Exam Environment Tips¶

Overview¶

The CKA exam is delivered through PSI's secure browser environment. Understanding the exam environment and preparing your workflow in advance can save significant time during the exam.

PSI Exam Environment¶

System Requirements¶

Stable internet connection (minimum 1 Mbps)
Webcam and microphone (required for proctoring)
Government-issued photo ID
Clean desk and room - no papers, books, or secondary monitors
No one else in the room during the exam
Browser: PSI Secure Browser (downloaded during check-in)

Environment Layout¶

The exam runs in a remote desktop environment
You have a Linux terminal (typically Ubuntu-based)
A Firefox or Chromium browser is available for accessing allowed documentation
Copy/paste works between the browser and terminal (use Ctrl+Shift+C/V in terminal)
The exam interface shows the task description on one side and the terminal on the other

Before the Exam¶

Check in 15-30 minutes early
Have your ID ready
Close all applications except PSI Secure Browser
Ensure your room is clean and quiet
Test your webcam and microphone

Allowed Resources During the Exam¶

You may open ONE additional browser tab to access these domains:

https://kubernetes.io/docs/ - Official Kubernetes documentation
https://kubernetes.io/blog/ - Kubernetes blog
https://github.com/kubernetes/ - Kubernetes GitHub repositories

Any subdomains and deep links within these domains are allowed. You CANNOT access: - Personal notes or bookmarks stored externally - Other websites, forums, or blogs - ChatGPT, Stack Overflow, or any other resource

Pages to Pre-Study and Know How to Find¶

High-Value Documentation Pages: - kubectl Cheat Sheet - Quick command reference - Persistent Volumes - PV/PVC YAML - Network Policies - Network Policy YAML - RBAC Authorization - Role/Binding YAML - Ingress - Ingress YAML - Upgrading kubeadm clusters - Upgrade steps - Operating etcd - Backup/restore commands - Taints and Tolerations - Toleration YAML - Assigning Pods to Nodes - Affinity YAML

Tip: Practice navigating to these pages quickly. Use the documentation search bar - it works well and is faster than browsing the sidebar.

Terminal Tips¶

Initial Setup (First 2-3 Minutes of Exam)¶

Run these commands at the very start of the exam to set up your environment:

# Set up kubectl alias
alias k=kubectl

# Enable kubectl autocompletion
source <(kubectl completion bash)

# Make the alias work with autocompletion
complete -o default -F __start_kubectl k

# Set default editor (choose one)
export EDITOR=vim
# or
export EDITOR=nano

# Verify kubectl is working
k get nodes

Vim Tips (If Using Vim)¶

# Add to ~/.vimrc for YAML editing
cat >> ~/.vimrc << 'EOF'
set tabstop=2
set shiftwidth=2
set expandtab
set autoindent
set number
EOF

Essential Vim Commands: - i - enter insert mode - Esc - exit insert mode - :wq - save and quit - :q! - quit without saving - dd - delete a line - yy - copy a line - p - paste below current line - u - undo - /search - search for text - :%s/old/new/g - find and replace all - :set paste - enable paste mode (prevents auto-indent issues) - Shift+G - go to end of file - gg - go to beginning of file

Nano Tips (If Using Nano)¶

# Nano is simpler but slower for large edits
# Key shortcuts:
# Ctrl+O - save (write Out)
# Ctrl+X - exit
# Ctrl+K - cut line
# Ctrl+U - paste line
# Ctrl+W - search
# Ctrl+\ - find and replace

tmux Tips¶

tmux may be available in the exam environment for split-pane terminals.

# Start tmux
tmux

# Split pane horizontally
Ctrl+b, then "

# Split pane vertically
Ctrl+b, then %

# Switch between panes
Ctrl+b, then arrow keys

# Close a pane
exit (or Ctrl+d)

Note: tmux is useful but not required. If you are not comfortable with tmux, do not waste time setting it up during the exam.

