Pass Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) in 30 days (2023)
Hello there! I hope you’re doing well. I wanted to tell you about my story behind getting certified as a Certified Kubernetes Application Developer. I will also share my study plans, resources, and strategies to pass the exam.
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My Story
I did not know Kubernetes until 2020 when I heard about the term for the first time while learning cloud. I learned the basic concept of Kubernetes but didn’t progress much. But after 2021, I felt that not knowing Kubernetes will hinder my growth. So, I decided to learn Kubernetes and get certified. Getting certified is not easy because the exam is a full hands-on exam. So, if you don’t know Kubernetes, you are certainly going to fail.
Initially, I was afraid of attempting it because I thought I would lose money but later realized that it was my lack of confidence in learning it. But once I made up my mind, I explored to see which one is the best course and stumbled over Mumshad’s CKAD course on KodeKloud. From most people’s opinions, I found that to be a one-stop solution for Kubernetes. So I managed to get a KodeKloud subscription. I went through the course step by step following the curriculum of the course.
Then, I purchased the exam and tried the Killer Shell first session. That made me realize where I was in the readiness path toward the certification. I revisited all the concepts once again, did the mock tests, tried Kubernetes challenges on KodeKloud, and tried the Killer Shell once again. This time I was doing far better. I scheduled the exam for the next day and repeated the same process until the moment before the exam.
About CKAD exam
According to the CNCF website, a Certified Kubernetes Application Developer can define application resources and use core primitives to build, monitor, and troubleshoot scalable applications and tools in Kubernetes and the exam certifies that the users can design, build, configure, and expose cloud-native applications for Kubernetes. The cost is $375 but you can wait for discounts that come up often.
The exam is an online proctored performance-based test in a command line where you will be given a certain amount of tasks that you will have to solve in 2 hours. When you purchase the exam, you will also get two Killer Shell sessions, which is an emulator for helping you prepare for the exam. Questions on the Killer Shell are comparatively hard.
Aim to score above 90% in the Killer Shell
Here is the weightage on each topic for the exam:
Application Design and Build — 20%
Application Deployment — 20%
Application Observability and Maintenance — 15%
Application Environment, Configuration, and Security — 25%
Services and Networking — 20%
Changes in the new version
As of June 2022, the exam has changed slightly. Here are the changes:
- Remote Ubuntu Desktop instead of Remote Terminal
- Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V for copying and pasting into the Desktop
- Ctrl+Shift+C/V for terminal
My Strategy
~ Week 1 & 2 — KodeKloud CKAD course with practice labs
~ Week 3 — Killer Shell Session One, Mock tests, Revisiting concepts
~ Week 4 — Kubernetes Challenges, Mock tests, Killer Shell Session Two
My Experience
I practiced my way up to score above 90% in the Killer Shell and it turned out to be an advantage in the exam. I felt the questions to be easy and could finish the exam just in time. I waited for a day for the result and saw PASS on the portal.
Important Tips
- Always keep track of time.
- Use imperative commands as much as possible.
- Don’t spend time setting an alias for kubectl (now comes pre-installed).
- Keep an eye on the context of each question.
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I hope you find this informative. Have a great day ahead.
