FAQ - Linux Foundation
Do I get free simulator access for my Linux Foundation exam?
Yes. If you purchased the CKA|CKS|CKAD|CNPE|LFCS exam, two simulator sessions are already included. You can access them through your Linux Foundation Exam Preparation Checklist.
(Use code KILLER30 and get 30% off on your purchase of the CKA, CKS, CKAD, CNPE, LFCS exam and all catalogue of courses, certs, and bundles)
How can I access my Linux Foundation simulator sessions?
You'll need to click on the Exam Simulator button in your Linux Foundation Exam Preparation Checklist:
For more details check the Preparing for the Exam section in the handbook. If the button is not available please contact the Linux Foundation Support.
Are the Linux Foundation simulator sessions the very same as if purchased directly on killer.sh?
Yes.
Is there more official information about this?
For more see the Simulator Announcement, the CKA CKAD CKS Faq and the CNPE Faq. For questions you can also contact the Linux Foundation Support.
FAQ - Remote Desktop PSI Bridge
The CKA|CKS|CKAD|CNPE|LFCS Exam UI is using a Remote Desktop (XFCE) instead of a Remote Terminal and the Linux Foundation released an update about this. Coming from macOS/Windows there will be changes in copy&paste for example.
Do the simulators have the Remote Desktop?
The CKA|CKS|CKAD|CNPE|LFCS simulators use a very similar Remote Desktop interface like the real Exam UI. But there are still differences, see below.
What are differences between the real exam Remote Desktop and the simulator implementation of it?
- You'll need to use the PSI Secure Browser to access the real exams whereas you can use Chrome/Firefox to access the simulators
- You can only access certain allowed URLs in the Remote Desktop's Firefox of the real exams whereas there are no such restrictions in the simulators
- In the simulators you can switch between the Remote Desktop and the Remote Terminal, this won't be possible in the real exams
How can I copy & paste?
What always works: copy+paste using right mouse context menu
What works in Terminal: Ctrl+Shift+c and Ctrl+Shift+v
What works in other apps like Firefox: Ctrl+c and Ctrl+v
The desktop is slow and lagging
This is possibly because of the remote VNC connection. Moving windows or scrolling through browser pages will be slower than locally.
The most common reason for connection issues is the usage of a VPN/Proxy, this can also be your company's remote-work software.
If you experience any kind of connection issues please make sure all points here are complied with:
- Don't use a VPN/Proxy
- Don't activate your company remote-work software
- Local development environments like Docker can interrupt ongoing connections, close these
- Switch Browser: use only latest Chrome or latest Firefox. Switch to the other if one is already used
- Disable ALL browser extensions/plugins and run in private mode
- Use a stable internet connection, with low usage by others
Other than that we can only suggest to restart your session using top nav "Restart Session". The new simulator environment will always be created in your closest location available.
Can I view the K8s Docs in my local browser in the real exam?
No. You need to use the Remote Desktop's Firefox browser.
I resized the browser and now the desktop has a wrong resolution
Just slightly decrease or increase the left side (where questions are shown) by dragging the separator. This will cause the desktop's resolution to adjust again.
Can I access the Solutions and Score inside the Remote Desktop?
Yes, there are icons for this on the desktop of the Remote Desktop.
The Remote Desktop is not usable for me / there are errors
You can switch to a Remote Terminal using the top menu "Exam Interface", this is not possible in the real exams.
FAQ - Before purchase
I'm in prep for the CKA|CKS|CKAD|CNPE|LFCS, is this for me?
Yes.
Which Kubernetes versions are used in the simulators?
| CKA: | 1.35 | (updated for 2025 changes) |
| CKS: | 1.35 | |
| CKAD: | 1.35 | |
| CNPE: | 1.35 |
How are the simulators intended to be used?
You should see our simulators like the real exam, prepare yourself before you go in:
- Study all exams topics somewhere else
- Start your first simulator session, learn from our solutions
- Study somewhere else somewhat more
- Start your second simulator session
- Rock the real exam
Between starting your first and second simulator session could be days or even weeks.
How will the simulator help me in preparation?
You'll get used to the mindset of having to solve questions under pressure. Try to solve as many questions by yourself in the shortest amount of time without checking our solutions.
Our questions are of the same type like in the real exam and our solutions are detailed and often show general ways of approaching specific issues.
Do I have to solve the questions under pressure/countdown?
The countdown is just an indicator for yourself. When the countdown reaches 0 you’ll be able to view the solutions and your score. You’ll still have access to your environment, 36 hours in total. You’ll always have access to the questions and solutions.
