CNCF certification practice
Practise Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate KCNA across all 5 official exam domains — Kubernetes Fundamentals, Container Orchestration, Cloud Native Architecture, Cloud Native Observability, and more — with original exam-style questions, full explanations, and wrong-answer analysis. Courseiva helps you prepare with realistic practice questions, topic-based revision, explained answers and structured study routes.
Ways to study KCNA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
New here? Start with this
Start with a 25-question practice test
Covers all 5 domains · takes ~5 min · no account needed · shows your weak areas immediately
Key facts for the Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate KCNA exam.
Exam cost
$250 USD / ~£200
Duration
90 minutes
Question count
60 questions
Passing score
75%
Validity
3 years
Delivered by
The Linux Foundation (PSI Online)
Online proctored
Yes — available
Retake policy
One free retake included; subsequent retakes require repurchase
Question formats
The Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate (KCNA) is a foundational, multiple-choice certification from the CNCF and The Linux Foundation that tests conceptual knowledge of Kubernetes and the broader cloud native ecosystem. It covers Kubernetes fundamentals, container orchestration principles, cloud native architecture, the CNCF landscape, and core cloud native observability concepts. Unlike the CKA, CKAD, and CKS, the KCNA is a proctored multiple-choice exam — not a hands-on performance test. It is designed for candidates who are beginning their cloud native journey and want a recognised credential before investing in the more demanding practitioner certifications.
Official prerequisite
None — no formal prerequisites
Recommended experience
Basic understanding of Linux, networking, and cloud concepts; some exposure to containers (Docker) is helpful but not required
Beginners who want to validate foundational cloud native and Kubernetes knowledge before pursuing hands-on certifications like the CKAD or CKA
Should you skip this exam?
Engineers already working hands-on with Kubernetes daily — the KCNA is conceptual and will feel too introductory; go straight to the CKAD or CKA
Courseiva study tip
Focus on the CNCF landscape (what each project does), Kubernetes object definitions, and cloud native design principles — the exam tests breadth of knowledge, not deep command-line skill.
UK salary range
£35,000 – £55,000
US salary range
$65,000 – $95,000
Job roles that cite KCNA
What certification to take next
The KCNA costs $250 USD and includes one free retake. This is less expensive than the hands-on CNCF certifications (CKA, CKAD, CKS) which cost $395 each.
You need to score at least 75% to pass the KCNA. Results are typically available within 24 hours of completing the exam.
The KCNA has 60 multiple-choice and multiple-response questions, which you must complete within 90 minutes.
The KCNA covers Kubernetes fundamentals (~46%), container orchestration (~22%), cloud native architecture (~16%), cloud native observability (~8%), and cloud native application delivery (~8%). It tests conceptual understanding, not hands-on cluster tasks.
If you are already working hands-on with Kubernetes, the KCNA may be too introductory. You would likely get more career value from the CKAD or CKA, which demonstrate practical skills employers directly test for.
The KCNA certification is valid for 3 years from the date you pass. You renew by passing the exam again.
Yes — the KCNA builds the conceptual vocabulary (pods, deployments, services, namespaces, CNCF ecosystem) that underpins the hands-on exams. However, it does not replace practical lab practice; you will still need significant hands-on preparation before attempting the CKA or CKAD.
See how KCNA stacks up against related certifications.
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Everything on Courseiva for KCNA is free — no subscription, no trial, no email wall.
Courseiva Exam Intelligence
Data confidence: BuildingDerived from Courseiva's continuously updated practice dataset: 833 exam-style questions. Updated 2 July 2026.
Question difficulty mix
Average time per question: 79s
5
Exam domains
official blueprint domains covered by the bank
833
Questions
exam-style questions in the KCNA bank
Practice modes
Choose a mode that matches your current study phase. Use topic practice early on and mock exams closer to your exam date.
All KCNA Questions
Browse the full question bank organised by domain and difficulty.
Practice Test
Start a 20-question session with a full explanation after each answer.
Mock Exam
Simulate the real exam with a timed, full-length question set.
Quick 25
A 25-question warm-up — ideal for a short daily study session.
Flashcards
Reinforce key terms, commands, and protocol facts with flashcards.
Domain Practice
Focus exclusively on one exam domain to target your weakest area.
50-Question Set
Mid-length practice set covering all domains.
Exam guide
Start with a short practice session, review each missed answer, then return to the topics that caused mistakes.
Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate KCNA spans 5 official exam domains (Kubernetes Fundamentals, Container Orchestration, Cloud Native Architecture, and more). Questions test whether you can apply each objective in a realistic scenario, not just recall a definition.
