- A
Use a managed instance group with autoscaling and preemptible VMs
MIGs can automatically replace preempted VMs, and autoscaling adds resilience. Preemptible VMs keep costs low.
- B
Use sole-tenant nodes to reduce risk of preemption
Why wrong: Sole-tenant nodes do not protect against preemption; they isolate VMs but preemptible VMs can still be preempted.
- C
Switch to regular (non-preemptible) VMs
Why wrong: Regular VMs are more expensive and would increase cost, contradicting the requirement not to significantly increase cost.
- D
Implement a retry mechanism in the job to re-run failed tasks
Retry logic allows the job to recover from transient failures caused by preemption, improving reliability.
- E
Increase the number of preemptible VMs
Why wrong: Adding more VMs increases cost and does not directly improve reliability against preemption; it only increases parallelism.
Google PCA Practice Question: Analysing and Optimising Technical and Business Processes
This PCA practice question tests your understanding of analysing and optimising technical and business processes. 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.
A company runs a batch processing job that uses preemptible VMs. The job occasionally fails due to VM preemption. They want to improve reliability without significantly increasing cost. Which TWO actions should they take? (Choose TWO.)
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 a managed instance group with autoscaling and preemptible VMs
Using a managed instance group (MIG) with autoscaling and preemptible VMs can automatically recreate instances if preempted. Implementing a retry logic in the application to re-run failed tasks also improves reliability. Using sole-tenant nodes or adding more nodes increases cost or complexity. Switching to regular VMs increases cost.
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 a managed instance group with autoscaling and preemptible VMs
Why this is correct
MIGs can automatically replace preempted VMs, and autoscaling adds resilience. Preemptible VMs keep costs low.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use sole-tenant nodes to reduce risk of preemption
Why it's wrong here
Sole-tenant nodes do not protect against preemption; they isolate VMs but preemptible VMs can still be preempted.
- ✗
Switch to regular (non-preemptible) VMs
Why it's wrong here
Regular VMs are more expensive and would increase cost, contradicting the requirement not to significantly increase cost.
- ✓
Implement a retry mechanism in the job to re-run failed tasks
Why this is correct
Retry logic allows the job to recover from transient failures caused by preemption, improving reliability.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Increase the number of preemptible VMs
Why it's wrong here
Adding more VMs increases cost and does not directly improve reliability against preemption; it only increases parallelism.
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 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 PCA 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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Analysing and Optimising Technical and Business Processes — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCA question test?
Analysing and Optimising Technical and Business Processes — This question tests Analysing and Optimising Technical and Business Processes — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use a managed instance group with autoscaling and preemptible VMs — Using a managed instance group (MIG) with autoscaling and preemptible VMs can automatically recreate instances if preempted. Implementing a retry logic in the application to re-run failed tasks also improves reliability. Using sole-tenant nodes or adding more nodes increases cost or complexity. Switching to regular VMs increases cost.
What should I do if I get this PCA question wrong?
Identify which PCA 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.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 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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