- A
The number of Cloud Storage buckets used for data staging
Why wrong: Cloud Storage bucket count does not impact BigQuery slot pricing.
- B
The cost of on-demand query pricing for the same workload
Compare flat-rate pricing to on-demand to determine if flat-rate is cheaper.
- C
The cost of reserving dedicated hardware for Compute Engine
Why wrong: BigQuery flat-rate slots are unrelated to Compute Engine hardware.
- D
The number of slots needed to complete the job within the required time window
You need to estimate slot consumption to choose the right flat-rate capacity.
- E
The availability of flex slots for short-term capacity needs
Flex slots can be purchased for a few hours or days, ideal for nightly batch jobs without a long-term commitment.
Question 639 of 1,000
Google ACE Planning and Configuring a Cloud Solution Practice Question
This ACE practice question tests your understanding of planning and configuring a cloud solution. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 organization needs to run a batch analytics job on BigQuery every night that processes terabytes of data. The job is critical and must complete within a specific time window. To optimize costs, they are considering using flat-rate pricing but want to minimize commitment risk. Which THREE factors should they evaluate?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"minimum / minimize"Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
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 cost of on-demand query pricing for the same workload
Option B is correct because comparing the cost of on-demand query pricing for the same workload provides a baseline to evaluate whether flat-rate pricing is more economical. Flat-rate pricing is cost-effective for predictable, high-volume workloads, but without understanding the on-demand cost, the organization cannot assess potential savings or commitment risk.
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.
- ✗
The number of Cloud Storage buckets used for data staging
Why it's wrong here
Cloud Storage bucket count does not impact BigQuery slot pricing.
- ✓
The cost of on-demand query pricing for the same workload
Why this is correct
Compare flat-rate pricing to on-demand to determine if flat-rate is cheaper.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
The cost of reserving dedicated hardware for Compute Engine
Why it's wrong here
BigQuery flat-rate slots are unrelated to Compute Engine hardware.
- ✓
The number of slots needed to complete the job within the required time window
Why this is correct
You need to estimate slot consumption to choose the right flat-rate capacity.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
The availability of flex slots for short-term capacity needs
Why this is correct
Flex slots can be purchased for a few hours or days, ideal for nightly batch jobs without a long-term commitment.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the misconception that storage infrastructure (like Cloud Storage buckets) or unrelated compute services (like Compute Engine) influence BigQuery pricing decisions, when in fact the focus should be on slot allocation and cost comparison with on-demand pricing.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
BigQuery flat-rate pricing uses slots, which are units of computational capacity. The number of slots required to complete a job within a time window depends on query complexity, data size, and concurrency. Flex slots allow short-term capacity bursts without a long-term commitment, ideal for handling peak loads or meeting tight SLAs without over-provisioning.
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.
TExam Day Tips
- 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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this ACE question test?
Planning and Configuring a Cloud Solution — This question tests Planning and Configuring a Cloud Solution — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The cost of on-demand query pricing for the same workload — Option B is correct because comparing the cost of on-demand query pricing for the same workload provides a baseline to evaluate whether flat-rate pricing is more economical. Flat-rate pricing is cost-effective for predictable, high-volume workloads, but without understanding the on-demand cost, the organization cannot assess potential savings or commitment risk.
What should I do if I get this ACE question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This ACE 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 ACE exam.
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