Cloud Digital Leader Scaling with Google Cloud operations Practice Question

Exhibit

gcloud compute instance-groups managed list --zone us-central1-a
NAME          LOCATION       SCOPE  BASE_INSTANCE_NAME  SIZE  TARGET_SIZE  INSTANCE_TEMPLATE  AUTOSCALED
my-mig        us-central1-a  zone   my-instance         10    20           my-template         yes

Refer to the exhibit. The autoscaler is configured to maintain a target CPU utilization of 0.6. Currently the group has 10 instances, but the autoscaler is not scaling up even though CPU utilization is above 0.8. What is the most likely reason?

⚠ Common exam trap

Google Cloud often tests the misconception that the autoscaler will always scale up when utilization exceeds the target, ignoring the hard limit of the maximum instance count, which is a common configuration oversight.

Answer choices

Why each option matters

Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.

Correct answer & explanation

✓

The maximum number of instances is set to 10

The autoscaler is configured to maintain a target CPU utilization of 0.6, but the current CPU utilization is above 0.8. Despite this, the autoscaler is not scaling up. The most likely reason is that the maximum number of instances is set to 10, and the group has already reached that limit. In Google Cloud, the autoscaler will not create new instances beyond the configured maximum, even if the target utilization is exceeded.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

✓
The maximum number of instances is set to 10
Why this is correct
The autoscaler cannot scale beyond the configured maximum of 10 instances, regardless of how high the load or target utilization goes. Even though the autoscaler is enabled and actively making scaling decisions, the maximum instance count acts as an absolute cap on the managed instance group's size. Since the group is already at this ceiling, the autoscaler stops adding instances, which is why the target is not being met.
✗
The autoscaler is disabled
Why it's wrong here
The output explicitly shows 'AUTOSCALED: yes', which means the autoscaler is enabled and actively monitoring the instance group's load metrics. A disabled autoscaler would display a disabled status and would not attempt to add or remove instances at all. Therefore, the scaling being stuck is not due to the autoscaler being turned off.
✗
The instance template is misconfigured
Why it's wrong here
A misconfigured instance template would cause new instances to fail startup or health checks, leading to repeated errors and possibly a permanently unhealthy group. However, the autoscaler would still attempt to create instances in response to load, so it would try to scale out and not simply remain at the current instance count. The template issue would manifest as failed scaling operations, not a silent refusal to scale.
✗
The autoscaler cooldown period is preventing new instances
Why it's wrong here
The autoscaler cooldown period is a short, temporary window after scaling activities during which scaling is paused to allow metrics to stabilize. Once the cooldown expires, the autoscaler resumes its normal evaluation and can initiate new scaling actions. This would not prevent scaling indefinitely, and if the load persists, the autoscaler would scale out after the cooldown ends.

Go deeper

Cloud Digital Leader Scaling with Google Cloud operations Practice Question

Exhibit

Why each option matters

Option-by-option breakdown

Related to this question