This CKA practice question tests your understanding of cluster architecture, installation and configuration. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A kubeadm cluster is being upgraded from v1.28 to v1.29. You have upgraded the control plane components on the first master node. What is the NEXT step according to the recommended upgrade procedure?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "first"
Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
Drain the first node
Why wrong: Draining should be done before upgrading kubelet, not after.
Upgrade the worker nodes
Why wrong: Worker nodes should be upgraded after all control planes.
Upgrade the remaining control plane nodes
Control plane nodes are upgraded sequentially.
Run kubeadm upgrade plan
Why wrong: Upgrade plan is run before starting the upgrade.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Upgrade the remaining control plane nodes
After upgrading the control plane components on the first master node in a kubeadm cluster, the next step is to upgrade the remaining control plane nodes. The kubeadm upgrade procedure requires upgrading all control plane nodes before any worker nodes, because the control plane must be fully upgraded to v1.29 to ensure API server compatibility and etcd cluster consistency. Skipping to worker nodes or draining the first node prematurely would violate the upgrade order specified in the official Kubernetes upgrade documentation.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Drain the first node
Why it's wrong here
Draining should be done before upgrading kubelet, not after.
Upgrade the worker nodes
Why it's wrong here
Worker nodes should be upgraded after all control planes.
Upgrade the remaining control plane nodes
Why this is correct
Control plane nodes are upgraded sequentially.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Run kubeadm upgrade plan
Why it's wrong here
Upgrade plan is run before starting the upgrade.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often think draining the first node is the next step after upgrading it, but draining is actually done before the upgrade to safely evict pods, not after the control plane components have been updated.
Detailed technical explanation
The kubeadm upgrade process follows a strict order: first upgrade the control plane nodes one by one (starting with the primary node), then upgrade worker nodes. This ensures the Kubernetes API server version is updated first, maintaining compatibility with the etcd cluster and allowing the kubelet on worker nodes to be upgraded later. The 'kubeadm upgrade apply' command on the first control plane node handles upgrading core components like kube-apiserver, kube-controller-manager, and kube-scheduler, while subsequent control plane nodes use 'kubeadm upgrade node' to synchronize the configuration.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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What to study next
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FAQ
Cluster Architecture, Installation and Configuration — This question tests Cluster Architecture, Installation and Configuration — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Upgrade the remaining control plane nodes — After upgrading the control plane components on the first master node in a kubeadm cluster, the next step is to upgrade the remaining control plane nodes. The kubeadm upgrade procedure requires upgrading all control plane nodes before any worker nodes, because the control plane must be fully upgraded to v1.29 to ensure API server compatibility and etcd cluster consistency. Skipping to worker nodes or draining the first node prematurely would violate the upgrade order specified in the official Kubernetes upgrade documentation.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
This CKA practice question is part of Courseiva's free CNCF certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CKA exam.
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