2026 CKA, CKAD 시험 합격 후기Passing the CKA and CKAD in 2026

Why Did I Go for the Certifications?

The more I studied the cloud, the more I felt I’d inevitably run into “container” technology, so I started preparing for the certifications to study the field properly.

I bought a voucher bundle with the CKA, CKAD and CKS during the December 2024 Cyber Monday sale, and the vouchers expired at the end of February 2026. I put it off and put it off, and ended up cramming for the exams at the very end.

About the Kubernetes Exams

• Run by the Linux Foundation
• Each task gives you an environment and requirements, and you build things in a live cluster
• Lasts 2 hours
• Between 14 and 17 tasks
• A score of 66 or higher passes

CKA, CKAD, CKS

• Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA)
  • The most commonly earned certification
  • The Kubernetes administrator role
  • A lot changed after February 2025, so look for up-to-date information when preparing
• Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD)
  • The developer role in a Kubernetes environment
  • Similar to the CKA in difficulty, or maybe a bit easier?
• Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS)
  • Kubernetes security
  • The hardest of the three
  • You need the CKA before you can take it

Buying a Voucher: When and Where Is It Cheapest?

• Cyber Monday in early December every year is the cheapest (50% ~ 60% off)
• There are also quarterly and special-day discounts, but the discount is smaller (25% ~ 40%)
• Buying the voucher through Programmers is another option (protects you from exchange-rate swings, for buyers in Korea)
• You have to take the exam within 12 months of purchase.
• If you really haven’t studied enough to sit the exam, plead with customer support and they’ll extend your window by 3 months!

> Early December is the cheapest

How I Studied

I prepared for 2~3 months, going through each course in order.

1. Intro: Skilleat - Kubernetes Full Course: 15-Day Complete Set (Gamtech)
2. Concepts: Udemy - CKA with Practice Tests (Mumshad Mannambeth)
3. Exam-style tasks: Inflearn - CKA - Practical Exam Guide (Ilpro)
4. CKAD study
   • Once you’ve prepared for the CKA, it’s very doable
   • Many of the topics are the same; the scope is just slightly different
   • Udemy - CKAD with Practice Tests (Mumshad Mannambeth)
   • Study the parts not in the CKA, plus the final practice tests

The Courses: Pros and Cons

Skilleat - Kubernetes Full Course: 15-Day Complete Set (Gamtech)

• Pro: a physical textbook with light, easy explanations to get you started fast
• Con: it isn’t video-centric, so it may not suit everyone

Udemy - CKA with Practice Tests (Mumshad Mannambeth)

• Pro: visual materials and a web-based lab environment
• Con: English only. No official Korean subtitles

Inflearn - CKA - Practical Exam Guide (Ilpro)

• Pro: the closest to the real exam tasks
• Con: it does explain concepts, but a complete beginner would struggle to pass with this course alone

Registering for the Exam

• Book the date and time you want on the PSI site
• I recommend registering your passport as your ID
• If you register your ID ahead of time, it isn’t checked separately on exam day
• Some days only have early-morning slots, but daytime slots sometimes open up on those days, so check often
• You can cancel or reschedule the exam as many times as you like, as long as it’s more than 24 hours in advance
• See the Scheduling, Rescheduling, Cancelling an Exam guide

Where to Take the Exam

• You must take it in a space enclosed on all sides
• I recommend something like a phone booth
• At home, cover up busy furniture like bookshelves in advance
• Find the simplest, emptiest space possible so the proctor has nothing to nitpick
• See the Exam Rules and Policies guide

The Proctor’s Room Check

• There’s a step where you show the proctor your exam environment
• You can check in from 30 minutes before the exam starts
• Use your phone as a webcam, or your laptop’s camera (I carried my laptop around and showed them everything)
• Pan the camera from ceiling to floor
• Turn slowly to show all four sides
• Show the desk and under the desk
• Show that there are no earphones in either ear
• Show that there’s no watch on either wrist
• Glasses check

PSI Exam Tips

• A bigger screen really does help.
• That said, I had no trouble taking the exam on a 14-inch laptop.
• You can adjust the text size by right-clicking in the task description
• You can collapse the menu bar at the top. If your screen is small, collapse it
• On a laptop, shrinking the screen scale appropriately was perfectly fine
• If you lean in close to the screen while concentrating, you can drift out of the camera frame and get a warning
• Your camera and microphone must stay on, so be ready for a low laptop battery (keep it plugged in)
• Inflearn - How to Prepare Well for the Kubernetes Certifications (Hoon Jo)
• See the ExamUI: Performance Based Exams guide

> Adjust the exam UI size to fit your screen

This Is an Exam You Solve with Your Hands

• This isn’t an exam you solve in your head
• It’s an exam you solve with your hands. What do I mean? There’s no time to think.
• You need to be able to solve each task in about 6 minutes.
• Anything you know, you must get exactly right. (And verify it)
• There’s partial credit, so be sure to attempt every task

Cut Down Your Command and Search Time

• Do you know in your head how to solve it?
• But if you aren’t fluent with commands and searching the docs, you won’t finish every task
• Use commands as much as possible.
  • Generate a skeleton yaml with a command,
  • then look up the options you can’t set by command on the website and add them to finish
  • Practice until you can create and modify the resources you want in a short time
• For resources you can’t create with a command
  • Remember which resources / options can’t be created by command
  • Practice knowing exactly where to look on the website.
  • Example) Gateway tls settings - search for tls config
• Remember: you’ll only pass if you practice solving tasks with your own hands.

