KCNA Exam Thoughts

I had been thinking about sharing some random thoughts on the KCNA exam for anyone considering certification, so here they are.

TL;DR: If you want to skip this, do I recommend this certification, even if it's considered 'too basic' compared to all the Kubernetes certifications? Yes, I would definitely recommend it. It is the best way to enter the Kubernetes world, especially if you haven't been immersed in it lately or have never had contact with Kubernetes before. If you have been using Kubernetes for a while, I think there is still a lot to learn around Kubernetes, apart from just how to operate it. However, it is up to you if you want to invest in this certification and dedicate time to studying for it.

Who would benefit the most from this certification?

• - Anyone without deep knowledge of Kubernetes seeking to gain a basic understanding of it.
• - People who find themselves with a Kubernetes cluster at work managed/installed by someone else but want to be more involved.
• - Individuals looking forward to obtaining more advanced Kubernetes certifications (CKAD, CKA, CKS).

KCNA covers these domains and competencies:

• Kubernetes Fundamentals - 46%: Clearly, this is the core of the exam, constituting almost half of the evaluation weight. These fundamentals are essential to grasp the Kubernetes infrastructure (the API, Containers, Scheduling, architecture…).
• Container Orchestration - 22%: Within this domain, you need to understand how services operate within the Kubernetes environment (networking, runtimes, security, storage…).
• Other domains focus more on understanding everything surrounding Kubernetes (the cloud foundation with its duties, differences between devops/finops/cloud engineer/architect, telemetry and observability, GitOps…). - Cloud Native Architecture - 16% - Cloud Native Observability - 8% - Cloud Native Application Delivery - 8%

Disclaimer note: Although I studied extensively, achieving certification was challenging. Sometimes, I felt questioned about topics I couldn't find in the study materials. From what I've gathered, examiners may include questions above your level, but these questions don’t affect your final result. The best thing about the exam is the option for a retake, allowing you to study and try again if you fail initially.

Now, which books/videos/practice exams do I recommend for the certification?

Books:

• I would start with: Becoming KCNA Certified By Dmitry Galkin (https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/becoming-kcna-certified/9781804613399/)... I found this book easy to understand, covering the basics well.
• Next, I suggest: The KCNA Book By Nigel Poulton (https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/the-kcna-book/9781835080399/)... I appreciated the clear explanations and ended up purchasing all of Nigel's other books on Amazon.
• The Cloud Native Foundation Landscape (https://landscape.cncf.io/)
• The Cloud Native Foundation Trial Map (https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cncf/trailmap/master/CNCF_TrailMap_latest.pdf)
• The Cloud Native Foundation Charter (https://github.com/cncf/foundation/blob/main/charter.md)
• Last one: The Kubernetes Book by Nigel Poulton (https://a.co/d/g0QRicW). This one I did not have time to finish it before the exam, but it will help for future Kubernetes certifications if you are into that path.?

Videos:

• Getting Started with Kubernetes by Nigel Poulton (https://app.pluralsight.com/library/courses/Kubernetes-getting-started-2023)
• While I believe these resources may be overkill for KCNA, they provide valuable information on topics like networking or services.Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA), 3rd Edition By Sander van Vugt (https://learning.oreilly.com/course/certified-Kubernetes-administrator/9780138103804/)Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) certification path by Pluralsight.? (https://app.pluralsight.com/paths/certificate/certified-Kubernetes-administrator)...?

Practice exams:

• https://app.exampro.co/? - ExamPro helped me understand many concepts I was missing. While I don't think it's complete, ExamPro is on the right path.
• I also utilized the practice exams and questions included in the aforementioned books.

Hands-on experience: While I didn't have extensive hands-on experience before the exam, I am good at remembering commands. However, having hands-on experience can definitely aid in exam preparation.

For anyone in the Linux Foundation reading this text: Can we make the results more focused on the domains and competencies? In my first attempt, I failed the exam. I expected to receive a domain breakdown of the scores, similar to AWS certifications. However, I only received my final score (72 out of 75), prompting me to review everything I studied and more.