kubernetes

How To Pass CKAD 2025 Edition

In this guide, I'll share all the resources you'll need to prepare for the CKAD exam. Plus, I'll give you tips that helped me pass the CKAD exam with a score of 92 out of 100.

Jun 17, 2025 · By Tech With Mohamed · 8 min read

Score achieved: 92/100

The Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) exam is one of the most valuable credentials for developers working with Kubernetes. It’s designed to test your ability to build, configure, and deploy cloud-native applications on Kubernetes.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through the exact resources and strategies I used to pass the CKAD with a score of 92 out of 100—covering everything from the exam structure to real-world tips and hands-on practice labs.

What Is the CKAD Exam?

The Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) is a performance-based certification from the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF). It’s tailored for developers who design, build, and run applications on Kubernetes.

This exam validates your ability to use core Kubernetes primitives to deploy and manage scalable, reliable apps in real-world environments. It’s ideal for engineers focused on cloud-native development, DevOps, or platform engineering.

Register for the CKAD Certification

Start your CKAD journey by registering on the Linux Foundation portal. Your registration includes:

GET CKAD VOUCHER 445$

✅ 1-year window to schedule and take the exam
⏱️ Exam Duration: 2 hours
✅ 2 attempts (1 retake included)
✅ Free access to 2 sessions of the killer.sh CKAD simulator — highly recommended for practice
💻 Remotely proctored via PSI Bridge with webcam and screen monitoring
🎯 Passing score: 66% or higher
🧾 Certification validity: 2 years

Make sure to review the technical requirements and system check before scheduling your session.

🔥 Hot New Topics in CKAD 2025

The CKAD exam has evolved in 2025, featuring new practical, developer-focused content candidates often report encountering in the real test:

Key Topics to Expect :

Pods & Deployments (~60%)
Heavy focus on creating and debugging pods, replicas, and deployments with specific configs (commands, images, resources).
Volumes (10%)
Use PVCs or emptyDir in Pods. Know the YAML structure well.
Services & Ingress (10%)
Create and troubleshoot NodePort services. One task included fixing a broken Ingress that returned 404.
Secrets & ConfigMaps
Common scenario: broken deployment due to incorrect secret—fix and redeploy.
Network Policies (5%)
Don’t modify the policy—adjust Pod labels to allow specific traffic.
CronJobs (5%)
Basic scheduling and history config (startingDeadlineSeconds, etc.).
Deprecated APIs
Identify and fix older resource versions (e.g., Deployment apps/v1beta1 → apps/v1).
Docker (simple use)
Create an image and export it using docker save.

Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) Exam Preparation Guide

To succeed in the Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) exam, you need focused hands-on practice, a solid understanding of core Kubernetes concepts, and familiarity with the official documentation.

CKAD Exam Prerequisites

There are no prerequisite certifications for CKAD — you do not need to pass the CKA or KCNA first.

What you do need:

A strong grasp of Kubernetes application design, deployment, and troubleshooting
Lots of hands-on practice working with pods, configs, services, volumes, and Helm

If you’re comfortable with the Kubernetes CLI (kubectl) and YAML, and you’ve built or deployed apps into clusters before, you’re on the right track.

CKAD Exam Environment (Updated June 2025)

Open book exam — you may access only these resources during the exam:
- kubernetes.io/docs
- github.com/kubernetes
- kubernetes.io/blog and any subdomains (all languages allowed)
💻 Exam platform: Online via PSI Bridge, using the PSI Secure Browser
📚 Kubernetes Version: v1.33 — all tasks will reflect features and behaviors of this release
📋 No internet, bookmarks, or notes allowed
📘 Expect to work directly in the terminal across multiple Kubernetes contexts
🧰 Be ready to navigate the docs efficiently using search — no IDE, just Vim/Nano and terminal tools

CKAD latest syllabus June 2025

The following are the domains and competencies part of the CKAD syllabus along with their respective topics and weightage.

