Comprehensive collection of practice exams for CKAD certification with realistic scenarios and automated validation

This repository contains a collection of practice exam sets designed to help developers prepare for the Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) exam. Each exam set includes 15 realistic tasks covering all CKAD curriculum domains, with automated validation scripts and complete solutions.

• 15-20 tasks per exam set covering all CKAD curriculum domains
• Real-world scenarios reflecting actual production use cases
• Progressive difficulty from simple to complex implementations
• Time-constrained practice (5-10 minutes per task) matching exam conditions

• Automated testing scripts for each task
• Idempotent validation ensuring reliable results
• Comprehensive error handling and cleanup procedures
• Real-time feedback with detailed success/failure messages

• Multiple exam sets with unique scenarios and configurations
• Domain-balanced coverage following official CKAD curriculum
• Cross-domain integration tasks combining multiple concepts
• Troubleshooting scenarios for real-world problem-solving

• Isolated namespaces for each task to prevent conflicts
• Clear task descriptions with specific requirements
• Complete solutions for self-assessment
• Validation scripts that match exam-style verification

task-XX-[descriptive-name]/
├── prep/                    # Preparation resources
│   ├── namespace.yaml       # Isolated namespace
│   └── [resources].yaml     # Base configurations
├── task/
│   └── task-description.md  # Clear instructions
└── answer/
    ├── solution.yaml        # Complete solution
    ├── solution.md          # Step-by-step explanation
    └── validation.sh        # Automated verification

• Application Environment, Configuration and Security (25%): 4 tasks
• Application Design and Build (20%): 3 tasks
• Application Deployment (20%): 3 tasks
• Services and Networking (20%): 3 tasks
• Application Observability and Maintenance (15%): 2 tasks

• Kubernetes cluster (minikube, kind, or cloud-based)
• kubectl configured and working
• Helm (for Helm-related tasks)
• Docker or Podman (for custom image tasks)

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/your-username/ckad-ai.git
   cd ckad-ai

2. Start your Kubernetes cluster

   # For minikube with NetworkPolicy support
   minikube start --cni=calico --driver=docker
   
   # Verify cluster is ready
   kubectl get nodes

3. Choose an exam set

   # Navigate to exam-0 (first exam set)
   cd ckad-tasks/exam-0
   
   # Or exam-1 for different scenarios
   cd ckad-tasks/exam-1

4. Start with a task

   # Begin with task-01 (Pod configuration)
   cd task-01-pod-configuration
   
   # Read the task description
   cat task/task-description.md
   
   # Create your solution in the prep/ directory
   # Then validate your work
   ./answer/validation.sh

• Kubernetes Resource Management: Pods, Deployments, Services, ConfigMaps, Secrets
• Application Configuration: Environment variables, volume mounts, configuration management
• Networking: Services, Ingress, NetworkPolicies, DNS resolution
• Storage: PersistentVolumes, PersistentVolumeClaims, volume management
• Security: RBAC, ServiceAccounts, SecurityContext, Pod security
• Troubleshooting: Log analysis, status investigation, error resolution
• Package Management: Helm charts, custom resources, CRDs

• Web Applications: Nginx deployments, frontend/backend services
• Microservices: Multi-container patterns, service communication
• Data Processing: Jobs, CronJobs, batch processing workflows
• Security Hardening: Network policies, RBAC configuration
• Monitoring: Health probes, log analysis, troubleshooting

1. Domain Analysis: Ensure balanced coverage across CKAD domains
2. Scenario Creation: Develop realistic, production-like scenarios
3. Difficulty Progression: Start simple, progress to complex multi-step tasks
4. Unique Configurations: Each task has different namespaces and resource names
5. Cross-Domain Integration: Include tasks combining multiple CKAD domains

• Task completable within 5-10 minutes
• Clear validation criteria and automated testing
• Idempotent validation scripts
• Proper resource isolation (namespace-based)
• Real-world, production-like scenarios
• No solution hints in task descriptions

• Realistic exam scenarios based on actual CKAD curriculum
• Time-constrained tasks matching real exam conditions
• Progressive difficulty to build confidence gradually
• Complete solutions for self-assessment and learning

• Automated testing that mimics exam verification
• Comprehensive feedback on task completion
• Resource cleanup to prevent cluster pollution
• Error handling for common exam pitfalls

• Realistic Difficulty: Tasks match actual CKAD exam complexity
• Time Efficiency: Tasks completable within 5-10 minutes
• Curriculum Alignment: All CKAD domains properly covered
• Real-world Relevance: Scenarios reflect actual production use

• Unique Exam Sets: Each exam has completely different scenarios
• Mixed Difficulty: Balanced simple → medium → complex progression
• Production Focus: Real-world scenarios, not theoretical examples
• Multiple Approaches: Tasks with multiple valid solution paths

# For NetworkPolicy support (required for some tasks)
minikube start --cni=calico --driver=docker

# Verify NetworkPolicy support
kubectl get pods -n kube-system | grep calico

• kubectl: Kubernetes command-line tool
• Helm: Kubernetes package manager
• Docker/Podman: Container runtime (for custom images)
• Git: Version control

Each task follows a standardized structure:

• Task Description: Clear requirements and success criteria
• Preparation Resources: Base configurations and broken resources
• Solution Templates: Complete working implementations
• Validation Scripts: Automated testing and verification

• Namespace Isolation: Each task uses isolated namespaces
• Resource Cleanup: Validation scripts clean up all resources
• Error Handling: Graceful handling of missing resources
• Clear Feedback: Detailed success/failure messages

Welcome contributions to improve the CKAD practice exams!

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch: git checkout -b feature/new-exam-task
3. Follow exam task structure standards
4. Include comprehensive validation scripts
5. Test thoroughly with different Kubernetes versions
6. Submit a pull request

• Exam Quality: Follow the established task creation guidelines
• Validation Scripts: Ensure idempotent and comprehensive testing
• Documentation: Clear task descriptions and solution explanations
• Testing: Verify with multiple Kubernetes distributions

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

• CNCF: For the CKAD certification program
• Kubernetes Community: For the excellent documentation and examples
• Open Source Contributors: For the tools and libraries that make this possible

• Issues: Report bugs or request features via GitHub Issues
• Discussions: Join community discussions for help and tips
• Documentation: Check the task descriptions for detailed guidance

Ready to ace your CKAD exam? Start with your first practice exam and build your confidence! 🚀