Related practice questions
Use these internal links to move from the exam guide into focused topic practice pages.
Practise KCNA questions linked to Kubernetes Fundamentals.
Practise KCNA questions linked to Container Orchestration.
Practise KCNA questions linked to Cloud Native Architecture.
Practise KCNA questions linked to Cloud Native Observability.
Practise KCNA questions linked to Cloud Native Application Delivery.
Practise KCNA questions linked to KCNA fundamentals.
Practise KCNA questions linked to KCNA scenario.
Practise KCNA questions linked to KCNA troubleshooting.
Practice directory
Every practice set is a unique selection of questions — numbered tests, domain-focused sessions, and topic-specific quizzes.
Showing 8 of 56 tests. See all 56 KCNA practice tests →
Official blueprint
Target weak areas by practising questions from a single domain. Each domain page shows all questions, difficulty breakdown, and a focused practice session.
Practise KCNA questions in this domain →
Practise KCNA questions in this domain →
Practise KCNA questions in this domain →
Practise KCNA questions in this domain →
Practise KCNA questions in this domain →
Term reference
These terms appear frequently in KCNA questions. Understanding them precisely reduces guessing and improves scores.
GitOps
GitOps is a way to manage and automate cloud infrastructure and applications by using a Git repository as the single source of truth, where all changes are made through pull requests and automatically applied by a software agent.
Namespaces
A Namespace in Kubernetes is a virtual cluster within a physical cluster that allows you to organize and isolate resources, like an apartment building with separate units for different tenants.
Helm Charts
Helm Charts are packages of pre-configured Kubernetes resources that let you install, upgrade, and manage complex applications on a Kubernetes cluster with a single command.
Microservices Architecture
Microservices architecture is a way of building software as a collection of small, independent services that each handle one specific business function and communicate over a network.
Cloud Native Concepts
Cloud native concepts are a set of practices and technologies that allow applications to be built, deployed, and scaled dynamically in modern cloud environments like public, private, and hybrid clouds.
Serverless computing
Serverless computing is a cloud execution model where the cloud provider dynamically manages the allocation and provisioning of servers, allowing developers to write and deploy code without thinking about the underlying infrastructure.
ReplicaSet and Replication
A ReplicaSet ensures a specified number of identical pod instances are running at all times in Kubernetes, using replication to maintain availability and stability.
Service Mesh
A service mesh is a dedicated infrastructure layer that manages communication between microservices, handling tasks like service discovery, load balancing, encryption, and observability without requiring changes to application code.
Learn the concepts
12 book-style chapters cover every KCNA objective in plain English. Read the theory here, then test it with practice questions.
Chapter 1
Cloud Native Architecture and Concepts
12 min read
Chapter 2
Kubernetes Overview and Core Components
12 min read
Chapter 3
Kubernetes API and Core Objects
18 min read
Chapter 4
Pods and Workload Management
12 min read
Chapter 5
Services and Network Connectivity
12 min read
Chapter 6
Configuration and Storage Management
12 min read
Chapter 7
Security and RBAC in Kubernetes
12 min read
Chapter 8
Kubernetes Networking and DNS
12 min read
Free study guide
The Courseiva KCNA study guide covers exam format, the official domain blueprint with weights, a structured study plan, and domain-specific tips for each section. Use it alongside practice questions to build both conceptual depth and exam confidence.
Sample questions
Original exam-style questions — not copied from any exam or dump site. Open a question for the full answer breakdown.
A cloud-native application experiences intermittent failures when calling an external API. The team implements a pattern that allows the application to temporarily stop calling the…
Drag and drop the steps to troubleshoot a Pod stuck in CrashLoopBackOff into the correct order.
Which TWO of the following are characteristics of immutable infrastructure? (Select two.)
A developer wants to deploy a stateless web application that should scale to 5 replicas. Each replica must be identical and should be automatically replaced if it fails. Which Kube…
Drag and drop the steps to create a Kubernetes Namespace and deploy an application into it into the correct order.
Which TWO of the following are valid ways to assign a pod to a specific node?
Related certifications
Studying for KCNA? These related CNCF certifications share concepts and are common next steps.
Certified Kubernetes Application Developer
CKAD · 953 practice questions
Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist
CKS · 866 practice questions
Certified Kubernetes Administrator
CKA · 302 practice questions
Courseiva provides free Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate KCNA (KCNA) practice questions with original exam-style questions, detailed explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics. Courseiva is an independent platform and is not affiliated with CNCF.