Things to Watch Out for in the Exam Environment

• Don’t panic.
• The exam environment is slower than you’d think at everything — scrolling, typing. Be patient and take it slow
• Make sure to use VSCodium (a kind of notepad)
• Sometimes text in the task can’t be copied
  • On WIN11 + Chrome, copying and pasting straight into the shell didn’t work for me;
  • Pasting it into VSCodium and copying it again from there into the shell did work
  • Copy/paste shortcuts: if ctrl + c,v doesn’t work - ctrl + insert / shift + insert
• Write and edit in VSCodium, then paste into the shell

You Now SSH into Each Environment to Solve Tasks

• The exam used to use use-context, but not anymore
• Each task has its own separate environment.
• SSH in, exit when you’re done, and SSH into the next one as you go
• Always double-check you’re connected to the right host; if anything looks off, exit and reconnect

Exam Difficulty

• Registering for the exam unlocks up to 2 practice sessions on killer.sh
• Don’t worry about its difficulty. Just use it to experience and get used to the environment. (It’s almost identical)
• If killer.sh is a difficulty of 100
  • Udemy is about 20 (the real exam is definitely not that easy)
  • The real exam is around 40 ~ 50
• The task types haven’t changed much from past exams
• But people say the current tasks are harder than the old ones (before February 2025)
  • Before: many simple requirements, short task descriptions
  • Now: longer task descriptions with multiple requirements

Exam Task Types

CKA

• Create a priorityclass and attach it to a pod
• Install a package with dpkg -i + systemctl
• Using helm: install argocd
• Create an appropriate hpa for an existing deployment
• Troubleshooting: etcd migration
• Create a NodePort service
• Install a CNI that fits the requirements
• Sidecar pattern + attach a volume
• Deploy a networkpolicy that fits the requirements
• Create a storageclass
• Save a list of only certain pods to a file
• Save information about a specific field to a file using the explain command
• Create a pv / pvc
• Migrate an ingress → gateway / HTTPRoute (tls)

CKAD

• Read the logs and set up the required ServiceAccount
• securityContext - runAsUser + capabilities add
• Fix a livenessProbe - httpGet + port + path settings
• Create a secret, then attach it to a pod with SecretKeyRef
• Upgrade a deployment & roll back with rollout undo
• Create a NodePort service
• Build a docker image (with a tag) + archive it with docker save
• Fix an old-version yaml file
• Read a netpol and add labels so traffic can reach another pod
• Read ingress + service yaml files and fix them so traffic flows
• Deployment (add limits / requests) + check the node’s maximums and set them
• Make a cronjob run every 30 minutes + set other options like deadline, etc.
• Canary deployment → scale up the existing deployment’s replicas and add a new deployment
• Change the image / container name and do a rolling update

Exam Results

• Results arrive by email almost exactly 24 hours after the exam starts
• If you fail, you get one retake
• The retake can be after the voucher’s expiry date
  • One strategy is to push it back as far as possible and plan your study around the retake date too

Thoughts

• It’s definitely a great way to study
• The certifications are way too expensive
• The CKA alone is probably enough
• If you’re considering an infrastructure role, going all the way through CKA, CKAD and CKS could be worth it

What’s Next

In 2026, I plan to go for the kubestronaut title too. It’s a shame I passed the CKA after my vouchers expired, so I couldn’t take the CKS.

Certifications are great motivation for learning, but I want to approach this with a fresh mindset so the certificate itself doesn’t become the end goal. I’m going to study in depth once more, centered on good books and study groups.

I’ll write another review when I earn my next certification. Thank you! 😊

> Going for kubestronaut in 2026!

References

• Skilleat - Kubernetes Full Course 15-Day Completion Set (Gamtech) (Korean)
• Udemy - CKA with Practice Tests (Mumshad Mannambeth)
• Inflearn - CKA - Practical Exam Guide (Ilpro) (Korean)
• Ttabae-Learn - [CKA Past Exam Key Summary] CKA Past Exam Solutions_FULL Version (Korean)
• Easy CKA Exam Tasks For Beginners! | Full Solutions & Walkthrough