Introduction
For the last eight weeks, I’ve spent most of my weekends studying for the Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) exam. The CKA exam is an online, performance-based test that requires solving several tasks from the command line running Kubernetes. The exam provides assurance that CKAs have the skills and knowledge to perform the responsibilities of Kubernetes administrators.
Background
Just a bit about my background, previous to switching roles to a SRE role two months ago, I have had zero experience with Kubernetes other than playing around with OpenShift a bit. I am very new to Kubernetes, but also very motivated to learn it. In my day-to-day position, I support a OpenShift production environment.
Preparing for the Exam
I really only used one resource to study for the exam and that was Mumshad Mannambeth’s CKA course on Udemy. When Udemy had a sale on Mumshad’s course, I purchased the course for under $20. I went through the whole course twice. I made several flashcards and memorized how to perform certain tasks using imperative commands. This was a real time saver when it came to the test.
For 30 minutes every night for four weeks, I went through the practice tests in Mumshad’s course, until I could successfully complete the exams with a score of 100%.
Eventually, I came to the point where I just wanted to take the exam and see what it was like. Note – you do have two chances to complete the exam. If you are like me, when I am unfamiliar with an exam environment, I waste time getting acclimated to the environment (this happened to me with a Red Hat exam). Last weekend, I decided to just schedule the exam and take it. I was not concerned if I passed it the first time or not. The day before the exam, I did the killer.sh simulation exam. I scored very low on the exam, but I printed off the answers and took my time going through them. On the day before the exam, I went through the simulation exam twice. I became tired of studying so much!
Taking the Exam
On the day of the exam, I installed the PSI software needed for the exam, checked that my system passed the exam requirements, and made sure my desk and room were free of notes, clutter, etc. The exam checkin was smooth and quick compared to Red Hat exams. When the exam started, I just worked as quickly as I could using the imperative commands as much as possible. I was thankful that I had a 34 inch monitor to take the exam with. The time went by very quickly and I finished the exam with about 10 minutes to spare to go through and check some questions that I flagged. The exam ended and then I waited exactly 24 hours to get my results.
Tips for Success
If I were to offer any tips for success, it would be to take Mumshad’s course and to learn the imperative commands so you can work quickly. During the exam, you can also flag questions to skip them and return to them later. Do not spend a lot of time on one question. Flag it, move on, and return to it later.
Conclusion
I enjoyed both studying for and taking the CKA exam. I like doing performance based exams as I find them more realistic than multiple choice exams. I like that the CKA questions did not depend on a previous question. If you have taken Red Hat exams, you may recall that some questions depend on previous questions. I was also happy that I had plenty of screen space by using a 34in external monitor. I do not know how some people are able to take exams using their laptops!
If you are debating whether you are ready to take the exam, remember, you have two chances to pass the exam. Even if you do not pass on the first try, you will know which parts you need to study more before taking the exam again. Good luck!
Up next, I’ll be studying for the Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS) exam.
