- A
Approximately $0 — all invocations fall within the free tier
Why wrong: The free tier covers 2M invocations and 400K GB-seconds per month. At 150M invocations and 7.5M GB-seconds, costs far exceed the free tier.
- B
Estimate based on invocation count, compute time (memory × duration), and networking costs beyond the free tier
Cloud Functions billing uses three dimensions: invocations, compute time (measured in GB-seconds), and outbound network traffic — all calculated above the monthly free tier.
- C
Approximately the same as a continuously-running e2-medium VM — Cloud Functions and VMs are priced equivalently
Why wrong: Cloud Functions are priced per-invocation and per-GB-second — very different from per-hour VM pricing. Serverless can be much cheaper or more expensive depending on traffic patterns.
- D
Fixed monthly rate based on the number of deployed functions, not invocation count
Why wrong: Cloud Functions pricing is consumption-based (invocations + compute time) — there's no fixed fee per deployed function.
Quick Answer
The answer is to estimate based on invocation count, compute time (memory × duration), and networking costs beyond the free tier. This is correct because Cloud Functions (2nd gen) pricing is calculated using GB-seconds, which multiplies the allocated memory by the function’s execution duration; for 5 million requests per day at 200ms each with 256 MB memory, the monthly compute time alone reaches roughly 7.5 million GB-seconds, far exceeding the 400,000 GB-second free tier. On the Google Associate Cloud Engineer exam, this question tests your ability to break down serverless costs into their core components—invocations, compute, and egress—rather than just memorizing flat rates. A common trap is forgetting that memory allocation directly scales compute cost, or assuming the free tier covers high-volume workloads. Memory tip: think “ICE” for Invocations, Compute (GB-seconds), and Egress to remember the three cost pillars.
Google ACE Planning and configuring a cloud solution Practice Question
This ACE practice question tests your understanding of planning and configuring a cloud solution. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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.
A startup builds a serverless REST API using Cloud Functions (2nd gen). Each function invocation runs for 200ms on average, processes 5 million requests per day, and uses 256 MB memory. Approximately how should they estimate monthly Cloud Functions costs?
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
Estimate based on invocation count, compute time (memory × duration), and networking costs beyond the free tier
Option B is correct because Cloud Functions (2nd gen) pricing is based on three components: invocation count, compute time (measured in GB-seconds, which is memory multiplied by duration), and networking egress beyond the free tier. With 5 million requests per day at 200ms each and 256 MB memory, the monthly compute time is approximately 5,000,000 × 0.2 seconds × (256/1024) GB = 250,000 GB-seconds per day, or 7.5 million GB-seconds per month, which far exceeds the free tier of 400,000 GB-seconds per month, so costs will accrue. Additionally, the 150 million invocations per month exceed the free tier of 2 million invocations, and egress traffic will also incur charges beyond the 1 GB free tier.
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.
- ✗
Approximately $0 — all invocations fall within the free tier
Why it's wrong here
The free tier covers 2M invocations and 400K GB-seconds per month. At 150M invocations and 7.5M GB-seconds, costs far exceed the free tier.
- ✓
Estimate based on invocation count, compute time (memory × duration), and networking costs beyond the free tier
Why this is correct
Cloud Functions billing uses three dimensions: invocations, compute time (measured in GB-seconds), and outbound network traffic — all calculated above the monthly free tier.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Approximately the same as a continuously-running e2-medium VM — Cloud Functions and VMs are priced equivalently
Why it's wrong here
Cloud Functions are priced per-invocation and per-GB-second — very different from per-hour VM pricing. Serverless can be much cheaper or more expensive depending on traffic patterns.
- ✗
Fixed monthly rate based on the number of deployed functions, not invocation count
Why it's wrong here
Cloud Functions pricing is consumption-based (invocations + compute time) — there's no fixed fee per deployed function.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume the free tier covers all usage because they underestimate the cumulative effect of high invocation counts and compute time, or they mistakenly think Cloud Functions pricing is similar to VM pricing or a flat per-function fee.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Cloud Functions (2nd gen) uses a GB-second pricing model where compute time is calculated as memory in GB multiplied by duration in seconds, rounded up to the nearest 100ms. For this workload, each invocation consumes 0.25 GB × 0.2 seconds = 0.05 GB-seconds, but the minimum billable duration is 100ms, so even if the function completes faster, the cost is based on the actual duration. Networking costs include egress to the internet (beyond 1 GB/month free) and inter-region traffic, which can dominate costs for data-heavy APIs, so the estimate must include these factors.
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.
- →
Planning and configuring a cloud solution — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Planning and configuring a cloud solution practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All ACE questions
500 questions across all exam domains
- →
Google Associate Cloud Engineer study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
ACE practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related ACE practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Setting up a cloud solution environment practice questions
Practise ACE questions linked to Setting up a cloud solution environment.
Planning and configuring a cloud solution practice questions
Practise ACE questions linked to Planning and configuring a cloud solution.
Deploying and implementing a cloud solution practice questions
Practise ACE questions linked to Deploying and implementing a cloud solution.
Ensuring successful operation of a cloud solution practice questions
Practise ACE questions linked to Ensuring successful operation of a cloud solution.
Configuring access and security practice questions
Practise ACE questions linked to Configuring access and security.
ACE fundamentals practice questions
Practise ACE questions linked to ACE fundamentals.
ACE scenario practice questions
Practise ACE questions linked to ACE scenario.
ACE troubleshooting practice questions
Practise ACE questions linked to ACE troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Start a free ACE practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
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: Estimate based on invocation count, compute time (memory × duration), and networking costs beyond the free tier — Option B is correct because Cloud Functions (2nd gen) pricing is based on three components: invocation count, compute time (measured in GB-seconds, which is memory multiplied by duration), and networking egress beyond the free tier. With 5 million requests per day at 200ms each and 256 MB memory, the monthly compute time is approximately 5,000,000 × 0.2 seconds × (256/1024) GB = 250,000 GB-seconds per day, or 7.5 million GB-seconds per month, which far exceeds the free tier of 400,000 GB-seconds per month, so costs will accrue. Additionally, the 150 million invocations per month exceed the free tier of 2 million invocations, and egress traffic will also incur charges beyond the 1 GB free tier.
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.