diff --git a/pkg/util/lifted/scheduler/cache/node_tree_test.go b/pkg/util/lifted/scheduler/cache/node_tree_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..a8b44478cac5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/util/lifted/scheduler/cache/node_tree_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,421 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2024 The Kubernetes Authors.
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package cache
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
+	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
+)
+
+func TestNewNodeTree(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name          string
+		nodes         []*corev1.Node
+		expectedZones []string
+		expectedCount int
+	}{
+		{
+			name:          "empty node list",
+			nodes:         []*corev1.Node{},
+			expectedZones: nil,
+			expectedCount: 0,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "single node",
+			nodes: []*corev1.Node{
+				makeNodeWithTopology("node1", "us-east", "us-east-1a"),
+			},
+			expectedZones: []string{getExpectedZoneKey("us-east", "us-east-1a")},
+			expectedCount: 1,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "multiple nodes same zone",
+			nodes: []*corev1.Node{
+				makeNodeWithTopology("node1", "us-east", "us-east-1a"),
+				makeNodeWithTopology("node2", "us-east", "us-east-1a"),
+			},
+			expectedZones: []string{getExpectedZoneKey("us-east", "us-east-1a")},
+			expectedCount: 2,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "multiple nodes different zones",
+			nodes: []*corev1.Node{
+				makeNodeWithTopology("node1", "us-east", "us-east-1a"),
+				makeNodeWithTopology("node2", "us-east", "us-east-1b"),
+			},
+			expectedZones: []string{
+				getExpectedZoneKey("us-east", "us-east-1a"),
+				getExpectedZoneKey("us-east", "us-east-1b"),
+			},
+			expectedCount: 2,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "nodes without region/zone labels",
+			nodes: []*corev1.Node{
+				{ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{Name: "node1"}},
+				{ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{Name: "node2"}},
+			},
+			expectedZones: []string{""},
+			expectedCount: 2,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "mixed labeled and unlabeled nodes",
+			nodes: []*corev1.Node{
+				makeNodeWithTopology("node1", "us-east", "us-east-1a"),
+				{ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{Name: "node2"}},
+			},
+			expectedZones: []string{
+				"",
+				getExpectedZoneKey("us-east", "us-east-1a"),
+			},
+			expectedCount: 2,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			nt := newNodeTree(tt.nodes)
+			assert.ElementsMatch(t, tt.expectedZones, nt.zones)
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.expectedCount, nt.numNodes)
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestAddNode(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name           string
+		existingNodes  []*corev1.Node
+		nodeToAdd      *corev1.Node
+		expectedZones  []string
+		expectedCount  int
+		expectedInZone map[string]int
+	}{
+		{
+			name:          "add to empty tree",
+			existingNodes: []*corev1.Node{},
+			nodeToAdd:     makeNodeWithTopology("node1", "us-east", "us-east-1a"),
+			expectedZones: []string{getExpectedZoneKey("us-east", "us-east-1a")},
+			expectedCount: 1,
+			expectedInZone: map[string]int{
+				getExpectedZoneKey("us-east", "us-east-1a"): 1,
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "add to existing zone",
+			existingNodes: []*corev1.Node{
+				makeNodeWithTopology("node1", "us-east", "us-east-1a"),
+			},
+			nodeToAdd:     makeNodeWithTopology("node2", "us-east", "us-east-1a"),
+			expectedZones: []string{getExpectedZoneKey("us-east", "us-east-1a")},
+			expectedCount: 2,
+			expectedInZone: map[string]int{
+				getExpectedZoneKey("us-east", "us-east-1a"): 2,
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "add to new zone",
+			existingNodes: []*corev1.Node{
+				makeNodeWithTopology("node1", "us-east", "us-east-1a"),
+			},
+			nodeToAdd: makeNodeWithTopology("node2", "us-east", "us-east-1b"),
+			expectedZones: []string{
+				getExpectedZoneKey("us-east", "us-east-1a"),
+				getExpectedZoneKey("us-east", "us-east-1b"),
+			},
+			expectedCount: 2,
+			expectedInZone: map[string]int{
+				getExpectedZoneKey("us-east", "us-east-1a"): 1,
