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Exam Review

Key Facts: OTCA Exam

60

Questions

Linux Foundation

90 min

Time Limit

Linux Foundation

75%

Passing Score

Linux Foundation

$250

Exam Fee

Linux Foundation

2 attempts

Included

OTCA product page

12 months

Eligibility Window

Linux Foundation OTCA page

As of September 29, 2026, the Linux Foundation lists OTCA as a 60-question, 90-minute online proctored multiple-choice exam with a 75% passing score and a $250 exam-only fee. The current curriculum weights The OpenTelemetry API and SDK at 46%, The OpenTelemetry Collector at 26%, Fundamentals of Observability at 18%, and Maintaining and Debugging Observability Pipelines at 10%. Two exam attempts are included within the 12-month eligibility window.

Sample OTCA Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to review concepts for the OTCA exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 115+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1Which three signals are first-class citizens in OpenTelemetry?
A.Traces, metrics, logs
B.CPU, memory, disk
C.Events, users, sessions
D.Heap, stack, code
Explanation: OpenTelemetry supports traces, metrics, and logs as the core telemetry signals. All three share a common SDK model, resource attributes, and semantic conventions.
2In OpenTelemetry, what is a span?
A.A single operation within a trace, with start time, end time, attributes, and status
B.A log line
C.A metric histogram bucket
D.A network packet
Explanation: A span represents one unit of work in a distributed trace, including name, start/end timestamps, attributes, events, links, and status. Spans are connected by parent-child relationships within a trace.
3What is a trace?
A.A tree of spans representing one end-to-end request path through a system
B.A sequence of log lines
C.A group of metrics
D.A CPU flame graph
Explanation: A trace is the collection of spans sharing a trace_id. Spans form a parent-child tree capturing the causal structure of a distributed operation.
4Which OpenTelemetry primitive holds the current active span and baggage across async boundaries?
A.Context
B.Resource
C.Scope
D.Provider
Explanation: Context is the propagation carrier that threads active span, baggage, and other values through execution. It is passed explicitly or via language-specific implicit mechanisms.
5Which W3C standard does OpenTelemetry use by default to propagate trace context across HTTP calls?
A.W3C Trace Context (traceparent, tracestate)
B.B3 only
C.Jaeger only
D.OpenTracing
Explanation: The W3C Trace Context spec (traceparent and tracestate headers) is the default propagator in OpenTelemetry. B3 and Jaeger formats are available as additional propagators.
6What information is carried in a traceparent HTTP header?
A.version, trace-id, parent-id (span-id), and trace flags
B.API key and user-agent
C.Latency and error count
D.The span's attributes
Explanation: The traceparent format is: version-traceid-parentid-traceflags, e.g., 00-<32 hex>-<16 hex>-01. It identifies the trace and current span for downstream propagation.
7What is 'baggage' in OpenTelemetry?
A.Key-value pairs propagated alongside trace context for cross-service metadata
B.Attached log lines
C.Saved traces on disk
D.Retry configuration
Explanation: Baggage is propagated context metadata, carried via a separate W3C Baggage header. It is useful for flags like tenant or feature-gates, but should not carry secrets.
8Which OpenTelemetry concept describes the producer of telemetry (service, host, container, etc.)?
A.Resource
B.Scope
C.Instrument
D.Exemplar
Explanation: Resource is a set of attributes identifying the entity producing telemetry, e.g., service.name, service.version, host.name. Resources are attached to all emitted signals.
9Which attribute is required by the OpenTelemetry semantic conventions for the Resource of a service?
A.service.name
B.service.color
C.service.region_zone
D.service.owner_email
Explanation: service.name is required on every service Resource. Other helpful attributes (service.version, service.instance.id) are recommended but not required.
10Which span kind represents an operation processed on behalf of an incoming client request?
A.SERVER
B.CLIENT
C.PRODUCER
D.INTERNAL
Explanation: Span kind SERVER marks a span representing the synchronous server-side of an RPC, e.g., handling an inbound HTTP request.

