The Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect exam is a challenging exam and has evolved quite extensively over the last few years. I recently renewed my certification for the third time and was really impressed by the way exam questions have been changed to apply more design thinking to answer those.
Becoming a Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect is a significant milestone in your Google cloud platform journey. It demonstrates your expertise in designing and implementing a robust, scalable, and secure cloud architecture on the Google Cloud Platform (GCP). Although passing the PCA exam requires a lot of dedication, hard work, and a deep understanding of cloud technologies, It is also a valuable certification that can help you advance your career and kick start your journey with google cloud.
In this blog I am going to share my experience how the exam format has changed over the years and what you should be focussed on to do well in the exam. In one of my previous blogs, Tips and Tricks to start your journey with Google Cloud, I had shared some of the useful resources to help you get started with your Google Cloud journey and my recommendation on the best way to tackle Google Cloud Certifications.
Preparation:
My preparation for the exam was different each time I took it. The first time being fairly new to GCP, I used a combination of online courses and practice exams. The second time, I focused on reading the official GCP documentation and taking more practice exams. The third time, I created my own study plan and focused on understanding the design concepts behind the different case studies available on the official GCP PCA certification site.
I also found it helpful to get hands-on experience with GCP. The projects I have worked on and diversified solutions I have delivered for a number of customers has helped me to solidify my understanding of the different GCP services and how they work together.
Although attending training courses and watching videos would help you familiraise yourself with the GCP service, I highly recommend doing the following two things if you want to really excel in Google Cloud space not just for passing the exam but to get ready for the real world projects too.
- Understand Architectural Design Patterns: Develop a deep understanding of architectural design patterns that are commonly used in cloud environments. Be well-versed in concepts such as scalability, availability, performance optimization, fault tolerance, and cost optimization. Learn to apply these patterns to different scenarios and select the most appropriate solutions based on specific requirements.
- Review Security Best Practices: Security is a critical aspect of any cloud architecture. Ensure you have a strong grasp of security concepts and best practices on the Google Cloud Platform. Understand identity and access management (IAM), data encryption and network security. Pay attention to securing different components of the cloud infrastructure, including virtual machines, databases, storage, and networking.
The Exam Format:
The exam itself was challenging, but I felt very well prepared considering this was my third time sitting for the exam and having worked on GCP for over 5 years now. The exam was mostly multiple-choice questions and there will also be a few case studies. The case studies are usually the most challenging part of the exam, but you should be able to answer them correctly if you have gone through them beforehand and have already thought of probable solutions.
The updated exam has gone quite heavy on serverless concepts like: Cloud Run, Anthos, Identity-Aware Proxy, Cloud Endpoints, Secret Manager and BigQuery etc.
- Networking: Be very thorough with networking, this is one of the very important topics for the exam
- Peering Options
- Shared VPC
- Hybrid Connectivity
- Load Balancing
- Cloud Router
- Google Kubernetes Engine
- Google Compute Engine
- VM Backups
- Disk
- Images
- Snapshots
- Google Cloud Storage:
- Lifecycle Management and Versioning
- Migration using:- gsutil, Transfer Service, Transfer appliance
- Serverless Computing:
- App Engine
- Cloud Run
- Cloud Functions
- Security:
- Cloud Armor
- Network Policies
- Org Policies
- Secret Manager
- Cloud Operations Suite
Advice:
If you’re planning to take the Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect exam, I would recommend:
- Study well until you feel confident about different GCP services: The exam is challenging and you need to have a solid understanding of the topics mentioned in the exam guide. Before diving into your preparation, it’s essential to familiarise yourself with the exam guide. The guide provides a detailed overview of the topics covered in the exam, including architecture design, solution design, security, data processing etc. Use the exam guide as a roadmap to structure your study plan effectively.
- Developing a Structured Study Plan: Based on your self-assessment and identified knowledge gaps, create a detailed study plan. Break down the exam topics into manageable sections and allocate dedicated study time for each. Include a mix of official documentation, online courses, practice exams, and hands-on experience to enhance your understanding and practical skills. Make sure to include sufficient time working with various GCP services, such as Compute Engine, App Engine, Cloud Storage, BigQuery, and Cloud Pub/Sub.
