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Exam Information
Official specifications published by Google
Exam Format
120 min
50-60
~70-75% (Google does not disclose exact passing score; pass/fail only)
Associate
Registration
$125 USD
Kryterion or online proctoring
English, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese
Validity
3 years
Retake the standard exam (2 hours, $125); Take the shorter renewal exam (1 hour, $75) starting 180 days before expiration
GCP-ACE Exam Topics and Domains
GCP-ACE is organized into 4 weighted domains. Expect to work with Compute Engine, GKE, Cloud IAM, Cloud Logging, and more.
1
Setting Up a Cloud Solution Environment
23%
Setting up cloud projects and accounts
Creating a resource hierarchyApplying organizational policies to the resource hierarchyGranting members Identity and Access Management (IAM) roles within a projectManaging users and groups in Cloud Identity (manually and automated)Enabling APIs within projectsProvisioning and setting up products in Google Cloud ObservabilityAssessing quotas and requesting increasesSetting up standalone organizationsSetting up cloud networkingConfirming availability of products in geographical locationsConfiguring Cloud Asset Inventory and using Gemini Cloud Assist to analyze resources
- Create a resource hierarchy with organizations, folders, and projects
- Apply organizational policies at various levels of the hierarchy
- Grant IAM roles to members within a project
- Manage users and groups in Cloud Identity manually and through automation
- Enable and manage APIs within projects
- Set up Google Cloud Observability products
- Assess quotas and request increases
- Set up standalone organizations using Cloud Identity
- Configure initial cloud networking
- Confirm product availability across regions and zones
- Use Cloud Asset Inventory and Gemini Cloud Assist for resource analysis
Managing billing configuration
Creating one or more billing accountsLinking projects to a billing accountEstablishing billing budgets and alertsSetting up billing exports
- Create and manage billing accounts
- Link projects to billing accounts
- Establish billing budgets and configure alert thresholds
- Set up billing exports for cost analysis
2
Planning and Implementing a Cloud Solution
30%
Planning and implementing compute resources
Selecting appropriate compute choices for a given workloadLaunching a compute instanceChoosing appropriate storage for Compute EngineCreating an autoscaled managed instance group using an instance templateConfiguring OS LoginConfiguring VM ManagerUsing Spot VM instances and custom machine typesInstalling and configuring kubectl for KubernetesDeploying a GKE cluster with different configurationsDeploying a containerized application to GKEDeploying an application to serverless compute platforms
- Select the appropriate compute service for a given workload
- Launch and configure Compute Engine instances
- Choose and configure appropriate storage for Compute Engine
- Create and manage autoscaled managed instance groups
- Configure OS Login and VM Manager
- Deploy and manage GKE clusters
- Deploy containerized applications to GKE
- Deploy applications to serverless platforms including event-driven processing
Planning and implementing storage and data solutions
Choosing and deploying data productsChoosing and deploying storage productsLoading dataMaintaining multi-region redundancy across data solutions
- Choose the appropriate data product for a given use case
- Deploy and configure storage and data products
- Load data using various methods
- Maintain multi-region redundancy for data solutions
Planning and implementing networking resources
Creating a VPC with subnetsCreating and applying Cloud Next Generation Firewall (Cloud NGFW) policiesUsing Tags and service accounts in Cloud NGFW policy rulesEstablishing network connectivityChoosing and deploying load balancersDifferentiating Network Service Tiers
- Create VPCs with custom subnets including Shared VPCs
- Create and apply Cloud NGFW policies with proper rules
- Use Tags and service accounts in firewall policy rules
- Establish hybrid connectivity using VPN, Peering, and Interconnect
- Choose and deploy the appropriate load balancer
- Understand and apply Network Service Tiers
Planning and implementing resources through infrastructure as code
Infrastructure as code toolingPlanning and executing infrastructure as code deployments
- Select the appropriate IaC tool for a given scenario
- Plan and execute IaC deployments with proper versioning and state management
3
Ensuring Successful Operation of a Cloud Solution
27%
Managing compute resources
Remotely connecting to a Compute Engine instanceViewing current running Compute Engine instancesWorking with snapshots and imagesViewing current running GKE cluster inventoryConfiguring GKE to access Artifact RegistryWorking with GKE node poolsWorking with Kubernetes resourcesManaging horizontal and vertical Pod autoscaling configurationsManaging GKE Autopilot Pod resource requestsDeploying new versions of a Cloud Run applicationAdjusting application traffic splitting parametersConfiguring autoscaling for a Cloud Run application
- Remotely connect to Compute Engine instances using various methods
- Manage Compute Engine snapshots and images
- Inspect and manage GKE clusters, node pools, and Kubernetes resources
- Configure GKE access to Artifact Registry
- Manage Pod autoscaling (HPA, VPA) and Autopilot resource requests
- Deploy and manage Cloud Run application versions with traffic splitting
- Configure autoscaling for Cloud Run applications
Managing storage and data solutions
