Study the case studies before the exam.
Passers on the current version report two case studies per sitting with about seven or eight questions each. One saw the first block of about 20 questions all tied to a case study.
Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect (PCA) Exam Guide
Validates knowledge of designing, securing, provisioning and optimizing cloud solutions on Google Cloud against business and technical requirements.
The exam tests architecture decisions across design, provisioning, security, process, implementation and operations, with two published case studies in every sitting. Read the case studies early, learn the Well-Architected Framework, then practise choosing between services against stated requirements.
Understand the exam
Syllabus
Case study questions make up 20 to 30% of the exam.
Section 1Designing and planning a cloud solution architecture25%
- 1.1Designing a cloud solution infrastructure that meets business requirements
- 1.2Designing a cloud solution infrastructure that meets technical requirements
- 1.3Designing network, storage, and compute resources
- 1.4Creating a migration plan
- 1.5Envisioning future solution improvements
Example scenario: A retailer wants a product search assistant that uses its own catalogue data and must launch in six weeks. What would you build first, and which requirement drives that choice?
Section 2Managing and provisioning a cloud solution infrastructure17.5%
- 2.1Configuring network topologies
- 2.2Configuring individual storage systems
- 2.3Configuring compute systems
- 2.4Leveraging Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform for end-to-end ML workflows
- 2.5Configuring prebuilt solutions or APIs with Agent Platform
Example scenario: A nightly batch job can be interrupted and restarted, and the team wants to cut its compute bill. Which VM option would you choose and what must the job handle?
Section 3Designing for security and compliance17.5%
- 3.1Designing for security
- 3.2Designing for compliance
Example scenario: A healthcare company must keep patient data in one country and stop data leaving its projects even if credentials leak. Which controls would you combine?
Section 4Analyzing and optimizing technical and business processes15%
- 4.1Analyzing and defining technical processes
- 4.2Analyzing and defining business processes
Example scenario: A team keeps breaking production with manual releases. What process changes would you propose before buying new tools?
Section 5Managing implementation12.5%
- 5.1Advising development and operation teams to ensure the successful deployment of the solution
- 5.2Interacting with Google Cloud programmatically
Example scenario: Developers want to test Pub/Sub code locally without touching a shared project. What would you recommend?
Section 6Ensuring solution and operations excellence12.5%
- 6.1Understanding the principles and recommendations of the operational excellence pillar of the Google Cloud Well-Architected Framework
- 6.2Familiarity with Google Cloud Observability solutions
- 6.3Deployment and release management
- 6.4Assisting with the support of deployed solutions
- 6.5Evaluating quality control measures
- 6.6Ensuring the reliability of solutions in production
Example scenario: An online game expects ten times normal traffic at launch. How would you test that the backend will hold before launch day?
Professional Cloud Architect exam guide · v6.1, with four case studies
Format
- Questions
- 50–60
- Duration
- 2h
- Delivery
- Test centre or online
- Languages
- English, Japanese
Question types
Choose the one correct answer from the options.
CertUp example
A company keeps its data centre and needs a private, high-bandwidth connection to Google Cloud that does not cross the public internet. Which option fits?
Show answer
Dedicated Interconnect. It gives a private physical link between the data centre and Google Cloud. Cloud NAT and load balancers do not connect networks, and VPC Network Peering joins VPCs, not data centres.
Choose all the correct answers from the options; two or more answers are correct.
CertUp example
A regional web application must stay available if one zone fails. Which TWO design choices help?
Show answer
Run instances in more than one zone and put them behind a load balancer with health checks. Traffic then moves to healthy instances in the surviving zone.
Some questions refer to a fictional business described in a case study, which you can view in a split screen while you answer.
CertUp example
Case study (fictional): Brightmart, a retailer, runs checkout on a single on-premises cluster. Holiday traffic is ten times normal, and the board wants no new hardware spend. Which approach best meets these requirements?
Show answer
Move checkout to an autoscaling managed service. It handles seasonal peaks without upfront hardware, which are the two stated requirements.
Eligibility and booking
Create a CM Connect account, choose the exam and delivery method, then pick a Pearson VUE time and pay. Your CM Connect legal name must match your ID exactly.
Make a study plan
Read the exam guide and all four case studies first, then follow one course for the services. Finish with practice that forces you to choose between workable designs.
Most candidates spend 60–120 hours. Plan for the low end if you already design on Google Cloud; add time if networking, security or the AI services are new to you.
- 1Understand the examRead the syllabus and format, check you’re eligible and pick a target date.4 h
- 3Learn the core conceptsWork through one main course or book, topic by topic.48 h
- 4Practice with mock examsTake timed practice tests and review every mistake.24 h
- 5Prepare for exam dayBook the exam and check the ID and delivery rules.4 h
Learn the core concepts
Use one main course and keep the case studies open while you study. Google's learning path is the most direct match to the guide.
Best official pathProfessional Cloud Architect Certification path
Best full courseGCP Professional Cloud Architect: Google Cloud Certification
Best for practice examsGCP Professional Cloud Architect Certification CourseRead the case studies twice. Note each company's business goals, constraints and existing systems. Those details decide most case study answers.
Practice with mock exams
Start with Google's sample questions, then use timed sets. For every question, explain why the other options are weaker for the stated requirements.
Free official sampleProfessional Cloud Architect sample questions
Free Professional Cloud Architect Practice Exams SamplerProfessional Cloud Architect Certification CourseAre you ready?
- You can sketch a design for each of the four case studies and justify every service choice.
- You can choose between GKE, Cloud Run and Compute Engine, and between storage and database options, from stated requirements.
- You finish a fresh timed test with time to review flagged questions.
Prepare for exam day
Choose the checklist for your test centre or online appointment.
Before going to the test centre
Before testing from home
- Bring two IDs. One must be a government photo ID with your signature; the second must show your name and signature.
- Check that your CM Connect legal name matches your ID exactly. A mismatch means no exam and a lost fee.
- Arrive at least 15 minutes early and expect to store personal items in a locker.
- The case studies appear on a split screen, so you do not need notes.
- Run the OnVUE system test and install the app at least 24 hours before the exam, preferably on a personal computer.
- Use a quiet, private room. Clear the desk and disconnect extra monitors. No paper, phone, headphones, food or drink.
- Launch the exam from 10 minutes before to 20 minutes after your start time, or the session is cancelled and the fee is lost.
- There are no breaks. Stay in camera view and do not read questions aloud.
Reschedule or cancel at least 24 hours ahead to avoid a late fee. After a fail, wait 14 days, then 60 days, then a year; you get up to four attempts in two years.
Advice from exam takers
Practise choosing between services.
The same pass report says questions reward picking one service over another from the requirements. The candidate used Google's guide, the learning path and labs, and used Gemini or ChatGPT to generate extra questions on the newer AI topics.
Bring real cloud experience.
Commenters say AWS or Azure experience translates well, but people who only know one area such as data or ML struggle with organization-level IAM and security. They describe the exam as needing more hands-on work than Associate Cloud Engineer.
Allow for online check-in delays.
A candidate who checked in 30 minutes early in July 2026 was still far down the OnVUE queue after the start time and had to reschedule. A commenter found off-peak slots had little or no queue.