I'm not doing the CKA, CKS, CKAD or CNPE, is this for me?
If you like to test your Kubernetes knowledge, work, solve and investigate complex K8s questions, then maybe. But our simulators are for direct K8s exam preparation.
How many questions are there?
| CKA: | 17 + 17 |
| CKS: | 17 + 17 |
| CKAD: | 17 + 17 |
| CNPE: | 20 |
| LFCS: | 20 |
We have two different simulators for the CKA, the CKA-A and CKA-B.
We have two different simulators for the CKS, the CKS-A and CKS-B.
We have two different simulators for the CKAD, the CKAD-A and CKAD-B.
For the other exams we offer one simulator.
Will I get other questions if I purchase a second time?
No. Every session of the same simulator type will have the same questions. For example, every CKA-A session will always have the same questions. Same for CKA-B, CKS-A, CKS-B, CKAD-A, CKAD-B, CNPE, and LFCS.
Can I get a preview?
Once you register, before payment, you can preview 3 questions for the CKA|CKS|CKAD. These preview questions are in addition to the ones of the full course. The preview questions are also part of the environments you'll be provided with, so you can solve the preview questions when purchasing the full course.
Do you offer refunds or a testing period?
We don't offer this. If you had issues with your simulator session just contact support and we figure out a way to solve it.
Why don't you provide unlimited access?
The environments that we create cost good amount of cloud resources. We decided to implement it this way to simulate the real exam environments where this is also the case.
For unlimited environments check out our partner platform Killercoda.
We also offer cheaper re-buys of single simulator sessions, see above for more.
How much does this cost?
39.99 USD for two CKA sessions (one in simulator CKA-A and one in simulator CKA-B)
39.99 USD for two CKS sessions (one in simulator CKS-A and one in simulator CKS-B)
39.99 USD for two CKAD sessions (one in simulator CKAD-A and one in simulator CKAD-B)
29.99 USD for two CNPE sessions (in the same simulator)
29.99 USD for two LFCS sessions (in the same simulator)
Cheaper rebuy rate?
If you decide you need more than two sessions, then a cheaper rebuy rate of 9.99 USD per single session will be automatically applied if you already purchased (or got Linux Foundation access for) the same simulator during the last 12 months.
If you rebuy a single session for the CKA|CKS|CKAD, then you can select type A or B during activation and the type can't be changed afterwards.
But we suggest to come prepared, then two sessions should be enough.
How can I pay?
You can pay by Credit Card, Paypal, Google Pay and Apple Pay.
Can I pay in another currency than USD or EUR?
We only offer payments in USD and EUR. But the bank of your credit card will perform automatic currency conversion. Please contact your bank for info about additional costs.
Do you offer bulk or voucher purchases?
Yes, we offer companies to purchase vouchers in bulk. Any user using a voucher will gain simulator access without payment necessary. Please contact us on support.
Will you calculate a score?
Yes. But we suggest to also compare your solutions to ours. We think this has a great learning effect because we also provide additional tips and information which you might otherwise skip if you just look at the score.
Brain Score Analysis
Brain is integrated into your simulator environment. It analyses your score and gives tips on what can be improved in your solutions. More here.
Why don't you show percentages on the score?
Because we don't want to give the impression that if you get a certain percentage in our simulator you would also get that percentage in the real exam.
Will there be partial scoring in the real exam?
Yes. The Linux Foundation will calculate a score based on successful subtasks. Also considering if some subtasks are harder than others.
What’s the expiration?
Once you make the purchase you can activate your sessions independently over the time of one year.
Why do both simulator sessions have identical questions?
The two simulator sessions for the CKA|CKS|CKAD have different questions.
The CNPE|LFCS simulators have the same questions in both sessions, but also more questions than in the real exams.
Because of this it might be too difficult to solve and study all questions in one session, hence we provide two in the same simulator.
What happens once the simulator countdown reaches 0?
The countdown is just an indicator for yourself. When the countdown reaches 0 you’ll be able to view the solutions and your score. You’ll still have access to your environment, 36 hours in total. You’ll always have access to the questions and solutions.
Can I stop the countdown early to directly access the solutions?
Yes, but we suggest you try to solve all questions yourself before checking our solutions.
Can I restart an environment?
Yes, while in the 36 hour window. This will completely reset the environment and you start from scratch. The time it takes for the new environment to boot up will be added to the expiration date, so you won't lose any time.
Is this course for me if I have zero knowledge of Kubernetes?
No, best is you already have some knowledge about Kubernetes and are somewhat comfortable with kubectl. This course is mainly for testing your existing knowledge if you’re chasing the CKS, CKA, CKAD or CNPE.