Topic	Skills Tested	Weightage
Application Design and Build	1. Define, build and modify container images 2. Choose and use the right workload resource (Deployment, DaemonSet, CronJob, etc.) 3. Understand multi-container Pod design patterns (e.g. sidecar, init and others) 4. Utilize persistent and ephemeral volumes	20%
Application Deployment	1. Use Kubernetes primitives to implement common deployment strategies (e.g. blue/green or canary) 2. Understand Deployments and how to perform rolling updates 3. Use the Helm package manager to deploy existing packages 4. Kustomize	20%
Application Observability and Maintenance	1. Understand API deprecations 2. Implement probes and health checks 3. Use built-in CLI tools to monitor Kubernetes applications 4. Utilize container logs 5. Debugging in Kubernetes	15%
Application Environment, Configuration and Security	1. Discover and use resources that extend Kubernetes (CRD, Operators) 2. Understand authentication, authorization and admission control 3. Understand requests, limits, quotas 4. Understand ConfigMaps 5. Define resource requirements 6. Create & consume Secrets 7. Understand ServiceAccounts 8. Understand Application Security (SecurityContexts, Capabilities, etc.)	25%
Services and Networking	1. Demonstrate basic understanding of NetworkPolicies 2. Provide and troubleshoot access to applications via services 3. Use Ingress rules to expose applications	20%

We will look at each section in detail below :

🎓 CKAD Preparation Course (Updated for 2025)

If you're serious about passing the CKAD exam, a well-structured course can make a huge difference—especially if you're new to Kubernetes or need help focusing on the exam domains.

As of June 2025, the most recommended course in the community is:

📘 “Kubernetes for Developers – CKAD” by Mumshad Mannambeth (KodeKloud)

✅ Updated regularly to match the latest CKAD version (v1.33)
✅ Includes high-quality video lessons, hands-on labs, quizzes, and mock exams
✅ Comes with killer.sh simulator access bundled via Linux Foundation voucher
✅ Trusted by 300K+ students and consistently ranked #1 on Udemy and KodeKloud

👉 Find the course on KodeKloud or Udemy

🎯 CKAD Practice Tests & Labs

Hands-on practice remains the key to CKAD success—this exam isn’t theoretical, it’s all real CLI work.

Killer.sh simulator – gets you two free, full-length practice exams during registration. Its real-exam flow helps build time awareness and exam pressure familiarity.
KodeKloud Mumshad’s CKAD 2025 course – includes browser labs built on Kubernetes v1.33, with terminal exercises, mock tests, and a dedicated Slack community
Sailor.sh CKAD Simulator – a free, realistic CLI simulator with 20+ scenario-based labs, timed sessions, and in-depth feedback

Bonus local option: Spin up a small home cluster using kubeadm, to simulate the live-exam CLI environment—even without internet access.

⚡ Useful kubectl Shortcuts & Aliases for CKAD

# Create a shorter alias for kubectl
alias k=kubectl

# Set default namespace to avoid mistakes
k config set-context --current --namespace=<your-namespace>

# Generate deployment YAML quickly
k create deploy nginx --image=nginx --dry-run=client -o yaml > nginx-deploy.yaml

# Apply YAML file
k apply -f nginx-deploy.yaml

# View all pods with wide output
k get po -o wide

# Tail logs of a container
k logs -f <pod-name> -c <container-name>

# Describe any K8s object (great for debugging)
k describe po <pod-name>

# See all events across all namespaces
k get events --all-namespaces

# Explore object structure (great for unknown YAML fields)
k explain deploy.spec.template.spec --recursive

# List all resources in the current namespace
k get all

# Debug DNS
k exec -it <pod> -- nslookup <svc-name>

# Quick access to container shell
k exec -it <pod-name> -- /bin/sh

Top Real-World CKAD Tips (2025)

Passing CKAD in 2025 isn’t just about reading the docs—it’s about working smart under pressure. Here’s what helped recent candidates succeed:

