Exam format
Istio Certified Associate Exam Format
Everything the official exam blueprint specifies: question count, time limit, scoring and the weight each domain carries. The Istio Certified Associate (ICA) certification is a foundational credential designed to validate an individual's understanding of the Istio service mesh. As organizations transition to complex microservices architectures, the ability to manage traffic, enforce security policies, and gain deep visibility into service-to-service communication becomes critical. This exam assesses a candidate's proficiency in configuring the Istio control plane, managing the Envoy-based data plane, and implementing essential mesh capabilities. It covers the core lifecycle of a service mesh, from initial installation and sidecar injection to advanced traffic steering and zero-trust security models. Candidates must demonstrate not just theoretical knowledge, but a functional understanding of how Istio resources interact to provide a resilient and observable networking layer within Kubernetes-based environments.
- 60 questions
- 120 min
- 70% to pass
- 5 domains
certilumExam facts at a glance
What we know about this exam, and where the information comes from.
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Questions | 60 |
| Time limit | 120 minutes (120s per question) |
| Passing score | 70% |
| Domains | 5 |
| Level | Associate |
| Question bank here | 60 questions |
| Source | Certilum's own record — the vendor does not publish this figure |
Official domain weights
The percentage of the exam each domain carries. Weight your revision by these numbers, not by what you find hardest.
| Domain | Weight | Topics | Practice Qs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security | 20% |
| 12 |
| Observability | 20% |
| 12 |
| Istio Fundamentals | 25% |
| 15 |
| Traffic Management | 20% |
| 12 |
| Advanced Istio Features | 15% |
| 9 |
The heaviest domain is Security at 20%, and that is where lost points cost you the most. Certilum scores you per domain so you can see the difference between a knowledge gap and a formatting problem.
Note from the vendor record: Official exam price only on Linux Foundation (12 months of eligibility, 1 retake included, valid for 2 years). Bundles: with a THRIVE-ONE subscription $495; with the corresponding course $299. 2-hour performance-based exam, online proctored. Official exam page
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Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about the Istio Certified Associate exam.