1.1 CKA Exam Mechanics, Scoring & Remote Terminal Environment
Key Takeaways
- The CKA is an online, remotely proctored, performance-based exam with 15–20 command-line tasks, a 2-hour limit, and a 66% passing score.
- The current official environment uses Kubernetes v1.35 and is updated to a recent minor release approximately 4–8 weeks after upstream releases.
- Each task identifies a designated SSH host; complete the work on that host, then exit back to the base system before opening the next task.
- The designated hosts provide kubectl with the k alias and Bash completion, plus yq, curl, wget, man, and elevated access through sudo.
- Allowed browser resources include Kubernetes documentation and blog pages, Helm documentation, CKA Gateway API documentation, and task-specific Quick Reference links.
1.1 CKA Exam Mechanics, Scoring & Remote Terminal Environment
The Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) exam measures whether you can administer Kubernetes by changing and repairing live systems from a Linux command line. It is not a multiple-choice test. The current Linux Foundation instructions describe 15–20 performance-based tasks, 2 hours of working time, remote proctoring through PSI Bridge, and a required score of 66%.
1. Current Official Exam Facts
| Detail | Current official value |
|---|---|
| Delivery | Online, remotely proctored, performance-based |
| Tasks | 15–20 command-line problems |
| Time | 2 hours |
| Passing score | 66% or higher |
| Kubernetes environment | v1.35 as of August 23, 2026 |
| Version cadence | Recent Kubernetes minor version, normally within about 4–8 weeks of release |
| Exam purchase | $445 exam-only price; one retake included |
| Certification validity | 2 years |
The exact content and weights of individual tasks are confidential. Do not build a time plan around an assumed fixed count or assumed point range. Read the displayed weight, solve quick high-value work first, and leave time to verify names, namespaces, files, and service state.
2. The Current Designated-Host Workflow
The current ExamUI uses a base system plus designated Linux hosts. Every task begins with an infobox telling you which host to use. The safe workflow is:
- Read the entire task, including required names, paths, namespace, and host.
- Run the provided command such as
ssh node01from the base system. - Use
sudo -ior prefix commands withsudowhen host-level changes require elevation. - Perform the requested Kubernetes or operating-system work on that host.
- Verify the final state from the same host.
- Run
exitto return to the base system before moving to another task.
Nested SSH is not supported. The official instructions also warn never to reboot the base host; rebooting it does not restart the exam environment. A task may require rebooting or restarting a designated host or service, but follow the prompt rather than assuming.
The designated SSH hosts already include:
kubectl, thekalias, and Bash completionyqfor YAML inspection and transformationcurlandwgetfor endpoint testsmanand installed manual pages
The base system does not provide those tools because work belongs on the designated task host. This is why old advice to spend the opening minutes creating a kubectl alias on the base host is no longer useful.
3. Documentation You May Use
Use the Firefox browser inside the exam virtual machine. The currently allowed resource list includes:
- Kubernetes documentation at
kubernetes.io/docs - Kubernetes Blog at
kubernetes.io/blog - Helm documentation at
helm.sh/docs - CKA Gateway API documentation at
gateway-api.sigs.k8s.io - Task-specific documentation linked in the Quick Reference box
- Documentation installed on the Linux distribution and packages available through its package manager
The Kubernetes documentation's own search is allowed, but opening external search-engine results is not. Do not rely on an old list that permits arbitrary GitHub repositories. Policies can change, so review the official Resources Allowed page during exam preparation.
4. ExamUI Controls That Prevent Lost Time
Inside the terminal, copy and paste use Linux terminal shortcuts: Ctrl+Shift+C and Ctrl+Shift+V. Other remote-desktop applications use Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V. The Linux Foundation reserves Ctrl+Alt+W as the safer alternative to Ctrl+W because Ctrl+W can close the browser tab. The Insert key is prohibited; in Vim, press i to enter insert mode and Esc to leave it.
Only one active monitor is supported. Test the PSI Secure Browser, webcam, microphone, network, and screen layout before exam day. Browser zoom and the resizable content panel can make long task text and terminal output easier to compare.
5. Fast, Verifiable Task Execution
Speed comes from short feedback loops, not from skipping checks. Prefer commands that create a valid starting object, then inspect the actual result:
# Generate a manifest without creating the object
kubectl create deployment web --image=nginx --replicas=3 \
--dry-run=client -o yaml > /tmp/web.yaml
# Apply, observe rollout, and inspect the exact object
kubectl apply -f /tmp/web.yaml
kubectl rollout status deployment/web
kubectl get deployment web -o yaml
For node work, verify both the daemon and the cluster view when the API is available:
sudo systemctl status kubelet --no-pager
sudo journalctl -u kubelet -n 50 --no-pager
kubectl get nodes -o wide
Before leaving a task, check the spelling of resource names, requested namespace, host path, ports, selectors, and readiness. Automated scoring is official, but the Linux Foundation does not publish a task-by-task grading algorithm; focus on satisfying the requested final state rather than guessing how partial credit is awarded.
A CKA task infobox tells the candidate to work on host node02. Which workflow matches the current official environment?
Which browser resources are explicitly allowed for the current CKA exam?
What Kubernetes version does the official CKA environment currently list, and how is the environment maintained?