Practice with Speed and Purpose

The exam is 100% hands-on. No multiple choice, just CLI, YAML, and quick thinking.
Common topics reported by 2025 test-takers:

Pods & Deployments → 60–70% of the questions
Volumes, CronJobs, Services, Ingress, Docker → 5–10% each
Secrets, Network Policies, API versions → ~10%

👉 Do practice labs daily. Use tools like:

Be Fast with `kubectl` and Shortcuts

Shaving seconds matters over 16–20 tasks. Use these real-world tips:

alias k=kubectl (default in the exam shell)
k run nginx --image=nginx --dry-run=client -o yaml > pod.yaml
Use short resource names:
po, deploy, svc, cm, sa, ns, pvc, rs, ing, pv, no

Master the Docs + `kubectl explain`

You're allowed Kubernetes docs, but bookmarks aren’t allowed.

Learn to navigate the docs, not just CTRL+F.
Use:
kubectl explain deployment --recursive kubectl explain deploy.spec.template.spec.volumes
These show field structure and save time debugging.

Manage Time Like a DevOps Pro

Don’t start with Question 1 — jump to high-weight tasks first.
Spend no more than 6–7 mins per question on average.
Mark difficult ones mentally, then come back at the end.
Leave 15–20 mins to review and verify YAMLs or context.

Avoid the Common Mistakes

Always set the namespace:
k config set-context --current --namespace=my-namespace
Validate your pod/service before moving on:
k get po -n <ns>, k describe po, curl test endpoints
Don’t panic—66% is enough to pass. You also get a free retake.

✨ Bonus: Pro Tips From 2025 Test-Takers

What	Why It Helps
`--dry-run=client -o yaml`	Scaffold YAMLs fast without memorizing
Use Vim basics: `:wq`, insert mode, paste	GUI editors not allowed
Use external monitor (if allowed)	Helps organize terminal + docs
No Helm or CRD in most exams	Focus on core workloads, not advanced ops
Skip slow/stuck tasks early	Come back later with a clear head

Kubernetes CKAD Exam Questions 2025

Task

Create a Pod named nginx-ckad in the namespace techwithmohamed-namespace with the following specs:

Image: nginx:stable
CPU request: 400m
Memory request: 1Gi

Step-by-step Solution

# Step 1: Set the right context
kubectl config use-context ckad-k8s

# Step 2: Scaffold the pod YAML
kubectl run nginx-ckad \
  --image=nginx:stable \
  --namespace=techwithmohamed-namespace \
  --dry-run=client -o yaml > pod.yaml

Open pod.yaml and edit it to include resource requests:

apiVersion: v1
kind: Pod
metadata:
  name: nginx-ckad
  namespace: techwithmohamed-namespace
spec:
  containers:
    - name: nginx-resources
      image: nginx:stable
      resources:
        requests:
          cpu: "400m"
          memory: "1Gi"

Apply and verify:

kubectl apply -f pod.yaml
kubectl get pod nginx-ckad -n techwithmohamed-namespace

Expected output:

NAME         READY   STATUS    RESTARTS   AGE
nginx-ckad   1/1     Running   0          8s

Conclusion

You made it to the end — that already puts you ahead of most. If you’ve followed this CKAD study guide, practiced regularly, and built confidence with real-world tools like kubectl, Helm, and resource management, you're in a great position to pass.

Remember, you don’t need perfection — just focus, strategy, and enough hands-on reps. The CKAD is about what you can do, not what you can memorize.

🔄 Already certified or planning next steps?
Consider moving up to the CKA (Certified Kubernetes Administrator) exam — it’s a natural progression after CKAD and opens more doors into cluster management, security, and troubleshooting at scale.

Wishing you calm nerves, fast fingers, and clear YAML. Good luck — you’ve got this. 💪

About the author

Tech With Mohamed

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Updated on Jun 25, 2025

How To Pass CKAD 2025 Edition