This guide is for anyone booking the Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) exam who wants to know which course to pick and how to practice for an exam that happens entirely in a terminal. All three are on Udemy, and I read every fact on the course page.
- Best overall: KodeKloud's course (Mumshad Mannambeth), with in-browser labs already on Kubernetes 1.35.
- For people who already use Kubernetes: Zeal Vora's course, 25.5 hours with an exam preparation section.
- Starting from zero: Kubernetes for the Absolute Beginners, also from KodeKloud, before the exam course.
| Course | Level | Length | View course |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) with Practice Tests Udemy Best overall | All levels | 26 h | View course |
| Certified Kubernetes Administrator 2026 Udemy For working Kubernetes users | Intermediate | 25.5 h | View course |
| Kubernetes for the Absolute Beginners – Hands-on Udemy Starting from zero | Beginner | 6.5 h | View course |
What the CKA exam looks like
The CKA has no multiple-choice questions. You get 15 to 20 hands-on tasks to solve on the command line against real Kubernetes clusters, in 2 hours, and you pass with 66%. The exam runs on Kubernetes v1.35 and you take it online with a remote proctor. During the exam you can use the official Kubernetes documentation and, for the CKA only, the Gateway API documentation.
Registration includes two attempts, 12 months to schedule, and two graded Killer.sh simulator sessions of 36 hours each. The certification is valid for 2 years.
A Kubernetes cluster has a control plane (the API server, etcd, the scheduler and the controller manager) and worker nodes, where the kubelet runs the pods. The exam asks you to install, configure and fix both.
There are five domains:
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| Troubleshooting | 30% |
| Cluster architecture, installation and configuration | 25% |
| Services and networking | 20% |
| Workloads and scheduling | 15% |
| Storage | 10% |
Since the exam is hands-on, the first thing I look at in a course is how much it makes you type commands. Hours of video count for less.
KodeKloud (Mumshad Mannambeth): best overall
Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) with Practice Tests
Mumshad Mannambeth, KodeKloud • Udemy
The most reviewed CKA course on Udemy. Its labs run in your browser and have been upgraded to Kubernetes 1.35. A good fit if you're new to Kubernetes.
- Level
- All levels
- Length
- 26 h
- Certificate
- Completion
- Rating
- 4.7 (94k)
- Audio
- English
- Subtitles
- English; 31 auto-generated languages
Pros
- In-browser labs, upgraded to Kubernetes 1.35 in April 2026
- 4.7 rating from more than 94,000 reviews
- Updated September 14, 2026
The course page says it's built for absolute beginners, and it was last updated on September 14, 2026. The labs are why I'd pick it: you solve tasks on a cluster in the browser without setting anything up, which is as close as you'll get to the exam format before the exam.
Zeal Vora: for working Kubernetes users
Certified Kubernetes Administrator 2026
Zeal Vora • Udemy
25.5 hours of lessons updated in July 2026, with an exam preparation section. Pick it if you already use Kubernetes at work and want to go through the exam syllabus.
- Level
- Intermediate
- Length
- 25.5 h
- Certificate
- Completion
- Rating
- 4.7 (3.7k)
- Audio
- English
- Subtitles
- English (auto); 16 more auto-generated languages
Pros
- 25.5 hours of lessons
- Dedicated exam preparation section with practice tests
- Updated July 16, 2026
Cons
- Marked intermediate: it assumes you already know Kubernetes basics
- No in-browser labs; you practice on your own cluster
The course is marked intermediate and has no in-browser labs. You practice on your own cluster, so you have to set up an environment first. It has far fewer reviews than KodeKloud's (about 3,700) and the same rating.
KodeKloud: starting from zero
Kubernetes for the Absolute Beginners – Hands-on
Mumshad Mannambeth, KodeKloud • Udemy
A short 6.5-hour course with hands-on exercises for people who have never used Kubernetes. It gives you the basics before an exam course.
- Level
- Beginner
- Length
- 6.5 h
- Certificate
- Completion
- Rating
- 4.6 (115k)
- Audio
- English
- Subtitles
- English (auto); 24 more auto-generated languages
Pros
- Made for people who have never used Kubernetes
- Hands-on coding exercises, updated September 10, 2026
- 4.6 rating from more than 115,000 reviews
Cons
- 6.5 hours of fundamentals only: the CKA needs an exam course after it
This one doesn't prepare you for the CKA. It covers only the fundamentals, such as pods, deployments, services and YAML files. It's from the same author as the best-overall course, and that one also says it suits beginners. If you're only going to take one, I'd start with the CKA course; this one is for people who want a slower start. It was updated on September 10, 2026 and has more than 115,000 reviews.
How I chose
I used the same methodology as every other guide. For this exam I looked at four things: practice on real clusters (the exam is all terminal), updates for the current Kubernetes version, coverage of the five domains, and entry level. For now I only compare courses on Udemy. I read every fact on the course page on September 27, 2026.
I left out Srinath Challa's Ultimate CKA, not updated since May 2023, and Digital Cloud Training's CKA Hands-On Training, rated 4.2 with 9 hours of video. The CKA practice test sets I found on Udemy are multiple choice with few reviews, which doesn't match a hands-on exam, so they're out too. The Killer.sh simulator isn't in the table because it already comes with the exam registration.
Frequently asked questions
What is the passing score?
66%. The exam has 15 to 20 hands-on tasks and lasts 2 hours.
Can I use the documentation during the exam?
Yes. The official Kubernetes documentation is allowed, and for the CKA the Gateway API documentation too. Practice finding things in it while you study.
Do I need practice exams on top of a course?
Registration already includes two Killer.sh simulator sessions. KodeKloud's course has in-browser labs, and Zeal Vora's has an exam preparation section with practice tests.
Which Kubernetes version does the exam use?
Kubernetes v1.35, according to the Linux Foundation's exam page on September 27, 2026.
How long is the certification valid?
2 years. To renew it, you take and pass the exam again.