Practice the actual exam, not flashcards.

A browser-based lab that gives every student their own real Kubernetes cluster, 17 hands-on tasks scored by programmatic validators, and an attempt history that shows exactly what you missed — and why.

free 3-question trial · $29 full access · 14 days
17
graded tasks
02
mock exams
15 min
free trial

Three things, done well.

No video courses. No quizzes. No simulators that pretend. Just the same kind of cluster, the same kind of task, the same kind of grader you'll meet on exam day.

f.01 · runtime

Real Kubernetes, on demand.

Each attempt boots an isolated kind cluster wired through ttyd. SSH targets are real, kubectl is real, and the failure modes are real.

kind · ttyd · k8s 1.31 · 2 nodes
f.02 · scoring

Programmatic validators.

Every task ships its own check script. You get partial credit for partial work, an output trace per question, and a reviewable diff between your state and the target.

partial credit · per-task · idempotent
f.03 · history

Per-user attempt log.

Every finished exam — score, duration, missed tasks, the validator output, and the canonical solution — is saved to your console. Pattern-spot what you keep getting wrong.

persistent · solutions · diffable

From sign-up to scored, in four moves.

No installs. No local kubeconfig surgery. Open the lab, get a cluster, finish the tasks, read your report.

register

Create an account.

Email + password, or Google SSO. You land in your student console — profile, target score, sync clock.

provision

Open the lab.

One click spins a 2-node kind cluster and an embedded desktop. Provisioning runs once across all 17 tasks.

solve

Work in-context.

Each question gives you the SSH target, a docs link, and a question rail beside the live workspace. Submit when satisfied.

review

Read the report.

Programmatic validators run on finish. Pass/fail, per-task feedback, and the canonical solution post to your history.

A question, an instance, a grader. Side by side.

The lab is one window: a question rail on the left, an embedded Linux desktop on the right, and a progress strip you can navigate at any time. Below is what one task looks like.

› question 07 / 17 · node maintenance

Drain a node and reschedule its workload.

ssh root@ek8s-master

Set the node ek8s-node-1 as unavailable and reschedule all the pods running on it.

Use kubectl drain with --ignore-daemonsets. Daemonset-managed pods may remain on the node.

The control plane is reachable from ek8s-master. You'll be graded on whether the node is cordoned and all evictable pods are gone.

Mapped to the published CKA curriculum.

Domain weights mirror the official exam blueprint. Two mock exams cycle through every objective so you don't get locked into a single flavor.

d.01
Cluster Architecture & Installationkubeadm, etcd backup, control-plane upgrade
25%
d.02
Workloads & Schedulingdeployments, configmaps, scaling, scheduling
15%
d.03
Services & Networkingservices, ingress, DNS, network policies, CNI
20%
d.04
StoragePV, PVC, storage classes, volume modes
10%
d.05
Troubleshootingnode failures, control-plane logs, kubelet, networking
30%
d.06
Practice metaattempt history, flagged review, solution diffs

The first practice tool that actually felt like the real exam. I sat the CKA the week after I finished mock #2, and the muscle memory was identical.

Maya R., SRE Passed CKA · April 2024
avg score lift+27%
attempts to pass3.4
first-try pass rate71%

One price. No tiers. No subscription.

Create a free account and try the first 3 questions for 15 minutes. A single one-time payment unlocks the full 120-minute exam format for 14 days.

full access
cka practice lab
$ 29 one-time · 14 days
14 days of full lab access · no renewal · no auto-charge
  • Free account includes 3 questions · 15 minutes
  • Paid access unlocks both mock exams · 17 graded tasks · 120 minutes
  • Real on-demand kind cluster, every attempt
  • Programmatic, partial-credit validators
  • Persistent attempt log + canonical solutions
  • Unlimited retakes for 14 days from purchase
  • 7-day refund, no questions asked
Get access · $29 → stripe · visa · mastercard · amex
cohort · 5+ seats
Team licensing

Bulk seats, an admin console, aggregate progress reporting. Email [email protected] for a quote.

why so cheap
Built by people who sat the exam.

$29 covers the runtime, validators, and storage. We're not trying to sell you a course or a membership — just the practice surface we wanted before our own exam.

the certification itself (Linux Foundation) is sold separately at $395.
this lab is independent practice — not the exam.

Things people ask before signing up.

What does $29 actually buy me?

14 days of full lab access from the moment of purchase: both mock exams, all 17 graded tasks, unlimited retakes during the window, and the canonical solutions. Your attempt history stays on your account permanently — you just can't open new lab sessions after day 14. No recurring charge, no plan to upgrade. If it doesn't work for you, email us within 7 days for a full refund.

Is this affiliated with the Linux Foundation or CNCF?

No. CKA Exam Lab is an independent practice environment. We track the published curriculum closely, but we are not the certifier.

Do I need to install anything?

No. Everything runs in your browser — the cluster, the desktop, the editor, the validators. You'll need a modern browser and a stable connection.

What happens if I close the tab mid-exam?

Your runtime is released and the attempt is abandoned, but anything you'd already submitted (per-question) is preserved in your history. Open the lab again to start a fresh attempt.

How accurate are the validators?

Each task ships with a check script that inspects cluster state — not a string match on your commands. There are usually multiple valid solutions; the grader rewards any of them.

Can my team use this?

Yes. Admins can provision accounts and watch aggregate progress from the admin console. Talk to us about per-cohort licensing.

Open a cluster. Start ticking tasks.

One-time $29 unlocks 14 days of full lab access — both mock exams, all 17 graded tasks, unlimited retakes, and a permanent attempt history. No subscription, no upsell.

  • One-time $29 · 14 days of access
  • 7-day refund, no questions asked
  • Real cluster, not a simulator
  • Programmatic, partial-credit scoring
  • Solutions revealed after submission
  • Persistent, per-user attempt log