Certified Kubernetes Administrator · CKA
One workspace for passing the CKA — a hands-on, performance-based exam. The real practice is the Kubernetes labs; the decks, a kubectl-speed drill, and a recall quiz are the memory layer. Everything verified against the current v1.35 curriculum.
The honest read: the CKA is 100% hands-on — you fix real clusters at a kubectl prompt, no multiple choice. So the labs below are the real study plan; the flashcards and quiz exist to lock in the concepts and command muscle-memory around them. The exam tracks Kubernetes v1.35 and the 2025 refresh added Helm, Kustomize, CRDs/operators, and the Gateway API — all covered here.
Certification roadmap
sequenceAssociate · multiple-choice · entry-level
Not required. A gentle multiple-choice on-ramp if Kubernetes is brand new to you. Skip it if you already work with clusters.
Performance-based · 2 hrs · ~15–20 hands-on tasks · 66% to pass · valid 2 yrs · $445 (incl. 2 killer.sh attempts)
The target of this workspace. 100% hands-on kubectl in real clusters — no multiple choice. Current version tracks Kubernetes v1.35 (Curriculum v1.35). Remote-proctored; 1 free retake.
Professional
CKS (Security Specialist) requires an active CKA first. CKAD (Application Developer) is a sibling — more dev-focused. Both are also performance-based.
Exam domains — weight your study by these
v1.35 weights| Domain | Weight | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · Cluster Architecture, Installation & Configuration | 25% | RBAC, kubeadm cluster create & lifecycle, HA control plane, Helm & Kustomize, CNI/CSI/CRI interfaces, CRDs & operators. |
| 2 · Workloads & Scheduling | 15% | Deployments & rolling updates/rollbacks, ConfigMaps & Secrets, autoscaling (HPA), self-healing, taints/tolerations & affinity. |
| 3 · Services & Networking | 20% | Service types & endpoints, Ingress + the new Gateway API, CoreDNS, and NetworkPolicies. |
| 4 · Storage | 10% | PVs & PVCs, StorageClasses & dynamic provisioning, access modes, reclaim policies. |
| 5 · Troubleshooting | 30% | The largest domain — cluster & node failures, control-plane components, resource monitoring, and services/networking troubleshooting. |
Troubleshooting (30%) + Cluster Architecture (25%) = over half the exam. Note: the v1.35 refresh de-emphasized etcd backup/restore and version upgrades (still fair game) in favor of Helm, Kustomize, CRDs/operators, and the Gateway API.
Hands-on labs — the real practice
live · do these mostThe CKA is diagnosing and fixing real clusters at the prompt — so these are where you should spend most of your time. All run in the browser.
Note: the in-browser labs open on Killercoda. Auto-grading turns on once the Dev Bench Killercoda account is connected; until then, use them as guided practice and check your work against the scenario steps. For always-on graded reps, the free killercoda.com/cka scenarios and the two included killer.sh simulator sessions are the closest thing to the real exam.
Flashcard decks — the recall layer
6 decks · 107 cardsThe rest of the domains + kubectl speed
Practice exam
live · 90-question poolThis quiz is a recall/weak-area tool — the real exam is hands-on, so it does not replace the labs. Use it to find gaps, then close them at the prompt.
Skill map — where to practice each thing
the workspace| Skill | Practice with | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnose & fix broken workloads (D5, 30%) | Kubernetes Break-fix lab — 12 scenarios | ready |
| Core objects, cluster config, networking & storage (D1–D4) | Kubernetes Learn lab — 22 walkthroughs | ready |
| kubectl speed & imperative YAML | kubectl Speed deck + every lab session | ready |
| Node / kubelet / systemd troubleshooting (D5) | Linux lab | ready |
| Container runtime layer (D1/D5) | Docker lab | ready |
| Full-length hands-on simulation | killer.sh (free with exam) + killercoda.com/cka (external) | external |
A study routine
- 1.Spend most of your time in the Kubernetes Break-fix lab — the exam IS diagnosing and fixing broken clusters at the prompt. Do a scenario, then read the matching Troubleshooting deck cards.
- 2.Set your speed setup on day one: alias k=kubectl and export do='--dry-run=client -o yaml'. Drill the kubectl Speed deck until imperative YAML is muscle memory.
- 3.Weight study to the heavy domains: Troubleshooting (30%) + Cluster Architecture (25%) are over half the exam.
- 4.Learn to navigate the four in-exam-allowed doc sites fast (kubernetes.io/docs, /blog, helm.sh/docs, gateway-api.sigs.k8s.io) — bookmark the pages you reach for.
- 5.Before booking, do both free killer.sh simulator sessions (included with the exam) end-to-end under the timer — it's harder than the real thing on purpose.
Curated resources — free-first
verified July 2026Everything you need to pass is free (the official docs + Killercoda + a free full course). Paid options are labeled. Every link checked live (July 2026); prices/versions shift, so treat costs as “as seen.” Full sourced list: docs/CKA_RESOURCES.md.