CKA
The CKA is CNCF's flagship hands-on credential for engineers who design, build, and operate production Kubernetes clusters. Unlike a multiple-choice cert, it puts you on a live command line and grades what you can actually do — so it's one of the few resumé lines hiring managers genuinely trust for DevOps, platform, and SRE roles. Fail it and you've burned a real cluster window, a $445 sitting, and time you needed for an offer deadline. This page breaks down exactly what the exam tests, how it's delivered, and how to clear it the first time.
Pay Only After You Pass
No upfront fee — you settle only after your verified passing result. We advertise guaranteed results — 100% pass guaranteed or money back.
How the CKA is built — at a glance
2h
A single 2-hour session — no separate sections, no scheduled breaks. You allocate your own time across every task, so pacing is half the battle.
~17
Roughly 15–20 performance-based problems solved entirely from a terminal on live Kubernetes clusters. Every task carries a weight and most allow partial credit.
66%
You need 66% of the weighted task points. There's no multiple choice to guess at — the grader checks the actual cluster state you produced.
You work inside a remote terminal driving several pre-built clusters. You switch context between clusters, edit YAML, and run kubectl, kubeadm, etcdctl, and standard Linux tools. The official Kubernetes documentation is open in-browser during the exam — so the test rewards command fluency and knowing where to look, not rote memorization.
Each task is weighted by difficulty and added to a 100% total; you need 66% to pass. Many tasks grade in stages, so a partially-correct answer still earns points. Results are typically emailed within 24 hours of submission. Your purchase includes one free retake, plus two Killer.sh simulator sessions that mirror the real interface.
Five official domains — bars show each domain's share of your score
The single heaviest domain: diagnosing failing nodes, broken pods, control-plane issues, and cluster/application logs — then fixing them under time pressure.
RBAC, kubeadm cluster setup and version upgrades, etcd backup and restore, Helm/Kustomize, and managing a high-availability control plane.
Pod-to-pod connectivity, Services, the Gateway API and Ingress, NetworkPolicy, and CoreDNS configuration and resolution.
Deployments and rolling updates, ConfigMaps and Secrets, resource limits, scaling, and self-healing application configuration.
PersistentVolumes and Claims, StorageClasses, dynamic provisioning, access modes, reclaim policies, and volume types.
Troubleshooting plus Cluster Architecture make up 55% of your score. If you can't debug a broken cluster fast and rebuild the control plane, no amount of storage trivia saves you.
Domain weights reflect the current CNCF curriculum, which tracks a recent Kubernetes release (around v1.34–v1.35). Because grading is task-based, a candidate who is strong in the two heaviest domains but slower on storage can still clear 66% — speed and accuracy in Troubleshooting and Cluster Architecture are where exams are won or lost.
Online only — and what to expect on exam day
There is no test-center option. You take the CKA from a private room using the PSI Secure Browser on the PSI Bridge platform. A live proctor watches your webcam, microphone, and full screen for the entire 2 hours. Chrome or Chromium and a movable webcam are required, and check-in can take up to 30 minutes — so log in early.
You upload a valid, unexpired government photo ID showing your name, photo, and signature, then take a live selfie that PSI compares against it. The name on your Linux Foundation account must exactly match your ID, or check-in fails. One in-exam tab opens to the Kubernetes docs; everything else is locked down.
A clutter-free desk, clear walls, good lighting, and no second monitor or phone within reach. The proctor scans your room and desk surface before unlocking the exam.
Only the official Kubernetes documentation (kubernetes.io) is permitted, opened inside the exam browser. No personal notes, no other tabs, no second device.
Stay in frame and on-camera the whole time. Leaving the seat, talking aloud, or losing connection can pause or flag the session.
The CKA is built for engineers who run Kubernetes in production
No formal requirements — but the bar is genuinely high
Difficulty: The CKA is hard because it's entirely practical — you can't bluff a multiple-choice answer. Two hours is tight for 15–20 real cluster tasks, and Troubleshooting alone is 30% of the score. Most candidates need solid daily kubectl practice plus the Killer.sh simulator before they're consistently above 66%. That time-and-pressure squeeze is exactly the pain point our help is built to remove.
The CKA is a high-pressure, hands-on exam standing between you and a cloud-native role or promotion. Exam Assist pairs you with a vetted Kubernetes specialist and works on a pay-after-you-pass model — so the risk sits with us, not you. No upfront fee, guaranteed results: Exam Assist handles the sitting end to end, and you settle only after the verified result.
Tell us your exam date, your current Kubernetes comfort level, and which domains worry you most. Takes a couple of minutes over WhatsApp, Telegram, or Discord.
We review your timeline and target and tell you plainly whether it's realistic — before any money is discussed. If it isn't a fit, we say so.
Exam Assist handles the sitting end to end. You're matched with a CKA specialist who maps the work around the performance-based tasks, the PSI Bridge environment, and the heaviest domains — discreetly and confidentially.
You only pay once your passing result is confirmed on your official report. No verified result, nothing owed.
See the full pay-after-you-pass model and how specialist matching works.
Straight answers about the CKA exam
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