About the OTCA Exam

The OpenTelemetry Certified Associate (OTCA) validates foundational skills in OpenTelemetry, the CNCF observability framework for generating and managing telemetry data such as metrics, logs, and traces. It is a remotely proctored multiple-choice exam covering the OpenTelemetry API and SDK, the Collector, observability fundamentals, and maintaining observability pipelines.

Exam sponsor: Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) / Linux Foundation. The requirements and fees below concern the certification or admission exam, separate from our free practice resources.

Assessment

60 multiple-choice questions

Time Limit

90 minutes

Passing Score

75%

Exam / Certification Fees

$250

Exam sponsor website

Fees, eligibility, and exam policies can change. Confirm them with the exam sponsor before applying or paying.

Our practice resources: topics covered

We aim to reflect publicly available exam outlines and topic information in our study resources. Coverage, format, and difficulty may differ from the actual exam, and we cannot guarantee that every detail is accurate or current. Confirm exam requirements, fees, and policies with the official exam sponsor.

46%

The OpenTelemetry API and SDK

Official competencies: Data Model; Composability and Extension; Configuration; Signals (Tracing, Metric, Log); SDK Pipelines; Context Propagation; Agents.

26%

The OpenTelemetry Collector

Official competencies: Configuration; Deployment; Scaling; Pipelines; Transforming Data.

18%

Fundamentals of Observability

Official competencies: Telemetry Data; Semantic Conventions; Instrumentation; Analysis and Outcomes.

10%

Maintaining and Debugging Observability Pipelines

Official competencies: Context Propagation; Debugging Pipelines; Error Handling; Schema Management.

Preparing for the OTCA Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: 75%
  • Assessment: 60 multiple-choice questions
  • Time limit: 90 minutes
  • Exam / certification fees: $250 Official sources

Using Our Practice Resources

  • Work through all 115 available questions
  • Review every answer and explanation
  • Track weak areas and revisit them
  • Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

OTCA: Suggested Study Strategy

1Spend the most time on the API/SDK domain because it is 46% of the exam.
2Know the three signals (traces, metrics, logs) and how each is represented in OpenTelemetry.
3Understand context propagation and the W3C trace context format.
4Be able to describe samplers: AlwaysOn, AlwaysOff, ParentBased, TraceIDRatioBased.
5Practice writing basic Collector configs with receivers, processors, exporters, and pipelines.
6Know the canonical OTLP ports: 4317 (gRPC) and 4318 (HTTP).
7Understand agent vs gateway Collector deployment patterns.
8Review semantic conventions vocabulary and resource attributes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many questions are on the OTCA exam?

OTCA is a 60-question multiple-choice exam delivered online through a PSI proctored session. Candidates have 90 minutes to finish and results are emailed within 24 hours.

What score do you need to pass OTCA?

OTCA requires a score of 75% or higher to pass, consistent with other Linux Foundation multiple-choice certifications. You should target comfortably above 75% on timed practice sets before scheduling.

What are the official OTCA domain weights?

The current OTCA curriculum weights The OpenTelemetry API and SDK at 46%, The OpenTelemetry Collector at 26%, Fundamentals of Observability at 18%, and Maintaining and Debugging Observability Pipelines at 10%. Nearly half the exam is API/SDK focused, so you need solid grounding in signals, context propagation, samplers, and exporters.

Do I need to know OTLP for OTCA?

Yes. OTLP (the OpenTelemetry Protocol) is the canonical wire format for telemetry data and is central to both SDK exporters and Collector configuration. You should recognize OTLP gRPC and OTLP HTTP endpoints, default ports (4317 gRPC, 4318 HTTP), and when they appear in Collector pipelines.

How much does the OTCA exam cost?

The Linux Foundation lists OTCA at $250 for the exam only. A bundle with the THRIVE-ONE annual subscription is available at $495. Two exam attempts are included within the 12-month eligibility window.

How long should I study for OTCA?

The Linux Foundation does not publish a recommended study time. For candidates with some observability experience, a plan of roughly 25 to 40 focused hours over 3 to 5 weeks is reasonable. Start with the API and SDK domain, which is 46% of the exam, then cover Collector configuration and observability fundamentals.