- A
Use Cloud NAT in each spoke and private routing via the hub with network tags to distinguish ranges.
Cloud NAT can map overlapping private IPs to a unique internal IP range within the hub, and tags can help route traffic appropriately, though this approach has limitations; alternative is to re-IP. But among options, this allows some communication without re-IPing.
- B
Use Cloud VPN tunnels between spokes through the hub.
Why wrong: VPN tunnels can work with overlapping ranges but require careful routing and possibly NAT; however, overlapping ranges will cause routing ambiguity.
- C
Configure static routes in the hub to summarize ranges with a smaller prefix.
Why wrong: Summarizing does not resolve the overlap; traffic will still be confused.
- D
Create VPC peering between each spoke VPC.
Why wrong: VPC peering does not support overlapping IP ranges; it will fail.
Google PCA Design and plan a cloud solution architecture Practice Question
This PCA practice question tests your understanding of design and plan a cloud solution architecture. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 company has a hub-and-spoke VPC topology with multiple on-premises locations connected via Cloud VPN to the hub VPC. They notice IP conflicts because overlapping CIDR ranges are used in different spokes. The network team wants to allow communication between spokes without re-IPing. What should they do?
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 Cloud NAT in each spoke and private routing via the hub with network tags to distinguish ranges.
Option A is correct because Cloud NAT in each spoke allows spoke VPCs to communicate with the hub using private IPs while avoiding IP conflicts by using network tags to differentiate overlapping ranges. The hub VPC acts as a central routing point, and with Cloud NAT, traffic from spokes can be source-NATed to unique IPs in the hub, enabling communication between spokes without re-IPing. This approach leverages private routing through the hub and avoids the need for direct peering or VPN tunnels between spokes.
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.
- ✓
Use Cloud NAT in each spoke and private routing via the hub with network tags to distinguish ranges.
Why this is correct
Cloud NAT can map overlapping private IPs to a unique internal IP range within the hub, and tags can help route traffic appropriately, though this approach has limitations; alternative is to re-IP. But among options, this allows some communication without re-IPing.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use Cloud VPN tunnels between spokes through the hub.
- ✗
Configure static routes in the hub to summarize ranges with a smaller prefix.
Why it's wrong here
Summarizing does not resolve the overlap; traffic will still be confused.
- ✗
Create VPC peering between each spoke VPC.
Why it's wrong here
VPC peering does not support overlapping IP ranges; it will fail.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume VPN tunnels or VPC peering can handle overlapping IPs through routing alone, but they forget that IP routing requires unique destination addresses, and without NAT, overlapping ranges cause black-holing or asymmetric routing.
Trap categories for this question
Similar concept trap
Summarizing does not resolve the overlap; traffic will still be confused.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Cloud NAT performs source network address translation (SNAT) on outbound packets from spoke VMs, mapping their private IPs to a unique IP range in the hub VPC (e.g., using network tags to assign different NAT IP pools). This allows the hub to route traffic between spokes using its internal routing tables, as the source IPs are now unique. In real-world scenarios, this is critical for mergers or acquisitions where overlapping RFC 1918 addresses are common, and re-IPing is cost-prohibitive.
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 healthcare organisation deploys an application with a public-facing web tier and a private database tier. The database subnet has no public IP and only accepts connections from the web tier's security group. Questions like this test whether you can design cloud network isolation using VNets/VPCs, subnets, and security group rules.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCA question test?
Design and plan a cloud solution architecture — This question tests Design and plan a cloud solution architecture — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use Cloud NAT in each spoke and private routing via the hub with network tags to distinguish ranges. — Option A is correct because Cloud NAT in each spoke allows spoke VPCs to communicate with the hub using private IPs while avoiding IP conflicts by using network tags to differentiate overlapping ranges. The hub VPC acts as a central routing point, and with Cloud NAT, traffic from spokes can be source-NATed to unique IPs in the hub, enabling communication between spokes without re-IPing. This approach leverages private routing through the hub and avoids the need for direct peering or VPN tunnels between spokes.
What should I do if I get this PCA 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.
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Last reviewed: Jun 25, 2026
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.
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