CKAD Application Design and Build Practice Question
A Kubernetes Job with parallelism=3 and completions=6 is created. How many pods will run concurrently at most?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse `parallelism` (max concurrent pods) with `completions` (total successful pods needed), leading candidates to multiply or add the two values incorrectly.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
3
The `parallelism` field in a Kubernetes Job specifies the maximum number of pods that can run concurrently. With `parallelism=3`, at most 3 pods will run at the same time, regardless of the total number of completions required.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
3
Why this is correct
In Kubernetes Jobs, the 'parallelism' field specifies the maximum number of Pods that may run concurrently. Here it is explicitly set to 3, so at most three Pods will be active at any given time, regardless of how many have completed. Completions only sets the total number of successful Pods required (6), not the concurrency limit.
- ✗
9
Why it's wrong here
The value 9 is likely derived by adding parallelism (3) and completions (6), but no Kubernetes Job field represents that sum. The Job controller treats parallelism and completions independently: parallelism caps concurrent Pods, while completions defines the total target for successful completions. Therefore, 9 is not a meaningful concurrency or completion count for this Job.
- ✗
6
Why it's wrong here
The value 6 corresponds to the 'completions' field, which specifies the desired number of successful Pod completions the Job must achieve overall. It is not a concurrency limit; the maximum simultaneous Pods is governed by 'parallelism'. Due to retries or replacements, the actual total number of Pods created may exceed 6, but the Job completes only after 6 distinct successful Pods finish.
- ✗
1
Why it's wrong here
While Kubernetes does default 'parallelism' to 1 when the field is absent, this Job explicitly sets parallelism to 3. That explicit setting overrides the default, so the controller allows up to three Pods to run at once. Choosing 1 would ignore the spec and misrepresent the concurrency behavior, especially since completions is 6 and parallelism directly controls how many Pods can progress in parallel.
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