Time Management¶

Exam Structure¶

Duration: 2 hours (120 minutes)
Tasks: Approximately 15-20 tasks
Average time per task: 6-8 minutes
Passing score: 66%

Task Weighting¶

Tasks have different point values (shown in the exam interface)
Some tasks are worth 2-4% each, others up to 7-8%
Higher-weighted tasks are not necessarily harder

Time Strategy¶

First pass (90 minutes): Work through all tasks in order
Skip tasks that seem too complex (flag them)
Aim to complete 12-15 tasks
Spend no more than 8 minutes on any single task
Second pass (25 minutes): Return to flagged tasks
Tackle the highest-value flagged tasks first
Partial solutions may earn partial credit
Final check (5 minutes): Quick verification
Make sure you are on the right cluster context for each task
Verify critical tasks by checking resource status

When to Skip a Task¶

You do not know how to start after reading it twice
It requires complex YAML that you cannot find in the docs quickly
You have been working on it for more than 8 minutes with no progress
The task is worth few points relative to its difficulty

Common kubectl Shortcuts and Imperative Commands¶

Must-Know Imperative Commands¶

# Create resources quickly
k run nginx --image=nginx                              # Pod
k create deployment web --image=nginx --replicas=3     # Deployment
k expose deployment web --port=80 --type=NodePort      # Service
k create configmap cfg --from-literal=key=value        # ConfigMap
k create secret generic sec --from-literal=pass=123    # Secret
k create serviceaccount mysa                           # ServiceAccount
k create namespace dev                                 # Namespace
k create job myjob --image=busybox -- echo hello       # Job
k create cronjob mycj --image=busybox --schedule="*/5 * * * *" -- echo hi  # CronJob

# RBAC
k create role myrole --verb=get,list --resource=pods
k create clusterrole mycr --verb=get,list --resource=nodes
k create rolebinding myrb --role=myrole --user=jane
k create clusterrolebinding mycrb --clusterrole=mycr --user=jane

# Generate YAML without creating
k run nginx --image=nginx --dry-run=client -o yaml > pod.yaml
k create deployment web --image=nginx --dry-run=client -o yaml > deploy.yaml

# Quick edits
k edit deployment web
k set image deployment/web nginx=nginx:1.26
k scale deployment web --replicas=5
k label pod nginx env=prod
k annotate pod nginx description="my pod"

# Quick info
k get all -A                    # All resources in all namespaces
k get pods -o wide              # Pods with node and IP info
k get pods --show-labels        # Pods with labels
k explain pod.spec.containers   # API documentation for a field
k api-resources                 # List all resource types

Context Switching (Critical for Exam)¶

Every task specifies which cluster context to use. Always switch context before starting a task.

# Switch to the specified context
kubectl config use-context <context-name>

# Verify you are on the right context
kubectl config current-context

# List all available contexts
kubectl config get-contexts

Warning: Working on the wrong cluster is the single most common exam mistake. It results in 0 points for the task even if your solution is correct.

Output Formatting¶

# JSON output for scripting
k get pod nginx -o json

# YAML output for editing
k get pod nginx -o yaml

# Custom columns
k get pods -o custom-columns=NAME:.metadata.name,STATUS:.status.phase

# JSONPath for specific fields
k get pods -o jsonpath='{.items[*].metadata.name}'
k get nodes -o jsonpath='{.items[*].status.addresses[0].address}'

# Sort by a field
k get pods --sort-by=.metadata.creationTimestamp
k get events --sort-by=.metadata.creationTimestamp

Using kubectl explain¶

kubectl explain is an in-terminal API reference - extremely useful during the exam.

# Top-level fields
k explain pod
k explain pod.spec

# Drill into nested fields
k explain pod.spec.containers
k explain pod.spec.containers.resources
k explain pod.spec.affinity.nodeAffinity

# Show recursive structure
k explain pod.spec --recursive | grep -A5 volumes

Common Exam Mistakes to Avoid¶

Wrong cluster context - always verify with kubectl config current-context
Wrong namespace - check if the task specifies a namespace, use -n <namespace>
Typos in resource names - double-check pod names, service names, etc.
YAML indentation errors - use kubectl apply --dry-run=client -f file.yaml to validate
Forgetting to save in vim - always :wq before applying
Not reading the full task - some tasks have multiple subtasks
Over-engineering - do the minimum required, do not add extras
Not verifying your work - always check that the resource was created correctly
Spending too long on one task - flag it and move on after 8 minutes
Not using imperative commands - writing YAML from scratch wastes time