CNCF certifications every exam, price and renewal rule
5 exams · $250 to $445 · foundational, associate, specialty
Exams
5 of 5 exams, by vendor and level
| Exam | Price | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate (KCNA)KCNA · Foundational · 90 min | Foundational | $250 | 90 min | 2 years | Sep 24 |
| Kubernetes and Cloud Native Security Associate (KCSA)KCSA · Foundational · 90 min | Foundational | $250 | 90 min | 2 years | Sep 24 |
| Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA)CKA · Associate · 120 min | Associate | $445 | 120 min | 2 years | Sep 24 |
| Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD)CKAD · Associate · 120 min | Associate | $445 | 120 min | 2 years | Sep 24 |
| Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS)CKS · Specialty · 120 min | Specialty | $445 | 120 min | 2 years | Sep 24 |
About CNCF certification
Renewal
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.
Retakes
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.
Sources: each vendor's own certification pages, rechecked weekly. Prices are US list prices before tax; the vendor's page is the final word. Logos via logo.dev; trademarks belong to their owners.