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Google Cloud · GCP-PCDO · Advanced

Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer

Validates the ability to build CI/CD pipelines, apply SRE practices, implement observability, and optimize performance and cost on Google Cloud. 55+ AI-generated practice questions with explanations. Free trial, pass guarantee.

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55 Questions
120min Time Limit
70% Pass Score
$200 USD Exam Fee

Overview

About the exam

The Google Cloud Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer certification validates expertise in implementing processes and capabilities throughout the systems development lifecycle using Google-recommended methodologies and tools. Candidates demonstrate their ability to enable efficient software and infrastructure delivery while balancing reliability with delivery speed.

This professional-level certification covers bootstrapping and maintaining Google Cloud organizations, building CI/CD pipelines for application, infrastructure, and ML workloads, applying site reliability engineering practices, implementing observability and troubleshooting, and optimizing performance and cost. It is designed for engineers with 3+ years of industry experience including 1+ years managing production systems on Google Cloud.

Exam Domains

What's on the exam

The exam consists of 55 multiple-choice and multiple-response questions to be completed in 120 minutes. Questions test practical knowledge of DevOps engineering concepts including CI/CD pipeline design, SRE practices, observability instrumentation, and cost optimization on Google Cloud. Scenario-based questions are common, requiring candidates to apply knowledge to real-world situations involving Cloud Build, Cloud Deploy, GKE, Cloud Logging, Cloud Monitoring, and other Google Cloud services.

Bootstrapping and maintaining a Google Cloud organization 20%
Building and implementing CI/CD pipelines, including continuous testing, for application, infrastructure, and machine learning workloads 25%
Applying site reliability engineering practices 18%
Implementing observability practices and troubleshooting issues 25%
Optimizing performance and cost 12%

Format

What to expect

multiple choice
80%
multiple response
20%

Watch out

Where candidates struggle

Common pitfalls include underestimating the depth of SRE practices (SLIs, SLOs, error budgets), neglecting the security aspects of CI/CD pipelines (Binary Authorization, SLSA framework, supply chain security), and insufficient knowledge of observability tooling (OpenTelemetry, distributed tracing, Gemini Cloud Assist). Candidates should also be well-versed in FinOps practices, infrastructure-as-code tools (Terraform, Config Connector), and deployment strategies (canary, blue/green, rolling).

  1. 01
    SRE Practices — Underestimating the depth of SLI/SLO/SLA definitions, error budget calculations, and the relationship between reliability targets and feature velocity.
  2. 02
    Supply Chain Security — Neglecting Binary Authorization, SLSA framework, and Artifact Analysis — the exam heavily tests software supply chain security concepts.
  3. 03
    Observability Stack — Insufficient knowledge of the full observability stack including OpenTelemetry, Cloud Trace, distributed tracing correlation, and Gemini Cloud Assist capabilities.
  4. 04
    IaC and GitOps — Not knowing the differences between Infrastructure Manager, Config Connector, Cloud Foundation Toolkit, and when to use each IaC approach.
  5. 05
    Deployment Strategies — Confusing canary, blue/green, rolling, and traffic splitting strategies and not knowing how Cloud Deploy implements each.
  6. 06
    Cost Optimization — Overlooking FinOps practices including committed-use discounts, sustained-use discounts, Spot VMs, and Google Cloud recommenders.

Details

Exam logistics

The exam is delivered online via remote proctoring or at an authorized testing center. Registration is through the Google Cloud certification portal. The exam fee is $200 USD. If a candidate does not pass, they may retake the exam after 14 days. A second retake requires a 60-day wait, and a third retake requires a 365-day wait. The certification is valid for 2 years, after which recertification is required by passing the current version of the exam.

Delivery Online proctored or at an authorized Kryterion testing center
Retake policy 14-day wait after first attempt, 60-day wait after second, 365-day wait after third
Validity 2 years
Career outcomes DevOps Engineer, Site Reliability Engineer, Platform Engineer, Cloud Infrastructure Engineer, Release Engineer. Google Cloud certified professionals report career advancement and salary increases.
Renewal Recertification required every 2 years by passing the current version of the exam
Study time ~120 hours
Official guide View on vendor site

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