CKA Learn Path 2023

Description

PREREQUISITES FOR THE LEARNING PATH PAID

1. You need to buy the following course:https://www.udemy.com/course/certified-kubernetes-administrator-with-practice-tests/ Here you can find all the theories for the exam. Also, it contains a practical part crucial for good preparation. A lot of practice tasks, almost the same as will be on the real exam. Please be careful, the standard price of the course is around 10-15$
2. Optional, but useful Ultimate Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) Mock Exam Series

STUDY OFFICIAL COURSES (~2 MONTHS )

The part consists of the following theoretical materials:

• Presentation
• Books
• Video-courses

Some of the materials are free, while some are not. I highly recommend you find some friends who also are going to pass the exam and prepare for it together.

P.S. Here you will find my story of the exam: Russian version 

Success criteria and links to materials

==Recommended==

• Refresh you knowledge about Docker (6-10h) presentation about docker (~800 slides)
• Community presentation about k8s
• Udemy course has been completed (theory part)
• Practical part in Udemy course has been done 2-3 times
• Practical part in KodeKloud course
• Flash cards to remember what you've learned. The flash cards are based on Linux Academy cards + my own (password: vedmich)

==Optional==

• [Book] Kubernetes in Action (10-15h). Link to O'Reilly's source
• Kubernetes The Hard Way from Kelsey Hightower
• Practical tasks CKAD
• CKA labs

There are pieces of good advice:

• Please make sure that in labs you have the version of Kubernetes that is supposed to be on the exam, or there is no super difference with the latter.
• Setup auto-completion in Bash for 'kubectl' as well as alias (for instance, 'k' instead of typing 'kubectl' every time). Tmux and other hard things you may find on the Internet are not necessary.
• Use only official docs relevant to the version of Kubernetes that is going to be on the exam.
• Get into the habit of doing self-checking after completion of any of the labs regardless of they are auto-checked. On the exam, you have to do that on your own.

Final preparation Before the exam

Getting familiar with the exam

Proceed with the link https://www.cncf.io/certification/cka/, where the most important part is supposed to be the following:

1.  https://github.com/cncf/curriculum

• choose an appropriate pdf file, for instance, look into and ensure that you know the topics.

2.  https://docs.linuxfoundation.org/tc-docs/certification/tips-cka-and-ckad go and check:

• official documentation free to navigate
• hotkeys for copy/paste commands
• clusters will be on the exam
• Read the handbook (for example, if you need water during the 2 hours you have to use only transparent dishes like a glass)

Prepare your local computer

1. As a piece of good advice, you should set up at least 2 computers, one of them should be autonomous by a power supply (e.g. notebook)

• Charge your mobile phone and laptop, share mobile Internet to the laptop, for instance, or prepare 2 webcams or headsets and etc
• If you could not technically connect to the exam within a chosen slot, it would be considered as "no-show" and a free retake would be canceled

2. On each computer please do the following:

• Install Google Chrome (if possible, please disable for a while all pop-up apps and so on)
• Do compatible check https://www.examslocal.com/ScheduleExam/Home/CompatibilityCheck

3. Use external WebCamera and external monitor.

Self-check:

• Make sure that you repeat 2+ times the practice from Udemy or Siarhei Beliakou (links on the practice section).
• Make sure that you know how fast generate base manifests for deployments\pods etc.
• Documents for the exam are well prepared (when non-Latin symbols in ID, please prepare driver license or credit card)
• Ensure that your room will be clean and quiet

On the exam:

1. Go beforehand at least 15-20 min of your chosen time slot
2. Run compatibility check once again (check your second laptop is charged and has mobile Internet)
3. Prepare yourself for chatting with the proctor, if something's unclear, feel free to ask the proctor
4. Be attentive and patient
5. Go through a mini-tutorial
6. You can use copy\paste as many lines as you need.
7. Don't worry, if you forgot something, go the bookmarks you have added
8. Track your time
9. Weights of questions should be concerned
10. Mark and put unclear questions off, go further
11. Ask the proctor in chat while having difficulties in exam interface

And good luck with your preparation and during the exam!