CKA, CKAD and CKS Exam Discounts: Where Official Offers Appear and What to Check
Where Linux Foundation announces CKA, CKAD and CKS discounts, how to check a code, and verified exam facts: format, duration, retake and validity.
Quick answer: The 50% Kubernetes exam offer once listed on this page ran in October and November 2022 and has ended. The Linux Foundation, which delivers CKA, CKAD and CKS with the CNCF, runs promotions from time to time. They are shown on the Linux Foundation Training and Certification site (for example in the banner at the top of the certification pages) and sent to its newsletter subscribers. This page lists no promo codes. Check the official site for the current price before you buy.
Key takeaways
- The 2022 offer and its code have expired. No code on this page is valid.
- Official promotions appear on training.linuxfoundation.org and in the Linux Foundation newsletter. Treat codes from other sources with care until they work at the official checkout.
- CKA, CKAD and CKS are online, proctored, performance-based exams of 2 hours each. You solve tasks on a command line in a live Kubernetes environment.
- At the time of review, each exam purchase includes one retake, two Killer.sh simulator sessions and 12 months to schedule. Each certification is valid for 2 years.
- You must pass CKA before you can attempt CKS.
Where official Kubernetes exam discounts are announced
This page was first written for a Linux Foundation promotion that ran from 10 October to 1 November 2022. That offer has ended, and the promo code and contact details that were listed have been removed.
The Linux Foundation runs seasonal promotions. To find a current one:
- Open the exam page on training.linuxfoundation.org. When a promotion is running, it is advertised in the site banner. At the time of review (October 2026) the site showed a Cybersecurity Awareness Month sale; check the site for the terms and dates, which may have changed.
- Subscribe to the Linux Foundation Training newsletter using the sign-up form on its site. The Linux Foundation says subscribers receive exclusive discounts and early access to offers.
- Look at the CNCF certification pages, such as the CNCF CKA page, which link to the same official store.
Past promotions have often coincided with events and sale periods such as Black Friday. Dates and percentages change every year, so do not rely on old blog posts, including our own, for a live code.
How to check a discount code is genuine
- Confirm the offer is announced on the Linux Foundation or CNCF site. A third-party page alone is not enough.
- Apply the code at checkout on the official store. A valid code reduces the price before you pay.
- Read the expiry date and which products it covers: exam only, or bundles with a course or subscription.
- Do not pay a third party for a "voucher" you cannot verify.
CKA, CKAD and CKS exam facts
All figures below are from the Linux Foundation exam pages on 18 October 2026. Check them again before booking.
| CKA | CKAD | CKS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Certified Kubernetes Administrator | Certified Kubernetes Application Developer | Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist |
| Focus | Installing, configuring and troubleshooting clusters, networking, storage and workloads | Designing, building and running applications on Kubernetes | Cluster hardening, supply chain and runtime security |
| Format | Online, proctored, performance-based tasks on a command line | ||
| Duration | 2 hours | ||
| Kubernetes version (at time of review) | v1.37 | v1.37 | v1.35 |
| Prerequisite | None | None | Must have passed CKA |
| Retake | One retake included | ||
| Simulator | Killer.sh, two sessions of 36 hours each from activation | ||
| Scheduling window | 12 months from purchase | ||
| Validity | 2 years | ||
The Linux Foundation updates the exam environment to the latest Kubernetes minor version about 4 to 8 weeks after each Kubernetes release, so the version in the table will move. For the list price in your region, see each exam page rather than relying on a figure here.
How to prepare
- Learn Kubernetes fundamentals: pods, deployments, services, ConfigMaps and Secrets, storage and RBAC.
- Practise on your own cluster with kind, minikube or kubeadm on virtual machines. Match the Kubernetes minor version to the one the exam uses.
- Get fast with
kubectl. Generate manifests instead of typing them, for examplekubectl create deployment web --image=nginx --dry-run=client -o yaml > web.yaml. - Know the Kubernetes documentation. Check the current candidate handbook for which documentation sites you may open during the exam.
- Use both Killer.sh sessions under timed conditions and review every mistake.
Our guide to clearing CKA, CKAD and CKS on the first attempt goes into more detail. The older Black Friday discount post and Cisco CCNA discount post show how past promotions were announced; their codes have also expired.
Common mistakes
- Waiting for a discount and delaying preparation.
- Buying from a seller who cannot show where a code comes from.
- Booking the exam before you are quick on the command line.
- Studying for an older Kubernetes version than the one the exam uses.
- Booking CKS before passing CKA.
Next steps
For guided Kubernetes preparation, see our CKA course.
Related reading
References
- Linux Foundation: Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA)
- Linux Foundation: Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD)
- Linux Foundation: Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS)
- CNCF: CKA certification
- Kubernetes documentation
Last reviewed: 18 October 2026.
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