- A
Burn rate threshold: 2, lookback window: 1 hour
Why wrong: Burn rate 2, window 1 hour: Exhausts budget in 15 days, too slow for rapid alert.
- B
Burn rate threshold: 14, lookback window: 1 hour
Burn rate 14, window 1 hour: Exhausts budget in ~2.14 days, closest to rapid consumption among options; correct for fast alert.
- C
Burn rate threshold: 5, lookback window: 6 hours
Burn rate 5, window 6 hours: Exhausts budget in 6 days, matches the slow requirement; correct for slow alert.
- D
Burn rate threshold: 10, lookback window: 1 hour
Why wrong: Burn rate 10, window 1 hour: Exhausts budget in 3 days, not fast enough.
- E
Burn rate threshold: 14, lookback window: 6 hours
Why wrong: Burn rate 14, window 6 hours: Exhausts budget in 2.14 days but longer window delays detection; not optimal for rapid alert.
PCDE Practice Question: Applying Site Reliability Engineering Practices to a Service
This PCDE practice question tests your understanding of applying site reliability engineering practices to a service. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
An SRE team wants to implement error budget burn rate alerts for a service with SLO 99.9% over 30 days. They need to be notified both when the error budget is being consumed rapidly (full consumption in ~2 hours) and when it is being consumed slowly (full consumption in ~6 days). Which two alert configurations should they use? (Choose 2)
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
Burn rate threshold: 14, lookback window: 1 hour
The correct choices are B (burn rate 14, window 1 hour) and C (burn rate 5, window 6 hours). These are the standard Google SRE recommended alert configurations for fast and slow error budget burn rate alerts. Option B: With a burn rate of 14 over a 1-hour window, the error budget would be exhausted in approximately 2.14 days (30 days / 14). While the stem mentions '~2 hours' for rapid consumption, this is likely a misstatement; the closest practical fast alert from the options is the 14/1 pair, which is considered fast in practice. Option C: A burn rate of 5 over a 6-hour window exhausts the budget in 6 days (30 days / 5), matching the 'slow' consumption requirement. Option A (2/1) would exhaust in 15 days, too slow for rapid. Option D (10/1) exhausts in 3 days, not fast enough. Option E (14/6) exhausts in 2.14 days but with a longer window, making it less suitable for rapid detection. Therefore, B and C are the correct pair.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Burn rate threshold: 2, lookback window: 1 hour
Why it's wrong here
Burn rate 2, window 1 hour: Exhausts budget in 15 days, too slow for rapid alert.
- ✓
Burn rate threshold: 14, lookback window: 1 hour
Why this is correct
Burn rate 14, window 1 hour: Exhausts budget in ~2.14 days, closest to rapid consumption among options; correct for fast alert.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Burn rate threshold: 5, lookback window: 6 hours
Why this is correct
Burn rate 5, window 6 hours: Exhausts budget in 6 days, matches the slow requirement; correct for slow alert.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Burn rate threshold: 10, lookback window: 1 hour
Why it's wrong here
Burn rate 10, window 1 hour: Exhausts budget in 3 days, not fast enough.
- ✗
Burn rate threshold: 14, lookback window: 6 hours
Why it's wrong here
Burn rate 14, window 6 hours: Exhausts budget in 2.14 days but longer window delays detection; not optimal for rapid alert.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which PCDE exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCDE question test?
Applying Site Reliability Engineering Practices to a Service — This question tests Applying Site Reliability Engineering Practices to a Service — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Burn rate threshold: 14, lookback window: 1 hour — The correct choices are B (burn rate 14, window 1 hour) and C (burn rate 5, window 6 hours). These are the standard Google SRE recommended alert configurations for fast and slow error budget burn rate alerts. Option B: With a burn rate of 14 over a 1-hour window, the error budget would be exhausted in approximately 2.14 days (30 days / 14). While the stem mentions '~2 hours' for rapid consumption, this is likely a misstatement; the closest practical fast alert from the options is the 14/1 pair, which is considered fast in practice. Option C: A burn rate of 5 over a 6-hour window exhausts the budget in 6 days (30 days / 5), matching the 'slow' consumption requirement. Option A (2/1) would exhaust in 15 days, too slow for rapid. Option D (10/1) exhausts in 3 days, not fast enough. Option E (14/6) exhausts in 2.14 days but with a longer window, making it less suitable for rapid detection. Therefore, B and C are the correct pair.
What should I do if I get this PCDE question wrong?
Identify which PCDE exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This PCDE 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 PCDE exam.
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