A certification is prepared from its official exam guide, not from a course. When the site has recorded that guide, it links each of its domains to the skills that cover it, and the certification becomes a selectable goal. Otherwise, the certification page offers an associated preparation, without claiming to cover its objectives. This lesson explains the difference and what the site measures in each case.
Course and official exam guide
A course covers a subject; a certification's exam guide, published by the exam's vendor, lists its objectives, often by weighted domain. The two never quite match: a course teaches more than the exam, and the exam can ask for a gesture the course does not cover.
Modelled certification
For a modelled certification, the site has recorded the official guide word for word, with its source and date. Each exam domain is linked to the skills that cover it. On the certifications page, the “Add CKA to my goals” button (or its equivalent for the exam you target) makes it a goal: your path then keeps those skills and their prerequisites, as for a job.
Associated preparation
For the other certifications, the page points to the lessons and labs that prepare for the exam, and to the vendor's official page for the list of objectives. The site shows no coverage: without a recorded guide, it cannot say what is covered, and does not claim to.
Quizzes, practice exams and labs
End-of-lesson quizzes check each subject; practice exams mix subjects against the clock, in the exam's format. Labs, and above all certification capstones, make you practise gestures graded on the final state, as performance-based exams do.
Key takeaways
- A modelled certification becomes a goal, linked to skills.
- An associated preparation points to resources without claiming coverage.
- The vendor's official page remains the reference for objectives.
- Quizzes, practice exams and labs complement each other, they do not replace each other.