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Muhammad Fahad
Muhammad Fahad

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📘 How to Easily Pass the CKS Exam — Real Tips from a Dev

#kubernetes #devops #certification #security

Thinking of leveling up your Kubernetes game with the CKS (Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist) certification?

You’re on the right path. This cert is not just a badge — it proves you actually know how to secure a Kubernetes cluster in the real world.

But let’s be honest... it’s not easy.

So here are practical tips to pass the CKS exam without burning out. 🧠

🧩 1. Know What the Exam Is (and Isn’t)

The CKS is a hands-on, performance-based exam.

It’s not multiple choice — you’ll be working directly in a live Kubernetes environment.

You have 2 hours to complete 15–20 practical tasks, like configuring network policies, RBAC rules, Pod security contexts, and more.

✅ You must have CKA before taking CKS!

📚 2. Official Curriculum = Your Bible

Don’t waste time guessing — the CKS curriculum lists exactly what you’ll be tested on.

Break it into sections:

  • Cluster Setup (TLS, authentication, authorization)
  • System Hardening
  • Minimize Microservice Vulnerabilities
  • Supply Chain Security
  • Monitoring, Logging & Runtime Security

✅ Use the curriculum like a checklist. Tick off each concept once you’ve practiced it.

🧪 3. Practice > Reading

CKS is all about doing, not memorizing.

So fire up a lab and practice every single topic hands-on.

🧰 Tools you’ll need to be comfortable with:

  • kube-bench, kube-hunter
  • AppArmor, seccomp, pod security standards
  • Falco, Sysdig, auditd
  • Image signing: cosign, notary, trivy

🧪 Labs to try:

📑 4. Use Bookmarks During the Exam

Yes — you can use Kubernetes official docs during the exam!

Just be smart about it:

✅ Bookmark these:

❌ No Stack Overflow, blogs, or YouTube — those are blocked.

⌛ 5. Time Management = Life Saver

2 hours might feel long, but you’ll run out of time fast if you’re not careful.

Tips:

  • Don’t get stuck on one question — skip and come back later
  • Keep an eye on your timer
  • Mark difficult questions and revisit with leftover time

📂 6. Know Your YAML and Kubectl

You’ll write a LOT of YAML — quickly.

Be fluent with:

  • PodSecurityPolicies (deprecated but still tested)
  • RBAC roles, ClusterRoles, RoleBindings
  • SecurityContext fields
  • NetworkPolicies

And master these commands:


bash
kubectl explain pod.spec.securityContext
kubectl create role --dry-run=client -o yaml
kubectl get events --sort-by='.metadata.creationTimestamp'
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