Instrumentation with OpenTelemetry: the data model for traces, metrics and logs, the collector and its pipelines, instrumentation approaches, and maintaining telemetry quality.
CNCF does not publish numeric exam codes — OTCA is the common abbreviation.
OpenTelemetry Certified Associate is CNCF's associate-level devops & sre certification, referred to across the industry by the shorthand OTCA. The exam runs for 1 hour 30 minutes and presents up to 60 questions, with a pass mark of 75%. It costs US$250 at the standard rate.
CNCF publishes the syllabus as 4 weighted domains. The OpenTelemetry API and SDK carries the most weight at 28%, and the three largest domains together account for roughly 82% of the scored content — worth knowing before you decide where study time goes.
Confirm these details on the official CNCF page before booking — vendors adjust format and pricing without notice.
Some forms include unscored trial questions
Standard rate, before local taxes
The published exam guide for OTCA, in the vendor's own order.
01Fundamentals of Observability
18%02The OpenTelemetry API and SDK
28%03The OpenTelemetry Collector
26%04OpenTelemetry Instrumentation
28%Familiarity with distributed systems and monitoring.
Associate level — Role-based credentials for practitioners with hands-on experience.
This is a complete OTCA exam guide, but a practice bank is not available yet. We keep the guide published because the format, weighted domains and official sources remain useful when planning your study.
The syllabus breakdown above is the most useful study plan available either way: work through the domains in weight order.
CNCF lists up to 60 questions, to be completed in 1 hour 30 minutes. Question counts can vary slightly between exam forms, and unscored trial questions are sometimes included.
75%. Confirm the current figure on the official exam page before booking, as vendors adjust cut scores when an exam form is refreshed.
The standard price is US$250. Local pricing, taxes and any retake policy vary by region, so check the official page for the figure that applies to you.
Familiarity with distributed systems and monitoring.
The exam guide covers Fundamentals of Observability, The OpenTelemetry API and SDK, The OpenTelemetry Collector and OpenTelemetry Instrumentation. The full weighted breakdown is listed above.