KCNA practice exam: free questions, domains and format

What is the KCNA exam?

KCNA is the Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate exam from the Linux Foundation and CNCF. It is a multiple-choice, proctored online exam that checks whether you understand Kubernetes and the surrounding cloud native landscape: what the control plane and nodes do, how containers are orchestrated, how applications are delivered, and why cloud native architecture looks the way it does. It is a knowledge exam, not a hands-on one, so you answer questions instead of typing commands. That makes it the usual first step for people new to Kubernetes, and it is one of the five core certifications of the Kubestronaut tier, which in turn is the base of the Golden Kubestronaut program. Officially it is the Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate certification, a multiple-choice exam in the Kubestronaut core tier of the 16-certification Golden Kubestronaut program. The sections below cover its official domains, the verified format and cost, and its place in the path.

Because the exam is associate level, questions test whether you recognise the right concept or object for a situation rather than whether you can configure it under pressure. Expect to be asked what a Pod, a Deployment or a Service is for, how scheduling and scaling behave, what a container runtime does, and how observability, security and GitOps-style delivery fit around a cluster.

KCNA exam domains and weights

KCNA has four domains. Kubernetes Fundamentals is by far the largest at 44%, followed by Container Orchestration at 28%, Cloud Native Application Delivery at 16% and Cloud Native Architecture at 12%. Together the first two make up most of the exam, so the Kubernetes objects, the control plane components and the way containers are scheduled and run deserve most of your study time. The two smaller domains are broader and more conceptual: delivery pipelines, observability, autoscaling and the CNCF landscape. Weights are the published percentages from the official certification page, checked on 23 October 2026. The official list has 4 domains: the largest is Kubernetes Fundamentals at 44% and the smallest is Cloud Native Architecture at 12%, so a sensible plan splits study time roughly in proportion to these weights.

The domains build on each other. Fundamentals gives you the vocabulary of Kubernetes, orchestration explains how that vocabulary turns into running workloads, application delivery covers how code reaches the cluster, and architecture explains the design principles behind it. Revise them in that order and use practice questions to see which of the four you answer slowly.

KCNA exam format and cost

The KCNA exam facts below were read from the official Linux Foundation pages on 2026-10-23, and every row of the table links to the page it came from. Format: Online, proctored, multiple-choice. Questions: 60. Duration: 90 minutes. Passing score: 75%. Price: 250 US dollars. Certification validity: 2 years. Prerequisites: None. Retake policy: One retake per exam purchase if a passing score is not achieved. Curriculum version: not published by the Linux Foundation. Prices and policies change, so confirm them on the official KCNA page before you book. If the Linux Foundation changes a value, this page is updated and shows the date it was last verified.

With 60 questions in 90 minutes you have about 90 seconds per question on average, which is enough to read a scenario carefully but not to agonise over one item. If every question counts equally, 75% of 60 is 45 correct answers, so one unknown topic does not decide the result. Flag a hard question, move on, and return to it at the end.

Treat the table as the single source for numbers on this page. If a row says the Linux Foundation does not publish a value, we print that instead of guessing, and the official KCNA page remains the final word on registration and policy.

How GoldenKube practice works for KCNA

GoldenKube turns the KCNA bank into a practice loop. You answer one question at a time, see right away whether you were correct, and read an explanation of why. The next question is chosen for you: reviews that are due come first, then the domain where you are weakest, spread across all 4 exam domains so you do not only practise what you already know. A question you miss comes back on a spaced schedule until you answer it correctly, and a mock exam mode lets you test yourself under exam conditions. You can answer 10 questions as a guest with no sign-up; after that a free account saves your progress, with no credit card.

• Adaptive order: due reviews first, then your weakest domain.
• Spaced repetition: missed questions return until you have mastered them.
• Every question carries an explanation, not just a right-or-wrong verdict.
• Mock exam mode for a timed run once you are close to ready.

5 sample KCNA questions

The five questions below come from the GoldenKube KCNA bank, and each one shows its correct answer and a written explanation. They are practice questions written for learning, not questions from the real exam, and they were picked once so the page stays stable. Use them as a quick check of your level: if you can explain why each wrong option is wrong, you are in good shape for this part of the syllabus, and if not, the explanation shows what to revise. The sample questions page holds a larger set, and the practice app holds the full bank with adaptive ordering and review.

Where KCNA sits in the Golden Kubestronaut path

KCNA is one of the 5 core Kubestronaut certifications, and Golden Kubestronaut requires all 16 certifications in the program, so KCNA is a required step. Its own prerequisites, per the Linux Foundation: None. The program page lists all 16 certifications side by side and marks which ones GoldenKube can practice today. It is a multiple-choice exam, so it is a sensible place to start. Many candidates take KCNA first to learn the vocabulary, then KCSA for the security view, and only then move to the hands-on CKA, CKAD and CKS. The associate exams from the other projects in the program build on the same Kubernetes foundation.

Passing KCNA does not unlock anything else by itself, but the knowledge carries directly into the hands-on exams, where you will be expected to know the objects you are asked to create. The program page shows the full list of sixteen certifications and which of them GoldenKube can practice today.

Frequently asked questions