point - 

1) Getting Prepared  

a) CKA course by Mumshad Munnambeth - this is the ultimate course to get started if you have never used the Kubernetes. It covers all the exam topics (some extra stuff too)

required for the preparation. Also best part is you have practice exercises after every topic and you can access it right on the browser. After completing this you are ready 

to move to next resource and practice. 

b) https://github.com/walidshaari/Kubernetes-Certified-Administrator  - the link contain questions on Kubernetes and really good for practicing. 

c) https://github.com/kelseyhightower/kubernetes-the-hard-way - this link contains the Kubernetes Installation the Hard Way. Its not necessary to do it only one time 

, it will help you in deep diving the kubernetes architecture. 

d) https://github.com/dgkanatsios/CKAD-exercises - this contains questions for CKAD exam but still an extra thing for practicing. 

After finishing above, you are good to book the exam. Exam is proctored one and can be taken from home with good internet connection. Book your convenient time as

its a 3 hours exam. You will be allowed to take small breaks during exam. 

2) During exam you will be allowed to browse offical documentation page of Kubernetes and all its sub-domains. 

https://kubernetes.io 

One useful link to bookmark - 

https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/kubectl/cheatsheet - it will help you a lot during exam. 

3) Tips for Exam - 

a) Since its a practical exam, no need to cram up commands. If you forgot syntax of any command you can refer documentation. 

b) Dont waste time in setting up aliases, no use of them. 

c) Try to finish the easy ones first and then go to medium and hard.  

d) Don’t fight with YAML’s. Always use yaml generators. ( --dry-run -o yaml > ) 

e) Do maintain the speed and dont get stuck. If you are not able to solve a question move ahead and revisit questions later. 

   Speed requried matters in CKA. So try to finish as easy and medium questions within first 2 hours. 

g) Do practice Json Path Query , it will really help in solving 1-2 questions in exam. 

Other tips you can found here 

https://medium.com/@imarunrk/certified-kubernetes-administrator-cka-tips-and-tricks-part-1-2e98e9b31de4

That’s pretty much it for my tips and tricks for taking the CKA. I wish you all good luck on the exam. Let me know if you have more queries.