CKAD Application Design and Build Practice Question
What is the correct schedule expression for a CronJob that runs every 5 minutes?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse the step syntax placement: putting `*/5` in the hour field (as in option C) instead of the minute field, mistakenly thinking it means 'every 5 minutes' when it actually means 'every 5 hours'.
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
✓
*/5 * * * *
The CronJob schedule expression `*/5 * * * *` uses the step syntax (`*/5`) in the minute field, which tells the CronJob to run every 5 minutes. In Kubernetes CronJobs, the schedule follows standard cron syntax: minute, hour, day of month, month, day of week. The asterisk means 'every' and the slash with a number means 'every N units', so `*/5` in the minute field triggers the job at minutes 0, 5, 10, 15, etc., effectively every 5 minutes.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
*/5 * * * *
Why this is correct
This is the valid schedule for every 5 minutes: the minute field uses the */5 step syntax, meaning the job fires at minutes 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, and 55. All remaining fields (hour, day of month, month, day of week) are wildcards, so no further restriction is applied. With no seconds field, standard cron has a minute resolution.
- ✗
* * * * *
Why it's wrong here
* * * * * is not correct because the first field is an unqualified wildcard, which matches every possible minute value from 0 through 59. That means a Kubernetes CronJob with this schedule would attempt to start a Pod every single minute, producing 1,440 runs per day instead of 288 runs per day. The missing */5 step is precisely why it fails to meet the 'every 5 minutes' requirement.
- ✗
0 */5 * * *
Why it's wrong here
The expression 0 */5 * * * places the step on the hour field rather than the minute field: the minute is pinned to 0, while hours increment by 5 (0, 5, 10, 15, 20). As a result, the job executes only at the top of every fifth hour, i.e., five times per day, which is a 5-hour interval rather than a 5-minute interval. This misinterpretation of the field order is the core error.
- ✗
5 * * * *
Why it's wrong here
With 5 * * * *, the minute field is a literal 5 (not a step), and the hour field is a wildcard, so the job runs exactly once per hour at HH:05. Over a 24-hour period that yields 24 executions, far fewer than the required one every 5 minutes. Cron evaluates that first field as 'minute equals 5,' not 'every 5 minutes,' so the schedule is quickly ruled out.
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