+				getExpectedZoneKey("us-east", "us-east-1b"): 1,
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "add unlabeled node",
+			existingNodes: []*corev1.Node{
+				makeNodeWithTopology("node1", "us-east", "us-east-1a"),
+			},
+			nodeToAdd: &corev1.Node{ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{Name: "node2"}},
+			expectedZones: []string{
+				"",
+				getExpectedZoneKey("us-east", "us-east-1a"),
+			},
+			expectedCount: 2,
+			expectedInZone: map[string]int{
+				"": 1,
+				getExpectedZoneKey("us-east", "us-east-1a"): 1,
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "add duplicate node",
+			existingNodes: []*corev1.Node{
+				makeNodeWithTopology("node1", "us-east", "us-east-1a"),
+			},
+			nodeToAdd:     makeNodeWithTopology("node1", "us-east", "us-east-1a"),
+			expectedZones: []string{getExpectedZoneKey("us-east", "us-east-1a")},
+			expectedCount: 1,
+			expectedInZone: map[string]int{
+				getExpectedZoneKey("us-east", "us-east-1a"): 1,
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			nt := newNodeTree(tt.existingNodes)
+			nt.addNode(tt.nodeToAdd)
+
+			assert.ElementsMatch(t, tt.expectedZones, nt.zones)
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.expectedCount, nt.numNodes)
+
+			for zone, expectedCount := range tt.expectedInZone {
+				assert.Equal(t, expectedCount, len(nt.tree[zone]))
+			}
+
+			// For duplicate node case, verify the node only appears once
+			if tt.name == "add duplicate node" {
+				nodeZone := getExpectedZoneKey("us-east", "us-east-1a")
+				nodeCount := 0
+				for _, nodeName := range nt.tree[nodeZone] {
+					if nodeName == tt.nodeToAdd.Name {
+						nodeCount++
+					}
+				}
+				assert.Equal(t, 1, nodeCount, "duplicate node should only appear once")
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestRemoveNode(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name          string
+		existingNodes []*corev1.Node
+		nodeToRemove  *corev1.Node
+		expectedZones []string
+		expectedCount int
+		expectedError bool
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "remove existing node",
+			existingNodes: []*corev1.Node{
+				makeNodeWithTopology("node1", "us-east", "us-east-1a"),
+				makeNodeWithTopology("node2", "us-east", "us-east-1b"),
+			},
+			nodeToRemove: makeNodeWithTopology("node1", "us-east", "us-east-1a"),
+			expectedZones: []string{
+				getExpectedZoneKey("us-east", "us-east-1b"),
+			},
+			expectedCount: 1,
+			expectedError: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "remove last node in zone",
+			existingNodes: []*corev1.Node{
+				makeNodeWithTopology("node1", "us-east", "us-east-1a"),
+			},
+			nodeToRemove:  makeNodeWithTopology("node1", "us-east", "us-east-1a"),
+			expectedZones: []string{},
+			expectedCount: 0,
+			expectedError: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "remove non-existing node",
+			existingNodes: []*corev1.Node{
+				makeNodeWithTopology("node1", "us-east", "us-east-1a"),
+			},
+			nodeToRemove: makeNodeWithTopology("node2", "us-east", "us-east-1a"),
+			expectedZones: []string{
+				getExpectedZoneKey("us-east", "us-east-1a"),
+			},
+			expectedCount: 1,
+			expectedError: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "remove unlabeled node",
+			existingNodes: []*corev1.Node{
+				{ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{Name: "node1"}},
+			},
+			nodeToRemove:  &corev1.Node{ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{Name: "node1"}},
+			expectedZones: []string{},
+			expectedCount: 0,
+			expectedError: false,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			nt := newNodeTree(tt.existingNodes)
+			err := nt.removeNode(tt.nodeToRemove)
+
+			if tt.expectedError {
+				assert.Error(t, err)
+			} else {
+				assert.NoError(t, err)
+			}
+
+			assert.ElementsMatch(t, tt.expectedZones, nt.zones)
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.expectedCount, nt.numNodes)
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestUpdateNode(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name          string
+		existingNodes []*corev1.Node
+		oldNode       *corev1.Node
+		newNode       *corev1.Node
+		expectedZones []string
+		expectedCount int
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "update to same zone",
+			existingNodes: []*corev1.Node{
+				makeNodeWithTopology("node1", "us-east", "us-east-1a"),
