5 Pro Tips to Crack the Google Cloud Engineer Certification

While there are no prerequisites for taking the Google Cloud Associate Cloud Engineer (ACE) exam, it won’t be easy to pass without intensive preparation. Before attempting the exam, you should have at least six months of hands-on experience with Google Cloud products and solutions. Google provides no prerequisite entry-level certification like AWS and Azure. However, it offers several free or low-cost resources to prepare you for the exam, all of which can be found at its Associate Cloud Engineer certification websiteOpens a new window . 

Here are 5 tips for you to consider as you prepare to pass the ACE exam.

Top 5 Tips to Ace the ACE

Understand what’s on the exam

To chart your learning path, it’s important to know what areas will be tested and among those areas, which are your strong points and which will take more study and practice to master. The areas you should focus on are detailed in Google’s ACE Exam GuideOpens a new window . 

The main areas you will need to concentrate on are IAM roles, gCloud commands, Compute Engine, Kubernetes, virtual private clouds (VPCs), Stackdrive, and networking and deployment and monitoring. You will need to know how to perform access management, set up permissions, as well as manage VMs, VPC networks, subnets, load balancers, compute and storage. You should know what each Google service does and what features it offers. 

Another topic you will need to concentrate on is how to create projects. Understand that you have organizations, folders, and projects. Understand the hierarchy and how you can transfer resources from one project to another project, one organization to another organization, and what permissions are required for doing so. 

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Train for the exam

If you are completely new to the cloud, there are a number of online training platforms such as Linux Academy or Udemy that will get you familiar with the Google Cloud Platform (GCP). However, the better way to prepare is to focus on the skills detailed in the Google’s Exam Study Guide Opens a new window and read the Google documentation accordingly. 

But first, before working on the exam topics listed in the guide, it is recommended that you start your training by creating a free trial account in GCP Opens a new window  where you can get free hands-on experience with Google products.The GCP console is an in-browser UI that lets you access and manage Google Cloud services. This is also a good time to review the GCP training videos found on YouTube to become more familiar with Google services. 

After you have worked with the console for a couple of months, you can begin working with the free Coursera certification coursesOpens a new window found on the Google certification site. Following the Google cloud engineering learning path, you should start with Google Cloud Fundamentals: Core Infrastructure, then proceed with Architecting with Google Compute Engine, and Getting Started with Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE). 

Even if you have experience with GCP, you should refer to Google Cloud documentationOpens a new window for comprehensive guides, tutorials, and other resources on Google Cloud products. Here you will find an overview of all you need to know to pass the exams, including links to GCP’s documentation. 

Some tips to guide you in your study: 

• Know the differences between the different types of Google Cloud Storage, such as cold line and near line.
• Know the different compute options and database options, such as SQL vs. NoSQL, or ACID vs. BASE transactions. 
• Know how an App engine application is structured and the scaling options. 
• Understand how Google implements the four storage types: Object, File, Block, and Caches.
• Know how to host a static website with cloud storage and Cloud Content Delivery Network (CDN).
• Understand the different services GCP offers, including Compute Engine, Kubernetes Engine (GKE) and Cloud Functions.
• Understand the difference between Cloud Run and Cloud Run on GKE. 
• Know how to reduce costs through preemptible VMs.
• Know how and when to use different storage options, such as Cloud SQL, Cloud spanner, BigTable and BigQuery.
• Understand the differences between App Engine Standard and App Engine Flexible. 

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Practice Hands-on labs

Having hands-on experience increases your chances of passing the exam. Thus, try to complete as many hands-on labs as possible to familiarize yourself with different scenarios for deploying, monitoring, and securing cloud apps. 

One way to get hands-on experience on GCP is with QwiklabsOpens a new window .These hands-on labs on the Google Cloud use the GCP console and gcloud command line. In the first lab, you will identify key features of Google Cloud and also learn about the details of the Qwiklabs environment. In subsequent labs, you will practice using gcloud commands, connect to compute services hosted on Google Cloud, create a virtual machine with the Cloud Console, create a virtual machine with the gcloud command line, and deploy a web server and connect it to a virtual machine.

Take practice tests

Practice tests are a key part of your preparation. Take as many practice tests as possible, and carefully review both your correct and incorrect answers. Take note of the topics whose questions you have trouble answering correctly and review the documentation accordingly. 

You should also undergo the Preparing for the Associate Cloud Engineer ExaminationOpens a new window course to familiarize yourself with the exam materials and to do a final check for exam readiness prior to taking the practice test. You should also devote time to answer the Cloud Engineer sample questionsOpens a new window to familiarize yourself with the format of exam questions and example content that may be covered in the exam. 

Another comprehensive resource for practice tests is Dan Sullivan’s Official Google Cloud Certified Associate Cloud Engineer Study Guide, which can be purchased for the Kindle or in paperback or hardcopy from Amazon. It includes review questions after each chapter as well as an online portal with two online practice tests. 

Follow These Test Taking Tips

Once you have mastered the questions on the practice tests, you should be ready to ace the exam. Here are some test-taking tips that others who have taken the exam found helpful:

• Exam questions are scenario-based, so know that you will be required to know several areas to solve a specific problem. 
• Questions are mostly multiple-choice, but some are multiple select where you need to select more than one answer to be correct. 
• If you are not sure of an answer to a question, you will be able to mark that question for review later so you can quickly move on to the next one.
• While two or more choices to a question may be correct, you should choose the one that best follows Google’s best practices. Many of the questions will require you to know Google Cloud’s Best Practices for Enterprise OrganizationsOpens a new window , Google Cloud’s Best Practice for Operating containersOpens a new window , Best practices and reference architectures for Virtual private cloud (VPC) networking designOpens a new window , and Best practices for securing service accountsOpens a new window .
• When it comes to questions on billing, you need to choose the least expensive and easiest solution to implement. 

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What’s next?

After passing the ACE exam, you can begin to prepare for other advanced Google cloud certifications like Professional Cloud Engineer or Professional Cloud Architect. Google cloud certifications demonstrate to future employers that you are committed to your career and proficient in cloud computing. Obtaining a certification from Google, one of the top 3 leaders in cloud computing, makes you highly competitive. Not only is it recognized globally, but it also helps qualify you for high-paying jobs in the industry. A cloud engineer with a proven track record coupled with the ACE certification can command an average salary ranging from $80,000 to $150,000.

Do you think there’s more that developers should do to pass the Google Cloud ACE test with flying colors? Comment with your thoughts below or tell us on LinkedInOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , or FacebookOpens a new window . We would love to hear from you!