Google PCA Practice Question: Designing and Planning a Cloud Solution Architecture
This PCA practice question tests your understanding of designing and planning a cloud solution architecture. 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 company runs a batch processing workload on Compute Engine that executes nightly. The job is fault-tolerant and can withstand interruptions. The job uses 500 vCPUs and runs for 4 hours each night. Which compute option is MOST cost-effective?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Preemptible VMs
Preemptible VMs are up to 80% cheaper than regular VMs and are ideal for fault-tolerant, interruptible workloads. Committed use discounts require a 1- or 3-year commitment and are not cost-effective if the job runs only a few hours nightly. On-demand instances are the most expensive. Spot VMs are similar to preemptible but with dynamic pricing; preemptible is simpler and offers fixed discount.
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.
✗
On-demand Compute Engine VMs
Why it's wrong here
On-demand is the most expensive option, not suitable for a short nightly job.
✓
Preemptible VMs
Why this is correct
Preemptible VMs are 80% cheaper and ideal for fault-tolerant batch jobs that can be interrupted.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Spot VMs
Why it's wrong here
Spot VMs are similar to preemptible but with dynamic pricing; preemptible VMs are more cost-predictable and sufficient.
✗
Committed use discounts (1-year)
Why it's wrong here
Committed use requires paying for resources 24/7 for 1 year; the job only runs 4 hours nightly, making it wasteful.
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.
Trap categories for this question
Similar concept trap
Spot VMs are similar to preemptible but with dynamic pricing; preemptible VMs are more cost-predictable and sufficient.
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this PCA question in full detail.
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.
Designing and Planning a Cloud Solution Architecture — This question tests Designing and Planning 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: Preemptible VMs — Preemptible VMs are up to 80% cheaper than regular VMs and are ideal for fault-tolerant, interruptible workloads. Committed use discounts require a 1- or 3-year commitment and are not cost-effective if the job runs only a few hours nightly. On-demand instances are the most expensive. Spot VMs are similar to preemptible but with dynamic pricing; preemptible is simpler and offers fixed discount.
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.
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Question Discussion
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