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343 exams · 26 vendors

Certified Cloud Native Platform Engineer (CNPE) exam price, length, validity and renewal

CNCF · CNPENew

Exam guide

Exam facts

Price$445 per attempt, US list priceUSD, exam only; includes one retake, two exam simulator attempts and 12 months to take the exam; THRIVE-ONE bundle costs more
Length120 min
Questions15 to 20 tasks
FormatPerformance-based tasks in a Linux remote desktop (terminal and web interfaces), online proctored
Passing score64%
Valid for2 years
RenewalRetake and pass the exam before the certification expires; the renewed certification stays current for 2 more years from the date you pass.
PrerequisitesNone (CNPA or equivalent hands-on experience recommended)
LevelProfessional (CNCF calls it Intermediate)
DeliveryOnline proctored (PSI Bridge secure browser)
LanguagesEnglish
StatusNewLaunched 2025-11-11 per the Linux Foundation Education and CNCF announcements; exam environment runs Kubernetes v1.35
Last changedNov 11, 2025CNCF and Linux Foundation Education launched the CNPE certification
Sourcetraining.linuxfoundation.org/certification/certified-cloud-native-platform-engineer-cnpe/Last checked Nov 6, 2026

Changes

AddedCertified Cloud Native Platform Engineer (CNPE)Added by research; values read on the official pageOfficial page ↗
StatusnewCNPE launched by CNCF and Linux Foundation EducationOfficial page ↗

Other CNCF exams

CNCF program
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ExamPrice
Certified Argo Project Associate (CAPA)CAPAA foundational exam on automation, delivery and infrastructure as code.$250
Certified Backstage Associate (CBA)CBAA foundational exam on automation, delivery and infrastructure as code.$250
Certified Cloud Native Platform Engineering Associate (CNPA)CNPAFor platform engineers, DevOps practitioners, SREs, cloud native developers, infrastructure architects and IT professionals validating foundational platform engineering skills.$250
Certified GitOps Associate (CGOA)CGOAFor DevOps engineers, platform and software engineers, CI/CD practitioners and other team members who build internal developer platforms with GitOps built in.$250
Cilium Certified Associate (CCA)CCAA foundational exam on running and building on Kubernetes.$250
Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate (KCNA)KCNAFor beginners showing foundational knowledge of Kubernetes and the wider cloud native ecosystem.$250
Kubernetes and Cloud Native Security Associate (KCSA)KCSAPre-professional exam for people starting in cloud native security who want to show foundational security knowledge.$250
Kyverno Certified Associate (KCA)KCAA foundational exam on running and building on Kubernetes.$250
Linux Foundation Certified IT Associate (LFCA)LFCAA pre-professional certification for people new to IT or starting a career as an administrator or engineer, covering fundamentals including cloud computing.$250
Model Context Protocol Associate (MCPA)MCPANewFor practitioners proving foundational knowledge of Model Context Protocol concepts, use cases and implementation considerations for agentic AI systems.$250
OpenTelemetry Certified Associate (OTCA)OTCAA foundational exam on automation, delivery and infrastructure as code.$250
Prometheus Certified Associate (PCA)PCAA foundational exam on automation, delivery and infrastructure as code.$250
PyTorch Certified Associate (PTCA)PTCANewFor early-stage practitioners with some Python and machine learning experience who are beginning to use PyTorch.$250
Istio Certified Associate (ICA)ICAAn associate exam on running and building on Kubernetes.$250
PTCA Certification PathwayUnverifiedAn associate exam on cloud concepts, administration and day-to-day operations.$299
Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA)CKAFor Kubernetes administrators who install, configure, troubleshoot and manage production Kubernetes clusters.$445
Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD)CKADFor developers who design, build and deploy cloud native applications on Kubernetes.$445
Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator (LFCS)LFCSFor Linux system administrators proving distribution-independent administration skills in a performance-based exam that simulates on-the-job tasks.$445
Certified Kubernetes Network Engineer (CKNE)CKNEBetaUnverifiedValidates hands-on skill in Kubernetes networking, security and troubleshooting for platform engineers, network engineers and SREs.$445
Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS)CKSFor Kubernetes practitioners who hold the CKA and secure container-based applications and Kubernetes platforms during build, deployment and runtime.$445

