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A lighter CKAD simulator
Live cluster in the browser. Four 30-minute sections. One mock is free. Built to sit, fail, and retake — not to copy the official exam desktop.
| Typical simulators | KubeLab | |
|---|---|---|
| Cluster | Remote desktop | Browser: kubectl and helm |
| Free start | Often none | One mock, 16 questions |
| Timer | One 2-hour block | Four 30-minute sections |
| Retakes | Usually two sessions | While subscribed |
| Scoring | Solutions after the sit | Live rubric on the cluster |
| Flashcards | Separate product | Free, in the same account |
| Price | One-off, two sits | €15/month, cancel anytime |
Killer Shell, KillerCoda, and Alta3 helped me start. This page is not a dump on them. They copy the exam desktop on purpose. That is a valid choice. It is not the one KubeLab makes.
The official CKAD UI is a remote desktop. You will sit it once, on the day. Practicing inside a copy of that UI trains patience and lag as much as kubectl. I needed something I could fail on quickly and restart.
KubeLab gives you a fresh isolated Kubernetes cluster in the browser. kubectl and helm, no local install. Four 30-minute sections, live scoring, 70% to unlock the next. One mock stays free. Subscribe for the other four and for retakes.
Same kind of work as exam day: weighted tasks on a live cluster. Not the official exam, not a PSI desktop. Practice the skill somewhere light. The desktop fight can wait for the real sitting.
Is KubeLab a Killer Shell alternative?
If you want a live Kubernetes cluster and timed CKAD tasks, yes. If you want a copy of the official remote-desktop exam UI, no — that is what Killer Shell is for. KubeLab is the browser-terminal version: 30-minute sections, live scoring, one mock free.
Should I practice in a copy of the exam UI?
You will sit that UI once. The rest of the time you need to iterate. Lag and a remote desktop are not the skill. Get fast at the work in a light environment, then spend your patience on exam day.
What is free?
A free account opens one full mock (16 questions, four 30-minute sections) plus flashcards and the YAML reference. The other four mocks are the subscription.