CKA vs CKAD: which certification should you get?
| Metric | CKA | CKAD |
|---|---|---|
| Exam / Program Cost | $445 | $445 |
| Study Hours | ~130h | ~100h✓ |
| Exam Duration | 120 min | 120 min |
| Exam Format | Performance-Based | Performance-Based |
| Level | Professional | Associate |
| Overall Score | 9.1/10✓ | 8.7/10 |
| Domain | IT | IT |
| Validity | 2 yrs | 2 yrs |
| Industry Standard | Yes✓ | No |
Choose CKA if...
- →DevOps engineers running Kubernetes in production
- →Platform engineers building internal developer platforms
- →SREs and cloud infrastructure specialists
Choose CKAD if...
- →Developers deploying apps to Kubernetes clusters
- →Backend engineers moving to cloud-native architectures
- →DevOps engineers with development responsibilities
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Top picks for CKA
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