DevOps and infrastructure as code exams from other vendors

Track
DevOpsNewOracle Cloud Infrastructure Cloud Ops ProfessionalFor cloud operations staff who operate, manage, monitor, secure and troubleshoot OCI environments.Oracle · 1Z0-1067-26 · Professional · 90 minDevOpsNewOracle Cloud Infrastructure DevOps ProfessionalFor DevOps engineers and developers applying DevOps practices, containers and secure deployment on OCI.Oracle · 1Z0-1109-26 · Professional · 90 minDevOpsNewOracle Cloud Infrastructure Observability ProfessionalFor SREs, cloud operations, developers and administrators who monitor and troubleshoot OCI environments.Oracle · 1Z0-1111-26 · Professional · 90 minDevOpsRed Hat Certified Advanced System Administrator in AnsibleTests writing Ansible playbooks with Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform to manage systems; counts toward Red Hat Certified Engineer in Ansible and Red Hat Certified Architect in Ansible.Red Hat · EX294 · Professional · valid 3 yearsDevOps$200Professional Cloud DevOps EngineerA professional exam on automation, delivery and infrastructure as code.Google Cloud · Professional · 120 minDevOps$200IBM Certified Cloud Pak for AIOps v4.6 Administrator - ProfessionalFor administrators who plan, size, install, upgrade, operate and troubleshoot IBM Cloud Pak for AIOps v4.6.IBM · C1000-188 · Professional · 90 minDevOps$200IBM Certified Instana Observability v1.0.277 Administrator - ProfessionalFor experienced administrators who install, configure, operate and integrate IBM Instana Observability.IBM · C1000-189 · Professional · 90 minDevOps$200IBM Certified Turbonomic ARM v8.x Administrator - ProfessionalFor administrators who configure application topology, targets, automation policies and capacity planning in IBM Turbonomic.IBM · C1000-164 · Professional · 90 min
ExamPrice
Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Cloud Ops Professional1Z0-1067-26NewFor cloud operations staff who operate, manage, monitor, secure and troubleshoot OCI environments.-
Oracle Cloud Infrastructure DevOps Professional1Z0-1109-26NewFor DevOps engineers and developers applying DevOps practices, containers and secure deployment on OCI.-
Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Observability Professional1Z0-1111-26NewFor SREs, cloud operations, developers and administrators who monitor and troubleshoot OCI environments.-
Red Hat Certified Advanced System Administrator in AnsibleEX294Tests writing Ansible playbooks with Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform to manage systems; counts toward Red Hat Certified Engineer in Ansible and Red Hat Certified Architect in Ansible.-
Professional Cloud DevOps EngineerA professional exam on automation, delivery and infrastructure as code.$200
IBM Certified Cloud Pak for AIOps v4.6 Administrator - ProfessionalC1000-188For administrators who plan, size, install, upgrade, operate and troubleshoot IBM Cloud Pak for AIOps v4.6.$200
IBM Certified Instana Observability v1.0.277 Administrator - ProfessionalC1000-189For experienced administrators who install, configure, operate and integrate IBM Instana Observability.$200
IBM Certified Turbonomic ARM v8.x Administrator - ProfessionalC1000-164For administrators who configure application topology, targets, automation policies and capacity planning in IBM Turbonomic.$200
About this exam

For experienced platform engineers, senior DevOps and SRE practitioners, platform architects and infrastructure engineers who design and evolve production-grade platforms.

What the official page says
  • Price: "The cost is $445 and includes one free retake."
  • Duration: "This exam is an 120-minute online, proctored, performance-based test."
  • Questions: "The exams consist of 15-20 performance-based tasks."
  • Validity: "CNPE Certification is valid for 2 years."

Certifications are valid for 2 years and are renewed by retaking and passing the exam before the expiration date, which extends them 2 years from the new pass date.

Each exam purchase includes one free retake, which must be taken within 12 months of the original purchase; SINGLE-attempt purchases and no-shows get no retake.

CNCF policy
Also read: cncf.io/training/certification/cnpe/, docs.linuxfoundation.org/tc-docs/certification/frequently-asked-questions-cnpe, docs.linuxfoundation.org/tc-docs/certification/important-instructions-cnpe, docs.linuxfoundation.org/tc-docs/certification/lf-handbook2/language, training.linuxfoundation.org/blog/cnpe/, cncf.io/announcements/2025/11/11/cncf-launches-cnpe-certification-to-define-enterprise-scale-platform-engineering-globally/