Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) Practice Tests

Validates practical skills in Kubernetes cluster setup, workloads and scheduling, services and networking, storage, and troubleshooting.

CKA has no multiple choice: you fix and build things in live clusters for 2 hours, so practice means doing tasks against a timer. We compared the main options on simulator realism, lab practice and price.

Use Killer.sh's two simulator sessions (included with most exam bundles, or $40 on their own), add free Killercoda and CK-X drills, then use KodeKloud's mock exams for extra timed runs.

Practice test	Best for	Questions	Price
CKA Simulator	Closest exam rehearsal	34	$40
CK-X Simulator	Free local mock exams	30	Free
Ultimate CKA Mock Exam Series	More timed mocks	100	$35/month

Closest exam rehearsal

CKA Simulator

Two sessions of 17 hands-on tasks in a remote desktop like the real exam, each with a 2-hour timer, an automatic score and solutions. Candidates consistently call it harder than the real exam.

Great fit if you want the closest rehearsal of the exam environment, remote desktop and time pressure, and can take a low first score in stride.

Poor fit if you want gentle topic-by-topic practice early on; start with Killercoda or KodeKloud labs, then use these sessions near the end.

Free browser drills

Killercoda CKA scenarios

Short tasks in real clusters that run in the browser, written by several community authors. The free scenarios suit daily drills; the free playgrounds also work as a blank cluster for other practice sets.

Great fit if you want quick daily drills without setting up a cluster.

Poor fit if you want a timed full-length exam with a score; use Killer.sh or KodeKloud's mocks for that.

Free local mock exams

CK-X Simulator

A Docker-based simulator with a timed exam mode and automatic checking. It ships two CKA labs, one with 10 tasks and one with 20. A 2026 passer found the 20-task set harder than Killer.sh.

Great fit if you want free extra timed runs on your own machine and are comfortable with Docker.

Poor fit if you want a hosted environment that matches the exam's remote desktop; use Killer.sh.

More timed mocks

Ultimate CKA Mock Exam Series

Five 2-hour mock exams of 20 tasks each, drawn at random from a larger pool, in a browser lab with solutions. Candidates place KodeKloud's labs below the real exam, and one reports unreliable automatic scoring and some broken labs.

Great fit if you want more full timed runs after the Killer.sh sessions, in a hosted environment with no setup.

Poor fit if you only need the two included Killer.sh sessions; the 3 mock exams inside Mumshad's course may be enough for you.

What to look for in a CKA practice test

A real cluster, not a question list. CKA is 2 hours of hands-on tasks at a Linux terminal with the Kubernetes docs open, and a score of 66% passes. Choose practice that makes you run kubectl against clusters and checks the end state, not quizzes or recalled exam questions.
Material written for the current curriculum. The exam runs on Kubernetes v1.37 and follows CKA curriculum v1.37. The 2025 curriculum update added work such as Helm, Kustomize, Gateway API and CNI installs, and a 2025 retaker said that made the exam feel harder than older guides. Check update dates on any set you buy.
Know how hard each tool is. Candidates place KodeKloud's mocks below the real exam and Killer.sh above it, with the exam in between. Killer.sh scores in the teens or 40s are common and do not predict failure, so use it for speed and environment practice.
Automatic grading and reliable labs. Killer.sh scores each task and lists solved and unsolved sub-tasks. A KodeKloud user reported unreliable automatic scoring and some broken labs, so self-check against the solutions where a result looks wrong.
Remote-desktop and docs practice. The real exam runs in a remote desktop where pasting and window handling are awkward. Killer.sh reproduces this, and the Kubernetes, Helm and Gateway API docs are open in the exam, so practise finding snippets there too.
Skip sites selling "real exam questions." Sites promising actual CKA questions or a guaranteed pass are selling leaked or copied items. The Linux Foundation's candidate agreement bans braindump material and lets it revoke all your certifications and permanently bar you from more. A real practice test explains why each answer is right; a dump only lists answers.

How to use CKA practice tests

Time yourself on a few tasks first. Before long study, try several Killercoda scenarios against a clock to see whether your gap is knowledge or speed.
Practise tasks to a verified end state. Passers list the same lost points: a wrong resource or container name, the right object in the wrong namespace, and a mismatched port or selector. Re-read names and namespaces before moving on.
Use each Killer.sh session deliberately. Access runs 36 hours from activation and is time-based, so start one session when you are ready, redo tasks against the solutions, and repeat until the score climbs. One 2026 passer started near 60% and reached 100% on repeat attempts.
Build your command-line setup. Aliases, vim basics, kubectl imperative commands and quick docs searches save more time than memorised YAML. Practise the same setup every run.
Finish with timed runs, then stop. In the last week do full 2-hour runs from a different tool than your main one. Redoing a task you have already seen measures memory, so move to fresh scenarios once you remember the answers.

CNCF: CKA curriculum v1.37 ↗Linux Foundation: CKA certification ↗Linux Foundation: CKA, CKAD and CKS FAQ ↗Reddit: Killer.sh vs the real exam ↗Reddit: passed CKA, mock exam strategy ↗

CKA practice test FAQ

Are there free CKA practice tests?

Yes. Two Killer.sh sessions come with the exam purchase, Killercoda has free browser scenarios with one-hour sessions, and CK-X is a free simulator you run in Docker. Avoid sites selling recalled exam questions.

Is Killer.sh harder than the real CKA?

Most candidates say yes, and some passed after scoring 12% or about 50% on it. A few say the real exam felt as hard or harder, particularly after the 2025 curriculum update, so use it to build speed and not to predict your score.

How many CKA practice exams should I take?

There is no set number. Most candidates use both Killer.sh sessions plus a few other timed runs, and spend the rest of their time redoing weak tasks until they are fast and accurate.

What does the CKA exam look like?

It is a 2-hour online exam of hands-on tasks in live clusters, with the Kubernetes docs open and a 66% passing score. Results arrive by email within 24 hours.