Managing and securing objects in Cloud Storage bucketsSetting object lifecycle management policies for Cloud Storage bucketsExecuting queries to retrieve data from data instancesEstimating costs of data storage resourcesBacking up and restoring database instancesReviewing job statusUsing Database Center to manage the Google Cloud database fleet
- Manage and secure Cloud Storage objects and buckets
- Configure lifecycle management policies
- Execute queries across various data products
- Estimate storage costs and optimize for budget
- Back up and restore database instances
- Monitor job status in Dataflow and BigQuery
- Use Database Center for fleet management
Managing networking resources
Adding a subnet to an existing VPCExpanding a subnet to have more IP addressesReserving static external or internal IP addressesAdding custom static routes in a VPCWorking with Cloud DNS and Cloud NAT
- Add and expand subnets in existing VPCs
- Reserve and manage static IP addresses
- Create custom static routes
- Configure Cloud DNS zones and records
- Set up Cloud NAT for outbound internet access
Monitoring and logging
Creating Cloud Monitoring alerts based on resource metricsCreating and ingesting Cloud Monitoring custom metricsExporting logs to external systemsConfiguring log buckets, log analytics, and log routersViewing and filtering logs in Cloud LoggingViewing specific log message details in Cloud LoggingUsing cloud diagnostics to research an application issueViewing the Personalized Service Health dashboardConfiguring and deploying Ops AgentDeploying Google Cloud Managed Service for PrometheusConfiguring audit logsUsing Gemini Cloud Assist for Cloud MonitoringUsing Active Assist to optimize resource utilization
- Create monitoring alerts based on resource metrics
- Create and ingest custom metrics
- Export logs to external systems using sinks
- Configure log buckets, analytics, and routers
- View, filter, and analyze logs in Cloud Logging
- Use diagnostics tools for application troubleshooting
- Monitor service health using the Personalized dashboard
- Deploy and configure Ops Agent and Managed Prometheus
- Configure audit logs
- Use Gemini Cloud Assist for monitoring insights
- Use Active Assist for resource optimization
4
Configuring Access and Security
20%
Managing Identity and Access Management (IAM)
Viewing and creating IAM policiesManaging the various role types and defining custom IAM roles
- View and create IAM policies
- Manage basic, predefined, and custom IAM roles
- Apply the principle of least privilege
Managing service accounts
Creating service accountsUsing service accounts in IAM policies with minimum permissionsAssigning service accounts to resourcesManaging IAM permissions of a service accountManaging service account impersonationCreating and managing short-lived service account credentialsUsing a Google Cloud service account with a GKE application
- Create and manage service accounts
- Apply minimum permissions to service accounts
- Assign service accounts to various Google Cloud resources
- Manage service account impersonation
- Create and manage short-lived service account credentials
- Configure Workload Identity for GKE applications
How do I earn this certification?
Passing GCP-ACE earns the Google Cloud Certified - Associate Cloud Engineer certification. It sits in the Cloud Engineering track.
Current Level Exams
Next Level Options
- GCP-PCA - Professional Cloud Architect
- GCP-PCD - Professional Cloud Developer
- GCP-PCDE - Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer
- GCP-PCNE - Professional Cloud Network Engineer
- GCP-PCSE - Professional Cloud Security Engineer
- GCP-PDE - Professional Data Engineer
- GCP-PCDB - Professional Cloud Database Engineer
- GCP-PMLE - Professional Machine Learning Engineer
Alternative Paths
- GCP-GAIL - Generative AI LeaderNew foundational certification focused on generative AI concepts and Google Cloud AI services. Complements cloud engineering with AI knowledge.
- GCP-PSOE - Professional Security Operations EngineerFor those interested in security operations and threat detection using Google Cloud security tools.
- GCP-PGWA - Professional Google Workspace Administrator For those managing Google Workspace alongside Google Cloud infrastructure.
Practice with Precision
The PlanetCert Simulator mirrors the real exam environment with authentic questions and timed pressure.
How to study for this exam?
The most effective way to prepare for GCP-ACE is by using the PlanetCert Simulator to practice questions and review detailed explanations.
What's changed on this exam?
Current Status
- ACTIVE
- Last content update: 2025
Updates
- Gemini Cloud Assist GA New topic added to Sections 1 and 3 of the ACE exam. Covers AI-powered resource analysis and monitoring insights. • Release date: 2024
- Cloud Next Generation Firewall (Cloud NGFW) GA Replaced legacy VPC firewall rules in Section 2.3. Now covers NGFW policies with secure Tags and hierarchical firewall policies. • Release date: 2024
- Google Cloud Hyperdisk GA Added as a new storage option for Compute Engine in Section 2.1.3 alongside Persistent Disk. • Release date: 2024
- AlloyDB GA Added to the list of data products candidates must know in Sections 2.2 and 3.2. • Release date: 2023
- Google Cloud Managed Service for Apache Kafka GA Added as a data product option in Section 2.2.1. • Release date: 2024
- Terraform / Fabric FAST / Config Connector / Helm Various New Section 2.4 added for infrastructure as code, replacing the older Deployment Manager references. • Release date: 2024
Who should take this exam?
- 6+ months hands-on experience with Google Cloud
- Experience working with public clouds or on-premises solutions
- Familiarity with common platform-based tasks to maintain and scale deployed solutions