CKA in 2026 — troubleshooting is now the biggest domain
The Certified Kubernetes Administrator curriculum, its domain weightings, what changed, and why the exam rewards speed at the terminal more than knowledge.
Topic
Certifications
What each CNCF exam actually tests, what changed recently, and which one is worth your time first.
4 posts
CKS — the Kubernetes security exam, and the CKA prerequisite trap
Curriculum weightings for the Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist, the prerequisite rule that is more ambiguous than people assume, and how to prepare.
CKAD — the Kubernetes exam for people who ship on it
Curriculum weightings for the Certified Kubernetes Application Developer, how it differs from CKA in character rather than difficulty, and how to prepare.
CKA, CKAD or CKS — which Kubernetes exam to take first
A side-by-side of the three CNCF Kubernetes certifications by cost, weighting and audience, plus the ordering constraint that decides it for most people.