KCNA — Exam Overview
KCNA Exam Overview
Before diving into Kubernetes concepts, let’s understand exactly what the KCNA exam looks like — the format, domains, weights, and how this tutorial covers each area.
Exam Snapshot
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate |
| Issuing Body | CNCF (Cloud Native Computing Foundation) |
| Format | Multiple-choice (online proctored via PSI) |
| Duration | 90 minutes |
| Questions | ~60 |
| Passing Score | 75% (approximately 45 correct answers) |
| Prerequisites | None |
| Cost | $250 USD |
| Retakes | 1 free retake included |
| Validity | 3 years |
| Languages | English, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese |
Exam Domains & Weights
The KCNA exam is divided into five domains. Each domain has a specific weight that determines how many questions come from that topic.
| Domain | Weight | Approx. Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Kubernetes Fundamentals | 46% | ~28 questions |
| Container Orchestration | 22% | ~13 questions |
| Cloud Native Architecture | 16% | ~10 questions |
| Cloud Native Observability | 8% | ~5 questions |
| Cloud Native Application Delivery | 8% | ~5 questions |
What This Means for Your Study Time
The weights tell you exactly where to focus:
- Kubernetes Fundamentals (46%) — This is nearly half the exam. If you only have limited study time, this is where to spend it. We dedicate two full chapters (Chapters 2 and 3) to this domain.
- Container Orchestration (22%) — The second biggest domain. Covers containers, runtimes, networking, storage, and service mesh at a conceptual level.
- Cloud Native Architecture (16%) — Tests your knowledge of microservices, 12-factor apps, serverless, and the CNCF ecosystem.
- Observability (8%) and App Delivery (8%) — Smaller but still tested. Don’t skip these — a few questions here can make the difference between pass and fail.
Domain Deep Dive
Domain 1 — Kubernetes Fundamentals (46%)
This is the heart of the exam. You need to understand:
- Kubernetes Architecture — Control plane components (API server, etcd, scheduler, controller manager) and worker node components (kubelet, kube-proxy, container runtime)
- Kubernetes API — Declarative vs imperative approach, API groups, resource management
- Core Resources — Pods, Deployments, ReplicaSets, Services, Namespaces, ConfigMaps, Secrets
- Containers — Container images, runtimes, OCI standards
- Scheduling — How the scheduler places Pods, node selectors, taints and tolerations
Domain 2 — Container Orchestration (22%)
This domain tests the broader orchestration concepts:
- Container Fundamentals — Containers vs VMs, why orchestration is needed
- Runtimes — containerd, CRI-O, container runtime interface (CRI)
- Networking — Pod networking, CNI plugins, service networking, DNS
- Service Mesh — What it is, Istio, Linkerd, sidecar pattern
- Storage — Volumes, PersistentVolumes, StorageClasses, CSI
- Security Basics — Image security, least privilege, container isolation
Domain 3 — Cloud Native Architecture (16%)
This domain covers cloud-native principles and the CNCF ecosystem:
- Cloud Native Definition — CNCF’s definition, key principles
- Microservices — Monolith vs microservices, benefits and challenges
- 12-Factor Apps — The methodology and how it maps to Kubernetes
- Serverless — FaaS, Knative, when to use serverless
- Autoscaling — HPA, VPA, Cluster Autoscaler
- CNCF Governance — Project maturity levels, SIGs, open standards (OCI, CNI, CSI, CRI)
Domain 4 — Cloud Native Observability (8%)
Small but important:
- Three Pillars — Metrics, logs, traces
- Prometheus — Pull-based monitoring, Grafana dashboards
- Logging — Container logs, node-level logging, logging stacks (EFK, Loki)
- Tracing — Distributed tracing, Jaeger, OpenTelemetry
- Cost Management — Resource right-sizing, FinOps basics
Domain 5 — Cloud Native Application Delivery (8%)
Also small but tested:
- CI/CD — Continuous integration, continuous delivery, pipeline stages
- GitOps — Git as source of truth, pull-based reconciliation
- Helm — Package manager for Kubernetes, charts, values
- ArgoCD & Flux — GitOps tools for Kubernetes
- Deployment Strategies — Rolling update, blue/green, canary
Tutorial-to-Domain Mapping
Here’s how each chapter in this tutorial maps to the exam domains:
| Chapter | Exam Domain | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Ch 2: Kubernetes Architecture | Kubernetes Fundamentals | 46% |
| Ch 3: Kubernetes Core Resources | Kubernetes Fundamentals | 46% |
| Ch 4: Container Orchestration | Container Orchestration | 22% |
| Ch 5: Cloud Native Architecture | Cloud Native Architecture | 16% |
| Ch 6: Cloud Native Observability | Cloud Native Observability | 8% |
| Ch 7: Cloud Native App Delivery | Cloud Native App Delivery | 8% |
| Ch 8: Exam Tips & Mock Exam | All Domains | — |
Chapters 2 and 3 together cover the 46% Kubernetes Fundamentals domain — that’s intentional. With nearly half the exam focused on K8s fundamentals, two chapters ensures thorough coverage.
Question Types
The KCNA exam uses standard multiple-choice formats:
| Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Single-select | Choose ONE correct answer from 4 options | “Which component stores cluster data?” |
| Multi-select | Choose ALL correct answers (usually 2-3) from 4-6 options | “Select TWO components that run on worker nodes” |
| Negative qualifier | Identify the INCORRECT option | “Which of the following is NOT a Pod phase?” |
Tips for each type:
- Single-select: Eliminate obviously wrong answers first, then choose between the remaining
- Multi-select: The question will tell you how many to select — read carefully
- Negative qualifiers: Watch for “NOT”, “LEAST”, “EXCEPT” — these words change everything
Key Takeaways for the Exam
- 46% = Kubernetes Fundamentals — This one domain is nearly half the exam. Know it cold.
- The exam tests breadth over depth — understand many topics at a foundational level
- ~60 questions in 90 minutes — That’s about 1.5 minutes per question. Don’t overthink.
- 75% to pass — You can afford to get about 15 questions wrong
- Questions test conceptual understanding, not command syntax or YAML details
- Study the CNCF ecosystem — it’s not just about Kubernetes
What’s Next?
Now let’s compare KCNA with the other CNCF certifications so you understand exactly where it fits and which path to follow.
