CKAD First Attempt

First Attempt

I failed the first CKAD attempt. I’ve noted here on some of the reasons why I failed and also what I can do on the 2nd round.

Contributing Reasons

I’m noting a few factors I felt contributed to this:

• I usually code on my desk. However, for this exam, it didn’t meet the requirements. The table had to be clear of everything (an empty table).
  • I was asked to move to an area with an empty table.
  • The new location I had to move to was a coffee table and I had to kneel or cross my legs.
  • Throughout the entire certification I had 50%+ of my concentration eliminated due to discomfort.
• The following topics I will need to reinforce. I’ve done them all the time in production, but given I only had 2 hours, I will need to think faster:
  • Network Policies
  • Using kubectl and exposing ports.
  • Less time looking at K8s documentation and more using kubectl -h or kubectl describe
• Not enough practice. At minimum, I should be spending 1 hour a day purely on K8s practice questions that uses kubectl.

Next Attempt

On the next attempt, I plan to do the following before:

• Find a location that won’t hinder my concentration. I felt this was the greatest issue I had.
• Emphasize on the following as stated previously:
  • Network Policies
  • Using kubectl and exposing ports. Read documentation and videos hardening my understanding on:
    • kubectl run nginx –image=nginx –dry-run –restart=Never –port=80 -o yaml > nginx.po.yaml
    • kubectl expose deployment nginx –port=80
  • Less time looking at K8s documentation and more using kubectl -h or kubectl describe
• Use kubectl api-resources
• Get used to:
  • kubectl config set-context –current –namespace=foo
  • alias ll=’ls -alF’
• Each day until the next attempt:
  • KodeKloud.com Labs – Certified Kubernetes Application Developer
  • K8s Docs: Declare Network Policy

Conclusion

There were some knowledge gaps that I will need to work on. I felt my biggest issue was doing this in my living room. I had a sub-optimal experience having to move my setup to a coffee table.

My concentration was impacted and there was people on the phone in the background. On the next attempt, I will be doing some more practice on several areas and possibly go to a Hotel nearby to take the test.

Update: Passed CKAD

I past the CKAD on January 18, 2021. Click Here to see my latest post on some of my thoughts and lessons learned of the CKAD 2nd test.