Question 1

What is the Google Professional Cloud Architect certification?

Accepted Answer

The Google Professional Cloud Architect is a certification from Google Cloud that validates your ability to design and manage enterprise-grade solutions on Google Cloud Platform. It tests your knowledge across solution architecture, security, reliability, performance, and compliance. It is one of the most respected cloud certifications available and is recognised by employers as evidence of senior-level cloud expertise.

Question 2

How many questions are on the exam?

Accepted Answer

The exam contains 50 to 60 questions, a mix of multiple-choice (single correct answer) and multiple-select (two or more correct answers) questions. The exam also incorporates case studies — written business scenarios that several questions will reference. You have two hours to complete the exam.

Question 3

What is the passing score?

Accepted Answer

Google does not publish the passing score for the Professional Cloud Architect exam. The exam uses scaled scoring, and results are reported only as pass or fail, usually within 7 to 10 days of completing the exam. Community reports suggest that a score around 70% is typically required to pass, but this can vary with each exam version.

Question 4

What does the exam cover?

Accepted Answer

The exam covers six domains: Designing Cloud Solution Architectures (28%), Managing and Provisioning Solution Infrastructure (18%), Ensuring Solution and Operations Reliability (16%), Designing for Security and Compliance (15%), Analyzing and Optimizing Cloud Solution Performance (13%), and Managing Implementation (10%). Topics include VPC design, IAM, GKE, Cloud Run, BigQuery, Spanner, Dataflow, Pub/Sub, Cloud Interconnect, Terraform, and SRE practices.

Question 5

How long is the certification valid?

Accepted Answer

The Google Professional Cloud Architect certification is valid for two years from the date you pass. To maintain your certification, you must pass a renewal exam before the expiry date. The renewal exam is shorter (approximately 25 questions, one hour) and focuses on newer topics including generative AI and recent service updates.

Question 6

Are there prerequisites for the exam?

Accepted Answer

There are no formal prerequisites. Google recommends at least three years of industry experience and one or more years working with Google Cloud before attempting the exam. Candidates without hands-on GCP experience typically find the exam very challenging because many questions require understanding of real-world trade-offs between services and architectural patterns.

Question 7

How much does the exam cost?

Accepted Answer

The exam costs $200 USD (plus applicable taxes). It can be taken online via remote proctoring or in person at a Pearson VUE test centre. If you do not pass on your first attempt, you must wait 14 days before retaking the exam, and each retake requires a new registration fee.