Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate: the honest guide
Everything Linux Foundation / CNCF publishes about KCNA, in one place: what the exam asks, how the domains are weighted, and what it takes to be ready.
This guide page is built from the registry, not written yet.
Everything below comes from KCNA’s published exam data, and every figure links to the vendor page it came from. The researched version, with study plans and the parts nobody publishes, is still being written. This page is not submitted to search engines until it is.
Practise KCNA questions in the meantimeWhat the exam actually asks you to do
Multiple choice and multiple response only. No simulations, no labs, and nothing to configure.
- Multiple choice
- Multiple response
Nothing here needs a lab. Reading carefully and eliminating options is the whole skill. Linux Foundation, KCNA exam details ↗
Domain breakdown and official weightings
From the official published CNCF curriculum. Kubernetes Fundamentals is the heaviest domain at 44 percent, followed by Container Orchestration at 28 percent.
- Kubernetes Fundamentals44%
- Container Orchestration28%
- Cloud Native Application Delivery16%
- Cloud Native Architecture12%
What comes after passing
KCNA lasts two years. Renewal means passing the current exam again.
Where people go next
Costs across the full renewal cycle are on the KCNA cost page.
Frequently asked questions
Is KCNA hands-on like the other Kubernetes exams?
No. KCNA is multiple choice, sixty questions in ninety minutes, which makes it the approachable entry to the CNCF line before the terminal-only CKA and CKAD.
Who is KCNA for?
Someone earlier in the journey than CKA assumes: developers, support engineers and managers who need Kubernetes vocabulary and the shape of the ecosystem rather than operational fluency.
What carries the KCNA curriculum?
Kubernetes fundamentals at 44 percent and container orchestration at 28: objects, scheduling basics, containers and images. The cloud native architecture and delivery material rounds out the rest.
Keep reading
KCNA practice questions
Free sample questions with the full explanation on every answer.
KCNA passing score
The exact cut score, what kind of number it is, and the retake terms.
How hard is KCNA?
An honest difficulty read from the format, the clock and the weights.
Practise KCNA for free while you decide
Original questions written from the published objectives, with the concept, the reasoning, and a note on every wrong option. No account needed to start.
Start free KCNA questions