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30 Free CNCF KCNA Practice Questions

Real practice questions for the CNCF Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate (KCNA) exam, with answers and detailed explanations. Updated 2026.

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Below are 30 real practice questions for the CNCF Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate (KCNA) exam. Each question shows the correct answer and a detailed explanation when you reveal it. Use these to benchmark your readiness — if you score below 70% on these 30 questions, plan for at least 4 more weeks of study before booking.

KCNA Practice Questions

  1. FreePracticeQuiz.questionLabelKubernetes Fundamentals

    What is the primary responsibility of kube-scheduler?

    A
    Store cluster configuration and state
    B
    Maintain network rules on each node
    C
    Assign newly created pods to nodes based on resource requirements and constraints
    D
    Execute container images on worker nodes
  2. FreePracticeQuiz.questionLabelKubernetes Fundamentals

    etcd in a Kubernetes cluster is:

    A
    A container runtime
    B
    The default ingress controller
    C
    A distributed, consistent key-value store holding all cluster state
    D
    A load balancer for API requests
  3. FreePracticeQuiz.questionLabelKubernetes Fundamentals

    Which component runs on every worker node and ensures containers described in PodSpecs are running?

    A
    kube-controller-manager
    B
    kube-proxy
    C
    kubelet
    D
    cloud-controller-manager
  4. FreePracticeQuiz.questionLabelKubernetes Fundamentals

    A DaemonSet is best used when you need to:

    A
    Run N replicas of a stateless web app
    B
    Run a batch job to completion
    C
    Run one pod per node (or subset of nodes) for cluster-wide agents
    D
    Run a one-shot task on a schedule
  5. FreePracticeQuiz.questionLabelKubernetes Fundamentals

    Which Service type exposes the service on each node's IP at a static port?

    A
    NodePort
    B
    LoadBalancer
    C
    ExternalName
    D
    ClusterIP
  6. FreePracticeQuiz.questionLabelKubernetes Fundamentals

    You need to provide a database password to a pod. Which object is most appropriate?

    A
    A plain env var in the pod spec
    B
    PersistentVolume
    C
    ConfigMap
    D
    Secret
  7. FreePracticeQuiz.questionLabelKubernetes Fundamentals

    A pod is stuck in Pending. Which of these is the LEAST likely cause?

    A
    A PersistentVolumeClaim cannot be bound
    B
    The container inside has crashed repeatedly
    C
    Taints on nodes the pod does not tolerate
    D
    Insufficient node CPU or memory
  8. FreePracticeQuiz.questionLabelKubernetes Fundamentals

    A Deployment directly manages which object?

    A
    ReplicaSets
    B
    Pods
    C
    StatefulSets
    D
    DaemonSets
  9. FreePracticeQuiz.questionLabelKubernetes Fundamentals

    What is the defining purpose of a StatefulSet vs a Deployment?

    A
    It performs rolling updates faster than a Deployment by skipping readiness checks
    B
    It provides stable network identities (predictable pod names) and stable persistent storage per replica
    C
    It enables horizontal scaling without an upper replica limit
    D
    It automatically provisions PersistentVolumes without needing a StorageClass
  10. FreePracticeQuiz.questionLabelKubernetes Fundamentals

    Which kubectl command applies configuration declaratively?

    A
    kubectl deploy file.yaml
    B
    kubectl run file.yaml
    C
    kubectl create -f file.yaml
    D
    kubectl apply -f file.yaml
  11. FreePracticeQuiz.questionLabelKubernetes Fundamentals

    Labels and selectors are used to:

    A
    Define resource limits
    B
    Identify and group objects, enabling loose coupling between them
    C
    Enforce pod-to-pod security
    D
    Encrypt data at rest
  12. FreePracticeQuiz.questionLabelKubernetes Fundamentals

    A namespace in Kubernetes provides:

    A
    Separate etcd instances
    B
    Encrypted pod traffic
    C
    A scope for resource names, enabling multi-tenant division of a cluster
    D
    Strong security isolation by default
  13. FreePracticeQuiz.questionLabelKubernetes Fundamentals

    Which statement about Pods is true?

    A
    Each container in a pod has its own IP
    B
    A pod must contain exactly one container
    C
    Pods automatically survive node failures
    D
    Containers in a pod share the network namespace and can share volumes
  14. FreePracticeQuiz.questionLabelKubernetes Fundamentals

    A PersistentVolumeClaim (PVC) represents:

    A
    A backup of pod data
    B
    A compressed log archive
    C
    A user's request for storage that binds to a PersistentVolume
    D
    A physical disk on a node
  15. FreePracticeQuiz.questionLabelKubernetes Fundamentals

    An Ingress resource provides:

    A
    DNS resolution
    B
    HTTP/HTTPS routing rules from outside the cluster to internal Services
    C
    Container image storage
    D
    Pod-to-pod encryption
  16. FreePracticeQuiz.questionLabelKubernetes Fundamentals

    Which component maintains iptables/IPVS rules on nodes to implement the Service abstraction?