How can I log in?
Currently you can login using the external services
- Linux Foundation
- Github
- Gitlab
You can also login using Email where we send a login link to you without the need of defining a password.
Where can I see my email address used to log in?
You can see it in your Account Section .
Can I stream or create videos with killer.sh content?
Please request permission via Support.
What if I still have questions?
You can contact us at Support
Who is behind this?
We are a group of Kubernetes and hands-on exam enthusiast. What we have in common is that we are amazed by modern software infrastructure and various technologies. The idea of this platform was created and developed by Kim Wüstkamp.
FAQ - Session Runtime
How long can I access my simulator session?
Once activated, a simulator session is accessible during the next following 36 hours.
The 36 hours are time based and not usage based.
The 36 hours cannot be spread over multiple days or weeks and have to be used at once.
After the 36 hours have passed, you’ll still have access to the questions and our solutions, but not the interactive environment.
Can I close or reload the browser without losing my solutions?
Yes. For the 36 hours your session will be kept running in the background. You can close the window or even use a different browser.
My session should still be active but I can't access it?
Make sure you select the correct one from your dashboard. Sessions are accessible for the next 36 hours after activation, which is 1.5 days. The 36 hours are time based and not usage based.
SSH connection issue, do I need a password?
No password is required. Ensure to run "exit" to get back to your main terminal because nested ssh is not possible. You could also open a new Terminal Emulator application, if your exam uses the Remote Desktop (CKA|CKS|CKAD|CNPE|LFCS), which should start at your default instance and default user.
Slow or interrupted connection?
The most common reason for connection issues is the usage of a VPN/Proxy, this can also be your company's remote-work software.
If you experience any kind of connection issues please make sure all points here are complied with:
- Don't use a VPN/Proxy
- Don't activate your company remote-work software
- Local development environments like Docker can interrupt ongoing connections, close these
- Switch Browser: use only latest Chrome or latest Firefox. Switch to the other if one is already used
- Disable ALL browser extensions/plugins and run in private mode
- Use a stable internet connection, with low usage by others
- Use the Remote Terminal instead of the Remote Desktop, select from top menu once simulator is fully loaded
Other than that we can only suggest to restart your session using top nav "Restart Session". The new simulator environment will always be created in your closest location available.
I have keyboard issues, some keys don't work in the terminal
For macOS it could be your keyboard layout. Please go to Preferences->Keyboard->Input Sources. There search for English and then select "ABC" (or maybe called "Default"). Switching the layout should solve the input issue.
For Windows try to change your keyboard layout to a different English one.
For Ubuntu+Chrome for example users report keyboard issues, switch to Firefox or Chromium. Also open killer.sh in private browser mode.
Why does the score not work for my solution?
Please apply our provided solution step-by-step. If it still doesn't work please restart your environment ("Exam Controls -> Restart Session") and try again. Compare our solution closely to yours, you can also post your solution in our Discord community.
Where can I see the solutions?
Head to your active terminal. On the "Exam Controls" you find a menu with item "Solutions".
My environment is misconfigured and not reachable/working properly
You can restart your environment via "Exam Controls -> Restart Session".
Where can I restart my environment?
While in the 36 hours access window you can select to your active terminal. You find the action under "Exam Controls -> Restart Session".
Control Zoom in Remote Desktop (XFCE)
It can happen that you enable zoom by accident. You can control and reset it with:
- Ctrl + Mouse Wheel Up/Down
- Ctrl + Touchpad Up/Down
- Cmd + Mouse Wheel Up/Down (on macOS)
- Cmd + Touchpad Up/Down (on macOS)
Control Maximized Windows in Remote Desktop (XFCE)
Sometimes a window (like the Terminal Emulator) may become fully maximized, preventing you from accessing other windows or the main panel. You can toggle this with:
- Alt + F11
- Option + F11 (on macOS)
I have a question about a question
Please ask all content questions in our Discord community.
Where is the course/simulator content?
The full course content (questions+solutions+tips) will be available once the countdown of an activated session reached 0. Check one below to see how to access the content earlier.
Head to your active terminal. On the "Exam Controls" you find a menu with item "Solutions". This link will contain the complete course content.
Can I access the course/simulator content before activating a session?
We strongly believe that you get the best learning effect if you try to solve the questions by yourself without access to the solutions. If you rather disagree with this approach you can access the questions and solutions before simulator activation by adding /content to the url of the Activate Simulator Session screen. Like this:
https://killer.sh/attendee/{YOUR_SESSION_UUID}/content
More Questions?
Discord for scenario and content discussions
Support for session/account issues
