9 Easy Steps to a Kubernetes Developer Qualification (CKAD)

Appearing for the Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) exam can seem like a daunting task and I can confirm this is the case. This is a practical exam with real-life tasks to complete, the first of which I have sat in my 20 years of software engineering, no multiple choice, just real examples in the terminal to get your teeth into.

Let's go through some some of the tips that I took forward when appearing for this exam.

Tip One: Namespacing

Reasons why efficiencies can and should be made are as follows:

1. Most questions will have a different namespace
2. Getting this wrong could make you lose points, because the test has automated marking
3. Typos can cost time
4. May not be common words
5. May need to refer to them multiple times 
   

What I suggest is the best way to reduce the issues and complications mentioned above is to set a variable to the value of the namespace. Then every question will have the same typed typed variable in the code.

export n=NAMESPACE

Then you can call it using the following code.

kubectl get pods -n=$n

In addition you could use the `kubectl config set-context` statement to set it as the default namespace. Set the main statement as an alias and then reference it below

#set it as an alias
alias n=kubectl config set-context --current --namespace

#setting the namespace
n="myNamespace"

Tip Two: Switching Context

This is something you need to be prepared to do for every task. You don't have to worry about this with the exception of mastering your copy and paste based on the Linux operating system. This is just a case of finding the context in the red block and pasting it into the terminal. Do this even if the contexts look the same as you will score nothing for completing a task in the wrong context.

kubectl config use-context [conext-name]

Tip Three: Using Documentation on kubernetes.io

My advice is to try and not open the documentation. Know how to complete all of the basic tasks ahead of time. This will not only save you time but it will allow you more time to answer the questions you do have to look up.

Have a basic knowledge and understanding of all aspects of Kubernetes and if you are in any doubt in some areas rehearse going to get that information from the documentation. Practice makes perfect after all.

At the top of every question there will be the relevant documentation links. Not all links will the answer the question, but the answer will be there. Use these links to get to the right part of the documentation fast. Firefox will come to the front, even if you have the terminal open.

If you don't use Firefox download firefox, as this is the default browser used in the test.Have a play and make sure you know how to use the search functionality of by heart.

Tip four: Set up Environment vars

Setting up environment vars for commonly used phrases is a great way to time save. If you are sitting the CKAD exam you are going to want to use kubectl commands to generate the yaml for you. In saying this however you are not always going to want to create an actual object. This is where dry-run=client comes in. Having this as an environment variable not only saves you time but also lessons your risk of a typo during the test. Let's explore how that looks in code:

export dry="dry-run=client -o=yaml"

and then use it as below 

kubectl run webapp --image nginx $dry

Although this has not created a pod in kubernetes, we can see the combination of dry-run and output, it has also provided us with useful yaml. Furthermore you can add "> webapp.yaml" to the end of the kubectl command to write the yaml to a file, that you can edit further using vim editor. Think multiple containers, env vars, mounted drives etc.

kubectl run webapp --image nginx $dry > webapp.yaml

Tip five: Monitors, webcam and other hardware related queries

Let's take the time to talk about physical hardware on the examination day. Regardless of what was allowed in the past as of September 2023 you are only allowed one monitor during the proctored exam. If you only have a laptop and you will require a bigger space (I would say in almost all cases you will), you will need to provide a high-quality web camera, one at least 2k resolution, a microphone and an external keyboard and mouse.

You are not allowed to add another monitor or open your laptop to access your camera once the exam has started. This will trigger the end of the exam. In addition, you cannot close one monitor and open the lid of your laptop to validate your ID and then swap as the proctor will end the exam.

There are no exceptions or if buts or maybes. If they cannot see your ID clearly you will not get to sit the exam and there are automated processes to end the exam if you mess with your hardware. You cannot navigate away from your examination environment to a browser on your desktop with pre-defined shortcuts either

You have been warned, however if you cannot get into the exam due to authentication issues or hardware issues, I recommend reaching out to the Linux foundation, there is every chance they will reset the try for you. However it will be a minimum of two days before you can resit.

Tip six: Navigating the CKAD examination environment

Copy and paste is different in Linux so if you are a Windows and Mac user and find yourself sitting this exam get used to operating in a Linux environment with the keys you have. Use the mock code exams that you get for free using killer coda. You will find a link to these in your exam guide link.

1. For Linux: Select text for copy and middle button for paste (or both left and right simultaneously if you have not middle button).
2. For Mac ?+C to copy and ?+V to paste.
3. For Windows: Ctrl+Insert to copy and Shift+Insert to paste

There may be some light maths involved in some of the questions. If this is something you think you will need learn how to access the calculator in Linux. I did not see it readily available and went without it. I would have rather had it.

Tip Seven: Navigating the Proctorial Process (PSI)

I found it the most infuriating part of the exam. You get yourself all ready for the exam and the gate keepers will not always free the exam up. In my case i had an external web camera and the proctor had said that it was not clear enough to view my exam. I wanted to use this as I did not want to sit the exam on my laptop monitor. There is not a lot of space, by the time you take in the examination platform space and the questions.

I was kicked out of an hour of trying to find a solution. Such as disconnecting my second monitor, opening my main laptop, checking my Id and then swapping back. They ended the process saying I was no longer connected. In the end I purchased a new web camera and that worked.

The proctor will check your arms, ask you to remove hats, check under your desk and scan the room. so ensure you are able to do this. The only room i had available was a glass room. I used back plastic wrap to cover the glass so that the proctor would release the exam.

In addition, ensure there are no books or written text lying about.

Tip Eight: Tackling Each CKAD Exam Question

Read each question twice, read each question twice, no that was not a typo! In case you did not get it, you need to read every question twice. There are some minor points that I almost missed such as writing output to a file. Do you really want to lose all the marks for that question by missing a small part any given question?

Time is your enemy in this course. There will be next to no time to revisit any questions so in case I have not overplayed the read every question twice, read every question twice! In saying this you can mark questions you have not answered and come back to them after you have targeted the more straight forward questions and this is a decent strategy. You do not want to revisit question you think you have answered correctly.

Tip Nine: Contacting The Linux Foundation

If you fail the exam by a margin you can ask for your exam to be reassessed manually. They recommend that the opportunity for error is so small that it would have to be in the margins of one wrong question.

There is a fee attached to this process and it is not cheap, you also only have a small window on which to ask for manual marking. Regardless, it is worth asking as they may let you resit the exam free of charge depending on how bad their backlog of marking is.That is what they allowed me to do.

Bonus Tip: CKAD Exam with Learning Disabilities

Sitting the CKAD exam with learning disabilities can be quite a challenge. The official course from the Linux foundation is all text based and very closely follows the exam. Fortunately there is an alternative video based course for suffers of dyslexia in Udemy. I highly recommend using either way as the Udemy course is a great way to sharpen you skills and you also get some practice labs and mock exams to practice with.

In addition to this, if you have been tested, have proof of your condition and would like extra time, then you can ask in advance. All you need to do is fill out the paperwork and they will accommodate your request. I would highly recommend this if you can as there is very little time in the best of scenarios.

Summarizing the CKAD Exam

Please do not underestimate the soft-skill side of this exam, such as copy and paste, reading the question twice and using the terminal env vars to reduce your typing. Also get familiar with K8s documentation and using the shortcuts provided in the exam. It is one of the only sites you can visit for help during the exam. I had a couple of stingers, that was not in the course documentation and it worked for me.

Best of Luck!