CKA Study Guide 2026
Everything you need to pass the CKA exam in one place: the exam format, every topic to study, real practice questions with explanations, flashcards, and full-length practice tests. Free, no sign-up needed.
CKA exam key facts
- The CKA exam has 15 to 20 performance-based tasks that candidates solve from a command line in an environment running Kubernetes v1.37. Source
- CKA candidates have 2 hours to complete the exam's performance-based tasks. Source
- Candidates need a score of 66% or higher to pass the CKA exam. Source
- The CKA (Certified Kubernetes Administrator) exam costs $445 when bought as an exam only. The price includes one free retake and two exam simulator attempts. Source
- Eligible CKA candidates who do not pass on their first attempt get a retake, whatever the reason they failed. Source
- The CKA certification is valid for 2 years. CKAs earned before April 1, 2024 are valid for 3 years. Source
📋 CKA Exam Format at a Glance
📚 CKA Topics to Study (28)
✍️ Sample CKA Questions & Answers
1. Which kubeadm command is used to initialize a new Kubernetes control plane node?
`kubeadm init` bootstraps a new control plane and is a core task covered in the CKA cluster installation domain.
2. What is the minimum RBAC permission needed for a user to view their own CertificateSigningRequests?
CertificateSigningRequest is a cluster-scoped resource; a user needs get permission on certificatesigningrequests at the cluster level to view them.
3. What does a Pod's 'nodeSelector' field do in Kubernetes scheduling?
nodeSelector is the simplest node selection constraint; it restricts Pod scheduling to nodes whose labels include all specified key-value pairs.
4. Which volume type is used to inject a ConfigMap's data as files into a Pod?
The configMap volume type allows individual keys from a ConfigMap to be exposed as files inside the container's filesystem.
5. Which subresource must be approved on a CertificateSigningRequest to issue the certificate?
To approve a CSR, an approver must update the certificatesigningrequests/approval subresource, which triggers the signer to issue the certificate.
6. What is the recommended minimum number of hours of hands-on kubectl practice before attempting the CKA exam?
Most successful candidates report 100+ hours of hands-on practice because the CKA is entirely performance-based.
🎯 Free CKA Practice Tests
📖 CKA Guides & Articles
What Practice Test Geeks adds beyond an AI chat for CKA
An AI chatbot can quiz you, but it can't reproduce the exam conditions or keep your record. Here you get:
- A timed, full-length CKA mock exam — 60 questions in 120 minutes with a 66% pass mark, modeled on the official exam's question count and time limit, followed by a score report broken down by exam domain.
- A fixed CKA question bank: the same test every attempt, so your score is comparable from one try to the next instead of changing with every regenerated quiz.
- Progress saved on your device: completed tests, scores and missed questions stay in My Progress, so you can retake only what you got wrong.
- A printable CKA cheat sheet you can print or save as a PDF.
- CKA flashcards built from the same question bank.
- Free CKA practice tests with the correct answer shown after each question.
How this page was made: written with AI tools and published by Nathan Beja, founder of Practice Test Geeks, who is responsible for its content. Exam facts are checked against the official sources listed below. Not reviewed by a subject-matter expert. Editorial policy
Sources & references
Exam facts on this page (fees, format, dates, passing scores) are checked against these official sources; the date is our last check. Editorial policy
- docs.linuxfoundation.org — Exam format, test delivery, passing score, renewal, retake policy, score release, score validity, exam information · verified Oct 2026
- training.linuxfoundation.org — Eligibility, fees, test dates, time limit · verified Oct 2026