I recently took two CNCF-related certification exams.
- Certified GitOps Associate (CGOA) on May 20, 2026
- Certified Argo Project Associate (CAPA) on May 23, 2026
I passed CGOA with 90% and CAPA with 80%. The passing score for both exams was 75%.
I became a Kubestronaut in March, but from April to mid-May, I focused mainly on getting used to my new work environment after changing jobs.
At the same time, I started working with Kubernetes and FluxCD for the first time in April. From late April, I became responsible for both selecting and implementing technologies for an internal developer platform (IDP).
As part of that work, I touched many tools in the CNCF ecosystem, including Argo CD, Kyverno, Prometheus, Grafana, Envoy Gateway, OpenCost, and Backstage.
Working with these tools made me realize how powerful and useful the CNCF ecosystem is.
At first, I was casually thinking about becoming a Golden Kubestronaut by the end of the year. But after getting more interested in the CNCF ecosystem through hands-on work, I decided to study more actively and take certification exams regularly to check my understanding.
I could not find many exam experience articles for CGOA and CAPA, unlike CKS and other Kubernetes exams, so I decided to write one myself.
CGOA:
Certified GitOps Associate (CGOA)
CAPA:
Certified Argo Project Associate (CAPA)
Exam results
Here are my results.
- CGOA: 90%
- CAPA: 80%
- Passing score: 75%
Exam details:
- Exam dates: May 20, 2026 for CGOA, May 23, 2026 for CAPA
- Location: Coworking space
- Device: MacBook Air, 2022, M2, 13.6-inch
My impression of the exams
CGOA was relatively straightforward.
Most of the questions could be answered if you understood the four GitOps principles well. In my opinion, solving the KodeKloud mock exams, which I mention later, was enough preparation for CGOA.
CAPA was much harder for me.
The exam covered Argo CD, Argo Rollouts, Argo Events, and Argo Workflows. I had used Argo CD at work, so I honestly felt a bit overconfident before the exam.
However, many questions asked about commands, manifest fields, and template syntax. I had not memorized those details well enough.
This made me realize one thing clearly: relying too much on AI tools can make you weaker at remembering exact commands and YAML structure.
During the CAPA exam, I flagged around 37 out of 65 questions for review. At that point, I honestly thought I might fail.
But when I calmly reread the scenarios in the questions, I found that several of them could be solved by understanding the context carefully. In the end, I managed to pass.
If my English reading ability had been weaker, I think I might have failed CAPA. The questions themselves were not impossible, but reading the scenario correctly was important.
For both exams, I finished with about 20 minutes remaining.
Study materials I used
As I did for CKA and CKS, I mainly used KodeKloud.
KodeKloud
I watched all the KodeKloud videos and went through the mock exams three times for each certification.
For CGOA, I think KodeKloud was enough.
For CAPA, however, I do not think KodeKloud alone was enough if you want to pass comfortably.
If you are preparing for CAPA, I recommend practicing by writing Application manifests and argocd CLI commands by hand. It is also useful to get familiar with the basic structure of Argo Workflows, Argo Events, and Argo Rollouts manifests.
These are the courses I used:
Prep Course - GitOps Certified Associate (CGOA)
Prep Course - Certified Argo Project Associate (CAPA)
What I would recommend
For CGOA, focus on the GitOps principles first.
You should be able to explain what it means for Git to be the single source of truth, why declarative configuration matters, and how reconciliation works.
For CAPA, do not rely only on conceptual understanding.
It is important to know the actual Argo ecosystem components and how they are written in YAML. Even if you use Argo CD in your daily work, that does not automatically mean you are ready for CAPA.
In my case, I had hands-on experience with Argo CD, but I was still not comfortable enough with the details of commands and templates.
If I were to study again, I would spend more time writing manifests manually instead of just reading explanations or relying on AI-generated examples.
Final thoughts
After these two exams, I also passed CNPA on May 25 and CBA on May 29.
For June, I am still deciding whether to continue with more CNCF certifications or prioritize renewing my AWS certifications.
Overall, CGOA was a good exam to check my understanding of GitOps, and CAPA was a good reminder that practical tool usage and exam readiness are not always the same thing.
If you are working with GitOps or the Argo ecosystem, I think both exams are worth taking as a way to organize your knowledge.
