Failed CKAD twice, what am I missing on the practical exam?

by Megan P. 12 views3 replies
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Megan P.OP
May 27, 2026

So I just got my second CKAD failure notification and I'm genuinely frustrated. First attempt I scored 62% (passing is 66%), second attempt 64%. I'm getting closer but I can't seem to crack it. I've been studying for about 3 months total, gone through Mumshad Mannambeth's Udemy course twice, and I can spin up pods and deployments in my sleep. My biggest time sink seems to be the multi-container pod questions — I always second-guess myself on init containers vs sidecar patterns and end up burning like 8-10 minutes on a single task.

I also feel like my kubectl imperative command muscle memory isn't where it needs to be. I know what to do conceptually but I'm slow executing it under pressure. Has anyone else struggled specifically with the ck ad practical format? Not the knowledge side but the actual hands-on speed component?

I've been drilling with CKAD Multi-Container Pods and Init Containers 2 this week which has helped, but I'm wondering if there's a smarter way to approach my third attempt. Any advice from people who've passed the certified kubernetes application developer exam on their second or third try?

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Sofia R.
May 28, 2026
I passed on my third attempt after failing at 63% and 65%. The thing that finally clicked for me was setting up a .vimrc with proper yaml indentation before touching anything else in the exam. Also aliased k=kubectl and set up autocomplete immediately. Once I stopped fighting the environment, my speed improved dramatically. For init containers specifically, just remember they run to completion sequentially before any app containers start — drill that pattern until it's automatic.
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Daniel M.
May 28, 2026
Honestly the ckad exam is 70% time management and 30% knowledge at this point. I'd recommend the killer.sh simulator — you get two sessions with your exam registration and the questions are harder than the real thing. Do one session cold, review everything, then do the second a day before your exam. I finished my actual exam with 22 minutes to spare after barely finishing killer.sh sessions. Also bookmark the kubernetes.io docs pages you use most, you're allowed to use them.
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priya.test
May 28, 2026
Check out the FREE CKAD Dump Question and Answers for extra practice reps. And seriously, time yourself on every single practice task. If a question is taking more than 6 minutes, flag it and move on — you can always come back. That mindset shift alone probably added 5-6 points to my score.

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