GitLab CI/CD Associate
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ExploreAbout this exam
The GitLab CI/CD Associate credential is aimed at engineers who build and maintain GitLab pipelines: developers who own a project's .gitlab-ci.yml, platform or DevOps engineers who maintain shared runners and templates, and test or release engineers who depend on pipeline behaviour. The subject matter falls into six practical areas. Pipeline configuration and YAML fundamentals covers keywords, defaults, includes, and extends. Job execution, stages, and pipeline flow control covers ordering, needs, rules, and when jobs are created. Variables, secrets, and protected configuration covers precedence, masked and protected variables, and environment scopes. Caching and artifacts covers the difference between the two, keying, expiry, and dependencies. Runners, executors, and job scheduling covers runner types, tags, concurrency, and which executor suits which workload. Troubleshooting pipelines and merge request pipelines covers reading job logs, diagnosing failed or skipped jobs, and working with merge request pipelines. Preparation should be hands-on: write a multi-stage pipeline, break it deliberately, and read the job log to find out why. Practise with rules and needs, cache versus artifacts, and runner tags until you can predict a pipeline's behaviour before running it.
Important: at the time of writing, the official GitLab certification page and the certification index both returned a 404 error, so no exam parameters could be verified. Question counts, duration, passing score, fee, retake policy, validity period, and the domain weights above are unverified placeholders. Confirm every parameter against GitLab's current certification documentation before booking or planning study time. This page is independent study material and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by GitLab.
What you'll study
About GitLab CI/CD Associate preparation
How many questions are on the exam and how long do I get?
Not verifiable here. The official certification page returned a 404 at retrieval time, so question count, time limit, and format are unknown. Treat any number you see elsewhere as unconfirmed until you read it on GitLab's own certification documentation, and check again close to your booking date in case the page has been restored or moved.
What score do I need to pass?
Unknown from available sources. The certification page did not load, so no passing score, scaled-score rule, or section-level minimum could be confirmed. Do not plan around a remembered percentage; verify the current threshold on GitLab's certification page or candidate handbook before you sit the exam.
How much does the exam cost and can I retake it?
Neither fee nor retake policy could be verified, because the official pages returned 404 errors at retrieval time. Both change over time and are often bundled with training or event vouchers. Confirm price, currency, included attempts, and any waiting period directly with GitLab before paying.
How difficult is it, and do I need production experience?
Expect applied difficulty rather than trivia. Questions tend to describe a pipeline that behaves unexpectedly and ask why. Familiarity with writing real .gitlab-ci.yml files helps more than memorising keyword lists, because precedence between rules, needs, variables, and cache keys is easiest to reason about after you have debugged it yourself.
What should I study first?
Start with YAML fundamentals and job execution, since nearly every other topic depends on them. Then move to variables and secrets, followed by caching and artifacts, which are frequently confused. Finish with runners and troubleshooting, where you apply the earlier material. Merge request pipelines are best studied last, once rules and workflow are solid.
What are the most common mistakes candidates make?
Confusing cache with artifacts, assuming cache is guaranteed to exist, and misjudging variable precedence are recurring traps. Others include forgetting that rules are evaluated in order and that later matches win, and expecting jobs in the same stage to run sequentially. Reading job logs carefully and predicting pipeline behaviour before running it addresses most of these.
Does this page follow the official exam blueprint?
No. The domain names and weights shown here are study aids based on the exam's subject matter, not published figures, because the official pages were unavailable. Use them to organise revision, but map your final study plan to the current official exam handbook once you can access it.
Is this site affiliated with GitLab?
No. This is independent study material and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by GitLab. Git is a trademark of Software Freedom Conservancy, and GitLab's use of the name is under license. Always treat GitLab's own documentation and certification pages as the authoritative source for exam rules and product behaviour.