How I passed the CKA and CKAD Exam in a month ..!!!

I’m writing this post because, ever since I published my certification (CKA, CKAD) on Linkedin, I have been getting a massive number of messages from people who wanted tips for the examination. So I thought I would write up this medium article to share my learning path and experience.

To start with both these exam requires practical hands-on experience. CKA is a little tough as compared to CKAD. Mainly because it focuses on your ability to perform on a practical level rather than just asking a bunch of MCQ questions that would test your knowledge.

Will try to keep this blog simple/short and crisp.

CKA preparation :

• Mumshad’s course in Udemy https://www.udemy.com/course/certified-kubernetes-administrator-with-practice-tests/
• https://kodekloud.com/p/json-path-quiz
• https://github.com/StenlyTU/K8s-training-official
• https://www.udemy.com/course/mastering-certified-kubernetes-application-developer/ (No need to go through other content since it's already covered in Mumshad Course. Just focus on practice exam questions from this course. )

CKAD preparation :

• https://www.udemy.com/course/certified-kubernetes-application-developer/
• https://github.com/dgkanatsios/CKAD-exercises
• https://github.com/reetasingh/CKAD-Bookmarks

I would highly recommend setting up MiniKube on your local for practising and getting familiar with Kubectl commands.

General Tips :

• Solve Mock exams from the Mumshad course until you score 90+ every single attempt.
• Have a strong hold on Kubectl imperative commands. Helps a lot during exam.
• Bookmark all the necessary URLs from the Kubernetes docs site, since it will save time in searching things at the last moment.
• From my personal experience, you really don't need to set those shortcut alias as you have enough time to attempt all the questions. Given you are a master in writing imperative commands.
• Kubectl cheatsheet that would help you right out with most questions in your exams. https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/kubectl/cheatsheet
• If you are unsure of the spec or parameters of a YAML, always use

kubectl explain <resource>.<key>

Below are few articles that I would recommend before the Exam:

• Resize a PVC
• Kubernetes Volume Basics: emptyDir and PersistentVolume
• Sidecar containers
• Ingress
• Network policy
• Logging Architecture
• NodeSelector
• Upgrading Kubeadm clusters
• ETCD Backup/Restore
• multi-container pod

Take it easy and All the very best!

Don’t stress out much on the exam. True, it’s hard. Don’t panic. If you have practised enough you will pass with flying colours.