- Seeking New Learning Resources: To broaden your knowledge base, explore additional learning resources beyond what you find in an online course. Look for reputable blogs, forums, and online communities that provide insights, tips, and real-world experiences related to the Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect Exam. Engaging with others who have successfully passed the exam can provide valuable guidance and inspiration.
- Hands-On Experience and Practical Projects: Translating your theoretical knowledge into practical skills by gaining hands-on experience helps a lot in solidifying the knowledge gained. This hands-on practice will not only solidify your understanding but also boost your confidence in implementing cloud architecture solutions.
- Mock Exams and Practice Questions: To familiarise yourself with the exam format and improve your time management skills, practice with mock exams and sample questions. Google Cloud provides official practice exams that closely resemble the actual exam. Analyse your performance, identify areas of weakness, and focus on improving your understanding in those specific areas.
- Look at the Case Studies as If For a Real Customer: Make sure to go through the Case Studies and understand them thoroughly before your exam. Tackle the case studies as if you are solutioning it for a real custom project by addressing their technical and business challenges / requirements. Google updates the case studies often, so make sure you understand them all really well. Case studies are the hardest / trickiest part of the exam and you can find anywhere between 12 – 16 quality questions based on the case studies.
- Booking the Exam: All the Google Cloud exams are offered remotely and at a test centre. In case you schedule the exam online, make sure you run the system tests for hardware, sound, and webcam beforehand to avoid any surprises. There might be cases when you encounter issues during the exam even if all the tests were successful, just make sure you reach out to the kryterion support team and they should be able to reschedule the exam for you if there are any technical issues that they can’t solve.
- Exam-Day Strategy and Mindset: Approach the exam day with a calm and focused mindset. Trust in the knowledge and skills you have acquired through your dedicated preparation. Manage your time effectively, carefully read each question, and avoid second-guessing your answers. Flag questions that require further consideration and revisit them during the review phase.
- Time Management During the Exam: You get about 50 questions in the exam and as I mentioned above, 12-16 questions are case study based which are the trickiest one along with few more that are outside the case studies. I have noticed people saying with those numbers you get around 2 and half minutes per question. I adopt a different methodology for this. Usually the case studies are covered in the first half of the exam. And if you have answered around 22-25 questions in the first half an hour, you are doing pretty good. There will be some easy ones also up for grab in no time later in the exam.
So here is how I allocate my time:
- First 60 minutes: Aim to finish at least first 22-25 questions (assuming these are the ones with case studies and design related questions)
- Next 40-45 minutes: Focus on completing all the remaining 28 – 25 questions. The second half of the exam questions is comparatively easy and straightforward. You should spend about a minute and half maximum on these questions.
- Last 15-20 minutes: To revisit your answers and review.
Conclusion:
Passing the Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect exam is a major accomplishment. It requires a lot of hard work and dedication, but it is definitely worth it in the end. If you are interested in a career in cloud computing, I highly recommend taking the exam. It will give you the skills and knowledge you need to be successful in this growing field.
Helpful resources:
https://www.udemy.com/course/google-cloud-professional-cloud-architect-certification/
https://github.com/priyankavergadia/GCPSketchnote
https://github.com/sathishvj/awesome-gcp-certifications/blob/master/professional-cloud-architect.md
https://cloud.google.com/architecture
https://cloud.google.com/hosting-options
https://grumpygrace.dev/posts/gcp-flowcharts/
https://cloud.google.com/solutions/connecting-securely
https://cloud.google.com/kubernetes-engine/docs/best-practices
https://cloud.google.com/storage/docs/best-practices
Disclaimer:
The study tips and opinions I have shared here are based on my personal experience. Depending on your exposure to GCP or any other public cloud in general, the time and effort it takes to prepare yourself for the exam might vary.
I am always happy to help and provide any guidance if you need. Feel free to connect with or follow me on LinkedIn or Twitter.
Goo(gle)d Luck!!!
DainQ 
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