    A
    CoreDNS
    B
    kubelet
    C
    kube-scheduler
    D
    kube-proxy
  17. FreePracticeQuiz.questionLabelKubernetes Fundamentals

    Taints and tolerations are used to:

    A
    Automatically drain and cordon nodes during cluster upgrades
    B
    Limit the CPU and memory a pod is allowed to consume
    C
    Attract pods to specific nodes based on node labels
    D
    Repel pods from nodes unless the pod explicitly tolerates the taint
  18. FreePracticeQuiz.questionLabelKubernetes Fundamentals

    A ReplicaSet's core responsibility is to:

    A
    Ensure a specified number of pod replicas are running at any time
    B
    Mount persistent storage
    C
    Schedule pods across zones
    D
    Perform rolling updates and rollbacks
  19. FreePracticeQuiz.questionLabelKubernetes Fundamentals

    ConfigMaps should NOT be used for:

    A
    Feature flags
    B
    Non-sensitive env variables
    C
    Database passwords and API tokens
    D
    Application config files
  20. FreePracticeQuiz.questionLabelKubernetes Fundamentals

    When a pod is deleted, its IP address:

    A
    Is tied to the pod name
    B
    Is released; a new pod gets a different IP
    C
    Is reserved for that pod if recreated
    D
    Persists for 5 minutes
  21. FreePracticeQuiz.questionLabelKubernetes Fundamentals

    Which is NOT a Kubernetes workload resource?

    A
    StatefulSet
    B
    Deployment
    C
    LoadBalancer
    D
    Job
  22. FreePracticeQuiz.questionLabelKubernetes Fundamentals

    A CronJob creates:

    A
    A StatefulSet
    B
    A Deployment
    C
    Jobs on a time-based schedule
    D
    A ReplicaSet
  23. FreePracticeQuiz.questionLabelKubernetes Fundamentals

    How do control plane components typically talk to worker nodes?

    A
    Through kube-proxy only
    B
    Via etcd replication
    C
    Directly via SSH
    D
    Through the kubelet on each node, which watches the API server
  24. FreePracticeQuiz.questionLabelKubernetes Fundamentals

    The Horizontal Pod Autoscaler (HPA) scales based on:

    A
    CPU, memory, or custom/external metrics of pods
    B
    Image size
    C
    The number of nodes
    D
    Time of day
  25. FreePracticeQuiz.questionLabelKubernetes Fundamentals

    RBAC permissions are granted by which pair of resources?

    A
    Roles/ClusterRoles and RoleBindings/ClusterRoleBindings
    B
    Policies and Bindings
    C
    Users and Groups
    D
    Namespaces and Labels
  26. FreePracticeQuiz.questionLabelKubernetes Fundamentals

    Which statement is true about the container image tag latest?

    A
    Guarantees the newest secure version
    B
    Is a mutable pointer that can change, making deployments non-reproducible
    C
    Cannot be used in production
    D
    Is immutable and version-pinned
  27. FreePracticeQuiz.questionLabelKubernetes Fundamentals

    A pod requests 250m CPU and 256Mi memory with no limits set. What does this mean?

    A
    It will be OOM-killed if it exceeds 256Mi
    B
    The pod cannot exceed 250m CPU
    C
    The pod is guaranteed those resources; can burst higher if node capacity allows
    D
    It will not be scheduled
  28. FreePracticeQuiz.questionLabelKubernetes Fundamentals

    Which probe determines if a container is ready to receive traffic from a Service?

    A
    Startup probe
    B
    Liveness probe
    C
    Health probe
    D
    Readiness probe
  29. FreePracticeQuiz.questionLabelContainer Orchestration

    Which interface standardizes how kubelet talks to container runtimes?

    A
    CNI
    B
    OCI
    C
    CSI
    D
    CRI
  30. FreePracticeQuiz.questionLabelContainer Orchestration

    CNI plugins are responsible for:

    A
    Storing cluster state
    B
    Assigning IPs and configuring pod network connectivity
    C
    Providing DNS
    D
    Scheduling pods
Progress: 0 of 30 questions completed

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Frequently Asked Questions

Are these real KCNA practice questions?+
Yes. These 30 questions are taken directly from our 463+ Questions pool, written and reviewed by certified practitioners. They mirror the style, difficulty, and scope of the official CNCF KCNA exam.
Is the KCNA exam hard?+
The CNCF Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate (KCNA) is considered a pass-mark exam (passing score: 75%). Most candidates need 4–8 weeks of focused preparation. Use these free questions to gauge where you stand before committing to a full study plan.
How many questions are on the real KCNA exam?+
The official KCNA exam has 60 multiple-choice questions.
Do I need to sign up to use these questions?+
No. These 30 questions are free and require no signup. If you want timed simulation, performance analytics, and access to all 463+ Questions, our paid plans start at $2.99 per exam with credits that never expire.

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