+			},
+			oldNode:       makeNodeWithTopology("node1", "us-east", "us-east-1a"),
+			newNode:       makeNodeWithTopology("node1", "us-east", "us-east-1a"),
+			expectedZones: []string{getExpectedZoneKey("us-east", "us-east-1a")},
+			expectedCount: 1,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "update to different zone",
+			existingNodes: []*corev1.Node{
+				makeNodeWithTopology("node1", "us-east", "us-east-1a"),
+			},
+			oldNode:       makeNodeWithTopology("node1", "us-east", "us-east-1a"),
+			newNode:       makeNodeWithTopology("node1", "us-east", "us-east-1b"),
+			expectedZones: []string{getExpectedZoneKey("us-east", "us-east-1b")},
+			expectedCount: 1,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "update from unlabeled to labeled",
+			existingNodes: []*corev1.Node{
+				{ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{Name: "node1"}},
+			},
+			oldNode:       &corev1.Node{ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{Name: "node1"}},
+			newNode:       makeNodeWithTopology("node1", "us-east", "us-east-1a"),
+			expectedZones: []string{getExpectedZoneKey("us-east", "us-east-1a")},
+			expectedCount: 1,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "update from labeled to unlabeled",
+			existingNodes: []*corev1.Node{
+				makeNodeWithTopology("node1", "us-east", "us-east-1a"),
+			},
+			oldNode:       makeNodeWithTopology("node1", "us-east", "us-east-1a"),
+			newNode:       &corev1.Node{ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{Name: "node1"}},
+			expectedZones: []string{""},
+			expectedCount: 1,
+		},
+		{
+			name:          "update non-existent node",
+			existingNodes: []*corev1.Node{},
+			oldNode:       makeNodeWithTopology("node1", "us-east", "us-east-1a"),
+			newNode:       makeNodeWithTopology("node1", "us-east", "us-east-1b"),
+			expectedZones: []string{getExpectedZoneKey("us-east", "us-east-1b")},
+			expectedCount: 1,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			nt := newNodeTree(tt.existingNodes)
+			nt.updateNode(tt.oldNode, tt.newNode)
+
+			assert.ElementsMatch(t, tt.expectedZones, nt.zones)
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.expectedCount, nt.numNodes)
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestList(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name        string
+		nodes       []*corev1.Node
+		expectedLen int
+	}{
+		{
+			name:        "empty tree",
+			nodes:       []*corev1.Node{},
+			expectedLen: 0,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "single zone",
+			nodes: []*corev1.Node{
+				makeNodeWithTopology("node1", "us-east", "us-east-1a"),
+				makeNodeWithTopology("node2", "us-east", "us-east-1a"),
+			},
+			expectedLen: 2,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "multiple zones",
+			nodes: []*corev1.Node{
+				makeNodeWithTopology("node1", "us-east", "us-east-1a"),
+				makeNodeWithTopology("node2", "us-east", "us-east-1b"),
+				makeNodeWithTopology("node3", "us-east", "us-east-1a"),
+			},
+			expectedLen: 3,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			nt := newNodeTree(tt.nodes)
+			list, err := nt.list()
+
+			assert.NoError(t, err)
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.expectedLen, len(list))
+
+			// Verify that all nodes are in the list exactly once
+			nodeCount := make(map[string]int)
+			for _, nodeName := range list {
+				nodeCount[nodeName]++
+			}
+
+			// Verify each node appears exactly once and all nodes are present
+			for _, node := range tt.nodes {
+				count, exists := nodeCount[node.Name]
+				assert.True(t, exists, "node %s should be in the list", node.Name)
+				assert.Equal(t, 1, count, "node %s should appear exactly once", node.Name)
+			}
+			assert.Equal(t, len(tt.nodes), len(nodeCount), "number of unique nodes should match input")
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+// Helper Functions
+
+// Helper function to create a test node
+func makeNodeWithTopology(name, region, zone string) *corev1.Node {
+	return &corev1.Node{
+		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+			Name: name,
+			Labels: map[string]string{
+				corev1.LabelTopologyRegion: region,
+				corev1.LabelTopologyZone:   zone,
+			},
+		},
+	}
+}
+
+// Helper function to get the expected zone key format
+func getExpectedZoneKey(region, zone string) string {
+	return region + ":\x00:" + zone
+}