Google PCA Design and plan a cloud solution architecture Practice Question
A data analytics company runs nightly batch jobs using Compute Engine instances. The jobs can tolerate interruptions, and the company wants to minimize costs. What should they do?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse preemptible VMs with standard VMs and assume they are unreliable for any workload, but the question explicitly states the jobs can tolerate interruptions, making preemptible VMs the correct cost-saving choice.
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
✓
Use preemptible VMs for the batch jobs.
Preemptible VMs (now called Spot VMs) are Compute Engine instances that last up to 24 hours and can be terminated at any time by Google Cloud. Because the batch jobs are interruptible, using preemptible VMs reduces compute costs by up to 60-91% compared to standard on-demand VMs, directly meeting the goal of minimizing costs.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Use preemptible VMs for the batch jobs.
Why this is correct
Preemptible VMs cost substantially less than standard instances but can be reclaimed at any time, with a 24-hour maximum runtime. The batch jobs tolerate interruptions, so this constraint is satisfied. Combining them with a managed instance group and restart logic keeps the nightly workload completing despite preemption.
- ✗
Use C2 high-CPU machine types for faster processing.
Why it's wrong here
C2 high-CPU machine types raise the per-hour rate, so they increase spend rather than reduce it, and they do nothing about interruption tolerance. Choosing faster hardware suits latency-sensitive workloads, not cost-driven nightly batch jobs that can be restarted.
- ✗
Use standard (on-demand) VMs and commit to a 1-year resource-based commitment.
Why it's wrong here
A one-year resource-based commitment discounts steady, predictable usage, but standard VMs keep running charges high and offer no interruption discount. Committed use suits continuously running workloads, not interruptible nightly batch jobs where Spot VMs cut costs far further.
- ✗
Deploy VMs on Sole-tenant nodes for cost isolation.
Why it's wrong here
Sole-tenant nodes carry a premium for physical isolation and compliance, adding cost rather than removing it, and they do not exploit the jobs' tolerance for interruption. They suit licensing or regulatory separation requirements, not a cost-minimisation goal for interruptible batch processing.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Cloud SQL and Managed Data Stores
Key term
Compute Engine
Compute Engine is Google Cloud's Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) offering that lets you create and run virtual machines on Google's infrastructure.
Key term
Batch
Batch is a cloud computing service that runs large numbers of computing jobs as a group, or batch, without needing to manage individual servers.
About these practice questions
One of 807 original PCA practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This PCA practice question is part of Courseiva's free Google Cloud certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the PCA exam.