This Is What the CAPA Exam Looks Like
In one line
CAPA is a multiple-choice exam, and you must score at least 75% within 90 minutes to pass.
Why read this first
The most common failure in certification study is not from not knowing the content but from going in without knowing the form of the exam. If you do not know what the passing score is, how tight the time is, or which domains have the most questions, you cannot set your preparation priorities.
Official specification
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Format | Multiple choice |
| Time limit | 90 minutes |
| Passing score | 75% |
| Number of questions | 60 |
| Exam fee | $250 (includes one retake) |
| Validity | 2 years |
These values were taken from the candidate documentation at docs.linuxfoundation.org. The certification's introduction page does not state the passing score or the number of questions, so if you prepare from that page alone, you will walk into the exam room without knowing the passing score.
Domain weighting
| Domain | Weight | Number of questions in this mock exam |
|---|---|---|
| Argo Workflows | 36% | 22 questions |
| Argo CD | 34% | 20 questions |
| Argo Rollouts | 18% | 11 questions |
| Argo Events | 12% | 7 questions |
Domains with a larger weight have more questions. Use this ratio as the basis when you allocate study time. This mock exam also distributes its questions in the same proportions.
This is where answers diverge
When you grade a mock exam, the questions you get wrong cluster into one pattern. It is not that you did not know the content, but that you missed which of two similar concepts was being asked about. When one of the pairs below comes to mind as you read a question, sort it first by the criterion in the third column.
| This | That | What separates them |
|---|---|---|
| Argo CD | Argo Rollouts | If it is about running a canary or blue-green, it is Rollouts |
| Workflows | Events | The layer that receives outside events is Events |
| sync-wave | sync hook | If it sets the order, it is a wave; if it sets the timing, it is a hook (PreSync and so on) |
| Application | AppProject | If it limits what can be deployed where, it is AppProject |
| automated sync | automated cleanup (prune) | Deleting resources that have disappeared from git is prune |
| analysis failure | sync failure | If it stopped on a metric judgment, it is analysis |
This does not mean you should memorize the table. If you mark which pair each wrong question touched, the place to study again becomes much narrower than a domain name.
What you can look at while answering
In a multiple-choice exam, you cannot look at any materials. Documentation, search, and notes are all disallowed. This is the biggest difference from a hands-on exam.
What you actually experience at the exam site
Many people know all the content but get flustered by the procedure and lose time.
The exam is taken with online proctoring on PSI's Bridge platform. The procedure in which the proctor checks by video takes up to 30 minutes, and during this time the questions do not open and the time limit does not start. Even so, you should keep your schedule clear for 30 minutes of check-in plus the exam time.
There are four things checked at check-in. Agreeing to the nondisclosure agreement, a government-issued ID that exactly matches your registered name, showing the room by panning the webcam, and closing unapproved software. Because of the last item, you save time if you turn off background programs such as Slack or cloud sync beforehand.
There are several conditions that candidates in Korea tend to get caught on. Your ID must have a signature, so a passport is the safest. You can use only one monitor, and dual monitors are not supported. Both on top of and under the desk must be clear of objects, writing on paper is prohibited, and reading the questions aloud is not allowed either. On a company network or VPN, access to AWS S3 is sometimes blocked and you get caught in the pre-check.
You can change your reservation only up to 24 hours before the start. And if you book and do not show up, you not only lose the exam fee but also lose your retake eligibility. The results come by email within 24 hours after the exam.
The exam fee includes one retake, and you must complete both the exam and the retake within 12 months of the original purchase date. There is no official waiting period, so you can retake right after you get your result. Rather than postponing because your preparation is not perfect, it is often better to take it once and find out which domain is weak.
The certification is valid for 2 years. The CARE program introduced in 2026 overlaps with this. If you pass CKA or CKAD, KCNA is automatically renewed, and if you pass CKS, KCSA and CKA are automatically renewed. However, you must earn the lower certifications first for this chain to work. If you earn CKA first and KCNA later, that CKA will not renew KCNA. If you are aiming for Golden Kubestronaut, this order determines your renewal burden for the next several years.
How to use this mock exam
The time limit is set the same as the real exam. The remaining time is shown at the top of the screen, and when time runs out it is submitted automatically and unanswered questions are marked wrong. The real exam also grades only what you have answered at that point.
It is important to sit through it from start to finish in one go. If you look things up partway through, the score goes up, but that score does not predict the real exam. What you want to check is not whether you know it but whether you clear the passing score within the time limit.
After you read the explanations of the questions you got wrong, study again the domain those questions belong to.