# Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) Review

> An honest CKA exam review covering what it really takes to pass - from hands-on lab practice to the resources and mindset that actually make the difference.

Author: Elnur Badalov
Published: 2026-03-31
Updated: 2026-03-31
Tags: devops, k8s, lifeisgood, review
Source: https://elnurbda.com/posts/58-cka/
License: CC BY 4.0, please cite the source URL.

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## Introduction

A quick personal take first, then the **practical prep** that actually matters.

### Disclaimer

This is my subjective take on what the **CKA journey** should look like. Do not limit yourself to this article. Read other people's opinions too.

### The drama

It was not as easy as I heard from others. **Mumshad's** course, the **KodeKloud** labs, and **Killer.sh** are great, but not enough, even if you do them several times.

It did not feel like the other certification exams I have passed, **[CRTO](/posts/38-crto/)** and **[eCPPTv3](/posts/19-ecpptv3/)**.

There is always a thing (or more) that you have never practiced.

Yes. If you have **real work practice**, you will most likely pass easily.

But if you start fresh and you are not that kind of genius, you should suffer (~enjoy) for a while with much more practice.

### The success

In short:

Failed. Thanks for your condolences. **Free retake.** Passed. Thanks for the congratulations.

## How to become certified as a Kubernetes Administrator?

### Background

First of all, have some **IT background**. You should be able to:

- develop apps (no matter how)
- understand **networking fundamentals**
- work with **containerization** (Docker/Podman)
- troubleshoot **without ChatGPT** (must!)
- have **stable internet** during the exam (do not underestimate this part; otherwise it will cost you around ten minutes of panic during the exam).

### Foreground

You probably know most of this already. Anyways.

1. Mumshad's course and lab in KodeKloud.
2. Killercoda: everything **CKA-related** is a must-do. You can try **CKAD-related** labs too.
3. Killer.sh: CKA A and B labs. Their difficulty is comparable to the real exam.
4. Some other scenarios from the community. You can find them on Reddit, GitHub, and other social media. Try to work on those too. Do the **most starred** ones; they are usually better. I will include some resources in the **Appendix** below.
5. **Documentation** and a **lab environment** built by yourself.

### Documentation and a Lab

Try to build a **lab environment** from scratch based on the documentation. Then start implementing everything the documentation describes. In parallel you will gain **practical experience** and learn what information is in the docs.

Try to set up several different labs with different **storage**, **CNI**, and **topology**: a single-control-plane cluster, one control plane with one or more workers, then **highly available (HA)** with three control planes and one or more workers.

Try to experiment. Do crazy stuff. Break it. Revive it. **Pervert the cluster to the max.**

One thing I picked up while tinkering was how to put **NodePort** services behind friendly subdomains with a reverse proxy and wildcard DNS; I spell out the steps in **[Access Kubernetes NodePort Services with Subdomains](/posts/46-k8s-nodeport-subdomain/)**.

Ok. But where can you perform those crimes? Your PC can be enough. But it would be better if you can do it **in the cloud**. And you can do it **for free**! Major cloud providers offer trial subscriptions. Deploy VMs there and play around.

Of course, there is no need to read documentation that is unrelated to the **CKA**. For everything that is related: read it carefully!

Even though I did not do this myself, I recommend reading the documentation for **Helm**, **Kustomize**, and the **Gateway API** too.

Yes, it may seem overkill, but it will make you feel much more comfortable.

## But why?

I believe it is worth preparing for the **CKA**, regardless of who you become in IT. It will make you more suitable for almost any IT role. Knowing how **Kubernetes** works and how it is maintained matters for DevOps engineers, developers, cybersecurity engineers, and even penetration testers.

It is not only about knowledge but also about **persistence** and the ability to work through difficulty.

## Appendix

- Get a discount:
  - [Linux Foundation coupon (TechiesCamp)](https://github.com/techiescamp/linux-foundation-coupon)
- Practice:
  - [theplatformlab / CKA-Certified-Kubernetes-Administrator](https://github.com/theplatformlab/CKA-Certified-Kubernetes-Administrator)
  - [CameronMetcalfe22 / CKA-PREP](https://github.com/CameronMetcalfe22/CKA-PREP/tree/main)
  - [killer.sh](https://killer.sh) (the Linux Foundation gives access to two scenarios after exam purchase)
  - [Killercoda](https://killercoda.com) (free)
- My Badge:
  - [Credly: CKA badge](https://www.credly.com/badges/b47012be-1940-4229-bcca-84eea15765e4/public_url)
- Recommended Course:
  - [KodeKloud: Certified Kubernetes Administrator with practice tests](https://learn.kodekloud.com/user/courses/udemy-labs-certified-kubernetes-administrator-with-practice-tests) (Mumshad Mannambeth)
- Get more information:
  - [CNCF curriculum](https://github.com/cncf/curriculum)
  - [Linux Foundation: CKA and CKAD tips](https://docs.linuxfoundation.org/tc-docs/certification/tips-cka-and-ckad)
  - [yusif-v / CKA](https://github.com/yusif-v/CKA) (my friend's notes are good, check it out! `:)`)