Docker Certified Associate exam: cost, format and validity

What is the Docker Certified Associate certification?

The Docker Certified Associate (DCA) validates practical knowledge of Docker: running and orchestrating containers, building and managing images, installing and configuring Docker, and handling networking, security and storage. Mirantis describes it as the first exam in a multi-tiered professional certification program, serving as a foundational benchmark for real-world Docker skills.

The exam is no longer run by Docker, Inc. directly. Mirantis states that it acquired Docker’s enterprise platform business in November 2019, and today the DCA is sold through the Mirantis webstore and described on Mirantis’ training site. As checked on 8 October 2026, it is bookable and no retirement notice is posted.

Mirantis states the exam is designed to validate professionals with a minimum of 6 to 12 months of Docker experience, so it is aimed at people who already work with containers rather than complete beginners.

Source: Mirantis Training — DCA Certification Exam. Checked 8 October 2026.

How much does the Docker Certified Associate exam cost?

Mirantis lists the exam at USD $199 or €200, purchased online. The webstore shows the same amount as “starting at $199.00 per exam”.

There is no free retake. Mirantis’ conditions are that you wait 14 days from the day you fail before taking the exam again, and that you pay the exam price each time you attempt it.

The certification is valid for 2 years, and Mirantis states you are required to update it every two years. Mirantis does not describe a separate renewal fee on the exam page, so plan your budget on the assumption that renewal means passing the exam again until Mirantis says otherwise.

Source: Mirantis Training — DCA Certification Exam. Checked 8 October 2026.

What is the Docker Certified Associate exam format?

Unlike the Kubernetes and Red Hat exams, the DCA is not described as a performance-based lab exam. Mirantis states it consists of 13 multiple-choice and 42 discrete option multiple choice (DOMC) questions, answered in 90 minutes. That is 55 questions, or a little under 100 seconds per question if you use the full time.

DOMC works differently from ordinary multiple choice. According to Mirantis’ study guide, the answer options are randomly presented, one at a time, and for each option you decide yes or no on whether it is correct. You cannot compare all options side by side and eliminate the weakest, so you need to recognise a correct statement on its own.

The exam is remotely proctored on your own Windows or Mac computer, it is available globally in English, and results are delivered immediately.

Source: Mirantis Training — DCA Certification Exam. Checked 8 October 2026.

Docker Certified Associate passing score

There is no published passing score. Mirantis states: “Docker does not publish exam passing scores because exam questions and passing scores are subject to change without notice.”

Any specific DCA cut score you see elsewhere therefore does not come from the provider. For planning, aim to be solid across all six domains below rather than targeting a number, and weight your effort towards orchestration, which is the largest domain at 25%.

Because DOMC questions show options one at a time, partial knowledge is less forgiving than in classic multiple choice — a useful reason to practise judging individual statements as true or false.

Source: Mirantis Training — DCA Certification Exam. Checked 8 October 2026.

What is on the Docker Certified Associate exam?

Mirantis’ DCA study guide (version 1.5, January 2025) lists six domains with weightings. Orchestration and image management together account for 45% of the exam.

The study guide also states that candidates should have at least six months to one year of experience with Docker, including exposure to Docker Enterprise Edition — so the scope reaches beyond the single-host command line into cluster and registry topics.

• Orchestration — 25%
• Image Creation, Management, and Registry — 20%
• Installation and Configuration — 15%
• Networking — 15%
• Security — 15%
• Storage and Volumes — 10%

Source: Mirantis — DCA Study Guide v1.5 (January 2025). Checked 8 October 2026.

Docker Certified Associate prerequisites

Mirantis lists no formal prerequisite such as a prior certification. What it states is a recommended level of experience: the exam is designed to validate professionals with a minimum of 6 to 12 months of Docker experience.

The study guide adds that this experience should include exposure to Docker Enterprise Edition. If your experience is limited to running containers on a laptop, expect gaps in the orchestration, registry and security domains.

Source: Mirantis Training — DCA Certification Exam. Checked 8 October 2026.

How long is the Docker Certified Associate certification valid?

Mirantis states that the certification is valid for 2 years and that you are required to update your certification every two years.

The exam page does not spell out the renewal procedure in more detail. If you hold the DCA and are close to the two-year mark, confirm the current renewal route with Mirantis training before your certification lapses.

Source: Mirantis Training — DCA Certification Exam. Checked 8 October 2026.

Docker Certified Associate study materials and training

The official starting point is the DCA study guide that Mirantis links from the exam page. It contains the domain weightings, the objectives behind each domain, sample questions and exam preparation tips, and the version checked is 1.5 from January 2025.

Mirantis also links its own training from the exam page — a bootcamp and an on-demand prep course — and offers a DCA certification prep course bundle on its training site. These are Mirantis’ official offerings; this page sells none of them.

Because the exam questions are about real Docker behaviour, combine the study guide with hands-on work: build images, run a multi-node orchestration setup, configure networks and volumes, and check each objective against what you actually see on the command line.

Source: Mirantis Training — DCA Certification Exam. Checked 8 October 2026.

Docker Certified Associate vs CKA

They test different layers and in different ways. The DCA is a 90-minute exam of 55 multiple-choice and DOMC questions about Docker, costing USD $199. The Linux Foundation’s CKA is a 2-hour, online, proctored, performance-based test in which you solve Kubernetes tasks on the command line, costing $445.

In practice the DCA checks that you understand container fundamentals, images, orchestration and the Docker toolchain; the CKA checks that you can operate a Kubernetes cluster hands-on. Neither is a prerequisite for the other.

Source: Linux Foundation — CKA certification page. Checked 8 October 2026.

Docker Certified Associate practice questions

Certsqill’s Docker Certified Associate practice questions explain each option and follow the domain weightings in Mirantis’ study guide.

Because the DCA itself is a question-based exam, practice questions map more directly onto it than for lab exams — but they still work best alongside hands-on Docker work, not instead of it. The DOMC format rewards knowing exactly how Docker behaves, which you build fastest by running the commands yourself.

DCA questions people ask

Is the Docker Certified Associate exam still available?

Yes. It is sold and delivered by Mirantis, with no retirement notice posted. Source: Mirantis, checked 8 October 2026.

How much does the Docker Certified Associate exam cost?

USD $199 or €200, purchased online. Source: Mirantis, checked 8 October 2026.

How many questions are on the DCA exam?

55: 13 multiple choice and 42 discrete option multiple choice (DOMC), in 90 minutes. Source: Mirantis, checked 8 October 2026.

Is the DCA exam hands-on?

No. Mirantis describes it as multiple-choice and DOMC questions, not lab tasks. Source: Mirantis, checked 8 October 2026.

What is the DCA passing score?

Not published; Mirantis states passing scores are subject to change without notice, checked 8 October 2026.

What is DOMC?

Discrete option multiple choice: options appear one at a time and you answer yes or no for each. Source: Mirantis DCA study guide, checked 8 October 2026.

Can I retake the DCA exam?

Yes, after waiting 14 days and paying the exam price again. Source: Mirantis, checked 8 October 2026.

How long is the Docker Certified Associate valid?

2 years. Source: Mirantis, checked 8 October 2026.