100+ Free EX280 Practice Questions

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Question 1

Score: 0/0

Which command logs you in to an OpenShift cluster as a developer using token authentication?

oc login --token=<token> --server=<api-url>

oc auth --token=<token> --server=<api-url>

kubectl auth login --token=<token>

oc connect --token=<token> <api-url>

to track

2026 Statistics

Key Facts: EX280 Exam

210/300

Passing Score (70%)

Red Hat

3 hours

Single Section

Red Hat

$400

Exam Fee (USD)

Red Hat

100-150 hrs

Study Time

Recommended

$115-160K

OpenShift Engineer Salary

Glassdoor 2024

3 years

Cert Valid

Red Hat renewal

EX280 is Red Hat's flagship OpenShift administrator certification — a 3-hour, hands-on, performance-based exam with no multiple-choice questions. The passing score is 210/300 (70%) and the exam fee is approximately $400 USD. EX280 holders earn $115,000-160,000 annually as OpenShift/Kubernetes platform engineers. Certification is valid for 3 years and counts toward the Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA) credential.

Sample EX280 Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your EX280 exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1Which command logs you in to an OpenShift cluster as a developer using token authentication?

A.oc login --token=<token> --server=<api-url>

B.oc auth --token=<token> --server=<api-url>

C.kubectl auth login --token=<token>

D.oc connect --token=<token> <api-url>

Explanation: oc login --token=<token> --server=<api-url> authenticates you to the OpenShift API server using a bearer token and writes the credentials to your kubeconfig. The token is typically copied from the web console's 'Copy login command' menu. After logging in you can verify your identity with oc whoami.

2You need to create a new project called 'web' and immediately switch into it. Which single command does this?

A.oc create namespace web && oc project web

B.oc new-project web

C.oc switch project web

D.oc create project web --use

Explanation: oc new-project creates a Project (OpenShift's wrapper around a Namespace) and automatically sets it as your current context, so subsequent oc commands target it. It also applies any default project template, which oc create namespace does not.

3Which command lists all pods across every namespace in the cluster?

A.oc get pods --all

B.oc get pods -A

C.oc get pods --cluster

D.oc list pods

Explanation: oc get pods -A (or the long form --all-namespaces) returns pods from every namespace in the cluster. This is the standard command for cluster-wide visibility and only works for users with appropriate RBAC.

4A pod is crashing in a CrashLoopBackOff state. Which command shows the standard output of the previous failed container instance?

A.oc logs <pod>

B.oc logs <pod> --previous

C.oc describe pod <pod> --logs

D.oc events <pod>

Explanation: oc logs <pod> --previous (or -p) returns the logs of the prior container instance, which is essential for CrashLoopBackOff debugging because the current container has already restarted. Without --previous you only see the new container's output.

5Which command shows real-time cluster events in the current project, useful for spotting scheduling failures and image pull errors?

A.oc describe events

B.oc get events -w

C.oc logs --events

D.oc cluster events

Explanation: oc get events -w (watch) streams new Kubernetes events as they are emitted, including FailedScheduling, ImagePullBackOff, and Unhealthy probe events. Watching events while triggering an action is one of the fastest ways to diagnose what just went wrong.

6You want to print only the .status.phase field of every pod in the current project. Which command does this?

A.oc get pods -o jsonpath='{.items[*].status.phase}'

B.oc get pods --filter=status.phase

C.oc describe pods | grep Phase

D.oc get pods -o status

Explanation: JSONPath output (-o jsonpath=) lets you extract specific fields from API objects. The expression {.items[*].status.phase} iterates the list and prints each pod's phase. This is the canonical way to script field extraction with oc.

7A cluster administrator wants to see resource usage (CPU, memory) per node. Which command provides this directly?

A.oc top nodes

B.oc usage nodes

C.oc describe nodes --metrics

D.oc get nodes -o usage

Explanation: oc top nodes (and oc top pods) queries the metrics-server / monitoring stack and prints current CPU and memory consumption. It requires the cluster monitoring or metrics-server to be running, which is the case in default OpenShift 4 installations.

8Which command opens an interactive shell inside a running container of pod 'web-1'?

A.oc shell web-1

B.oc rsh web-1

C.oc exec web-1 bash

D.oc attach web-1

Explanation: oc rsh (remote shell) starts an interactive session inside the container — the OpenShift convenience wrapper around oc exec -it ... -- /bin/sh. oc rsh handles the TTY and stdin flags automatically.

9You delete a project with oc delete project <name>. What happens to the pods, services, and routes inside it?

A.They are preserved and re-attached when the project is recreated.

B.They are all deleted because they are namespaced resources owned by the project.

C.Only pods are deleted; services and routes remain.

D.They are moved to the default namespace automatically.

Explanation: Deleting a project triggers cascading deletion of every namespaced resource inside it — pods, services, routes, deployments, secrets, configmaps, and so on. Project deletion is asynchronous; the project enters Terminating state until finalizers complete.

10Which command exports a Deployment named 'web' to a YAML file you can edit and reapply elsewhere?

A.oc get deployment web -o yaml > web.yaml

B.oc export deployment web > web.yaml

C.oc save deployment web web.yaml

D.oc dump deployment web > web.yaml

Explanation: oc get <resource> -o yaml is the canonical way to dump an object's full manifest. The deprecated oc export was removed in OpenShift 4 — you now use oc get -o yaml and trim status/metadata fields manually if you need a clean copy.

