Certified Kubernetes Administrator practice questions
Original questions written from the published exam objectives, never recalled exam content, with an explanation that teaches the concept behind every answer. Why that matters.
- Exam code
- CKA
- Cost
- $445 USD
- Questions
- 15 to 20 hands-on tasks
- Duration
- 120 minutes
- Passing score
- 66 percent
- Format
- Hands-on tasks against live clusters, open book against the Kubernetes docs
The CKA exam costs $445. Fail it and the retake is another $445. Practicing until you are ready is the cheapest part of this. Full cost breakdown.
Exam domains and official weightings
From the official the published CNCF curriculum. Put your study time where the weight is.
- Cluster Architecture, Installation and Configuration25%
- Workloads and Scheduling15%
- Services and Networking20%
- Storage10%
- Troubleshooting30%
- Cluster Architecture, Installation and Configuration25%
- Workloads and Scheduling15%
- Services and Networking20%
- Storage10%
- Troubleshooting30%
Where to focus: Troubleshooting is the single largest domain at 30 percent and it is the one you cannot cram. Break a cluster deliberately, then fix it, and do that more often than you read.
Try 5 free sample questions
No account needed. Every question includes our three-tier explanation: the concept, why the answer follows, and why each wrong option is wrong.
Sample question 1 of 5
A pod has been in Pending for ten minutes. kubectl describe pod ends with:
Warning FailedScheduling 0/3 nodes are available: 3 Insufficient memory.What is happening?
Sample question 2 of 5
A Service has no endpoints and traffic to it fails, although the pods are Running and Ready. What is the most likely cause?
Sample question 3 of 5
A service account must read ConfigMaps in one namespace only. Which pair of objects grants exactly that?
Sample question 4 of 5
You need a set of nodes reserved so that only pods that explicitly opt in may run there. Which mechanism does that?
Sample question 5 of 5
A PersistentVolumeClaim stays Pending. The cluster has a PersistentVolume with enough capacity and a matching access mode. What else would prevent them binding?
Full CKA question bank coming
We’re writing the complete bank from the official objectives right now. Leave your email and we’ll tell you when it ships, nothing else, ever.
What the exam actually asks you to do
Entirely hands-on. There are no multiple choice questions at all: you get a terminal against live Kubernetes clusters and are scored on the state of the cluster when time runs out.
- Hands-on lab
The highlighted formats are the ones you cannot answer from memory alone. Linux Foundation, CKA exam details ↗
An honest study plan
1. Read the official objectives first
Download the official objectives from Linux Foundation / CNCF and skim every line. The exam can only test what’s listed there, it’s the contract.
2. Weight your study toward Troubleshooting and Cluster Architecture, Installation and Configuration
Together the top two domains are 55% of the exam. Practice them until your accuracy is consistently above 80%.
3. Drill weak domains, then take a mock exam
Use Domain Drill on your weakest areas, then a full timed mock at real length (15 to 20 hands-on tasks questions, 120 minutes). Book the real exam when you’re consistently passing mocks, not before.
Official free resources
Study from the source. These are Linux Foundation / CNCF’s own materials:
Official CKA exam page & objectives ↗Where CKA fits
Related certifications
Frequently asked questions
Is CKA entirely hands-on?
Yes. There are no multiple choice questions at all. You get a terminal against live clusters and are scored on the state of the cluster when the timer stops, which is why practice questions here are preparation for the reasoning, not a substitute for the terminal.
Can I use the Kubernetes docs during the exam?
Yes, kubernetes.io is allowed. Learning to find a manifest fragment in under thirty seconds is directly worth marks, so practice with the docs open rather than from memory.
How much Linux do I need for CKA?
More than people expect. Troubleshooting is 30% of the exam and a good share of it is systemd, certificates, kubelet logs, and file permissions on the node rather than Kubernetes objects.
Does CKA include a free retake?
Registration includes one free retake, which is unusual and worth factoring into the comparison with certifications that charge full price for a second attempt.
Ready to practice for CKA?
Play the free samples now. The full question bank is in progress, and you can join the waitlist on any sample question.
Payment is not switched on yet. Everything free stays free either way, and explanations are never behind a payment.
$29 buys the CKA bank for good, including everything added to it later. Right now that is 5 sample questions, so buy it to back the work rather than for what is there today. Or go Pro for every certification.