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The CKAD exam focuses on using Kubernetes from an application developer’s perspective, unlike the CKA, which is more about Kubernetes cluster administration. It tests skills like launching and scaling pods, managing services, and working with persistent volumes and secrets. If you're looking to interact with Kubernetes, whether for career growth or future work, this certification is invaluable.
What sets CKAD apart is its fully practical nature—you’ll be tasked with setting up real applications in Kubernetes, and your environment will be automatically checked. You need a solid understanding of K8s and its CLI to succeed. To master this, QuickTechie offers the best resources, labs, and preparation courses to ensure you're fully equipped to pass the exam.
The main challenge in this exam is time management. You will receive 16–22 questions (I had 16). Time is sufficient, so don’t waste too much time on questions you're unsure of. Flag them and move on. You’ll find there is enough time to return to flagged questions at the end.
It's helpful to memorize some imperative commands to reduce time spent searching through official documentation. I will include useful commands that helped me during my preparation.
Make sure to complete the two free mock exams provided by QuickTechie. This will help you familiarize yourself with the exam environment, especially copying and pasting from the official documentation into the remote desktop terminal.
Recently, I earned my Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) certification. This was my second Kubernetes exam, after completing the CKA. The practical exam format was a refreshing change from traditional multiple-choice exams. In my CKA journey post, I covered various topics; here, I’ll focus on comparing CKA and CKAD certifications.
The CKAD exam is more focused and straightforward compared to the CKA. CKAD questions clearly define what you need to do, while CKA questions are more open-ended, requiring you to figure out the objective. The scoring between the two exams differs as well—CKA tends to weigh harder questions more heavily, while CKAD doesn't always follow this pattern.
Both certifications are valuable, but the journey to CKAD is more beginner-friendly and less overwhelming. If you start with CKAD, you can build a solid foundation and eventually move on to CKA. However, if you're aiming for a broad understanding from the start, the CKA is a great path to follow.