About the EX280 Exam

Performance-based certification for OpenShift administrators. EX280 validates hands-on skills in cluster management, project and RBAC configuration, application deployment from manifests and Helm, route and TLS configuration, network policies, security context constraints, operator lifecycle, and resource quotas on Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.

Assessment

Single 3-hour performance-based hands-on section on a live OpenShift cluster

Time Limit

3 hours

Passing Score

210/300 (70%)

Exam Fee

$400 USD (Red Hat)

EX280 Exam Content Outline

15%

Manage OpenShift Container Platform

oc CLI and web console, projects, namespaces, resource queries, events, alerts, logs, troubleshooting

12%

Work with Resource Manifests

Deploy from YAML, update deployments, Kustomize overlays, ConfigMaps and Secrets

12%

Deploy Applications

Templates, Helm charts, deployments and replica sets, labels, selectors, services, expose

10%

Manage Authentication and Authorization

HTPasswd identity provider, users, groups, RoleBinding and ClusterRoleBinding

14%

Configure Network Security

Routes (edge, passthrough, reencrypt), TLS certificates, NetworkPolicy, ingress controller

Expose Non-HTTP/SNI Applications

LoadBalancer and NodePort services, external access for non-HTTP traffic

Enable Developer Self-Service

ResourceQuota, LimitRange, project templates and request configuration

Manage OpenShift Operators

Operator Lifecycle Manager, OperatorHub, Subscriptions, install/upgrade/uninstall

15%

Configure Application Security

ServiceAccounts, SecurityContextConstraints (anyuid, nonroot, restricted), secrets, jobs and cron jobs

How to Pass the EX280 Exam

What You Need to Know

Passing score: 210/300 (70%)
Assessment: Single 3-hour performance-based hands-on section on a live OpenShift cluster
Time limit: 3 hours
Exam fee: $400 USD

Keys to Passing

Complete 500+ practice questions
Score 80%+ consistently before scheduling
Focus on highest-weighted sections
Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

EX280 Study Tips from Top Performers

1Practice on a real OpenShift 4 cluster — sandbox.redhat.com gives you a free shared cluster, CodeReady Containers gives you a single-node local one

2Master the oc CLI fundamentals: oc new-project, oc apply, oc get, oc describe, oc logs, oc rsh, oc adm policy

3Memorize Route TLS termination types: edge (TLS at router), passthrough (TLS at pod), reencrypt (re-encrypt to pod)

4Drill SecurityContextConstraints: when to use restricted-v2, anyuid, nonroot — and how to bind them with oc adm policy add-scc-to-user

5Practice creating users with HTPasswd identity provider: htpasswd -c -B -b, then patching the OAuth resource

6Learn NetworkPolicy thoroughly: default-deny, allow-from-same-namespace, allow-from-openshift-ingress

7Get comfortable with Operators via OLM: install from OperatorHub, manage Subscriptions, troubleshoot CSVs

8Master ResourceQuota and LimitRange — examiners love asking you to enforce CPU/memory caps per project

9Practice Helm and Kustomize deployments — both appear in current exam objectives

10Time yourself: full mock labs in 3 hours, including verification that workloads actually start and stay running

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the EX280 pass rate?

Red Hat does not officially publish pass rates. Industry estimates suggest approximately 50-65% of candidates pass on their first attempt because of the hands-on format. The passing score is 210/300 (70%). Most candidates need 100+ hours of focused practice on live OpenShift clusters before they reliably hit the threshold.

What OpenShift version does EX280 cover?

EX280 is currently aligned to Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 (4.14 and later). Always verify the active exam objective version on the official Red Hat exam page before scheduling — Red Hat updates exams when major OCP versions change. Practice on a current 4.x cluster (CodeReady Containers, sandbox.redhat.com, or a developer subscription) so commands match what you'll see.

How is EX280 different from CKA?

Both are hands-on Kubernetes exams, but CKA targets vanilla upstream Kubernetes while EX280 is OpenShift-specific. EX280 tests OpenShift-only features: oc CLI, Routes (vs Ingress), SecurityContextConstraints (vs PodSecurity), Operators via OLM, Projects (vs raw Namespaces), HTPasswd identity provider, and Source-to-Image. CKA does not cover any of these. EX280 fee is ~$400 vs CKA's $395.

What are the EX280 prerequisites?

Red Hat strongly recommends RHCSA before EX280, plus Red Hat OpenShift Administration I (DO180) and II (DO280) or equivalent experience. There is no hard prerequisite enforced by Red Hat — anyone can register — but the exam assumes solid Linux fundamentals, container concepts (Podman/Docker), and practical Kubernetes experience.

Does EX280 expire?

Yes — EX280 is valid for 3 years from the date you pass. You can recertify by passing the current version of EX280 again, passing a higher-level OpenShift exam, or earning enough Red Hat credentials to maintain RHCA status. Red Hat sends renewal notifications before expiration.

How long should I study for EX280?

Plan for 100-150 hours of hands-on study over 8-12 weeks if you already know Kubernetes. If you're new to containers, double that. Build a real OCP 4 lab (sandbox.redhat.com or CRC), practice every objective until commands are muscle-memory, and run timed mock labs to build the speed needed to finish in 3 hours.

What jobs can I get with EX280?

EX280 qualifies you for: OpenShift Platform Engineer ($115-160K), Kubernetes Administrator ($110-150K), DevOps/Platform Engineer ($120-170K), SRE ($130-180K), and Cloud Infrastructure Engineer ($115-160K). Demand is highest in regulated industries (banking, telecom, government, healthcare) where OpenShift dominates because of its security posture and Red Hat support.