Google PCA Practice Question: Managing and Provisioning a Solution Infrastructure
This PCA practice question tests your understanding of managing and provisioning a solution infrastructure. 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 data science team wants to run training jobs on a GKE cluster. The jobs are resource-intensive and can tolerate interruptions. To reduce costs, the team wants to use preemptible VMs for the node pool. Which additional step should they take to ensure training jobs are not lost when nodes are preempted?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Enable cluster autoscaler on the node pool
A cluster autoscaler with a node pool of preemptible VMs will replace preempted nodes. For job resilience, the application should be designed to handle interruptions, but at the infrastructure level, enabling cluster autoscaler ensures new nodes are added.
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 PodDisruptionBudget
Why it's wrong here
PDB only protects against voluntary disruptions, not preemption.
✗
Set up a Cloud Scheduler job to recreate nodes
Why it's wrong here
Manual scheduling is not efficient; cluster autoscaler automates this.
✓
Enable cluster autoscaler on the node pool
Why this is correct
Cluster autoscaler will automatically add replacement nodes when preemptible VMs are terminated.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Configure a Vertical Pod Autoscaler
Why it's wrong here
VPA adjusts resource requests, not node availability.
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.
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.
Managing and Provisioning a Solution Infrastructure — This question tests Managing and Provisioning a Solution Infrastructure — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Enable cluster autoscaler on the node pool — A cluster autoscaler with a node pool of preemptible VMs will replace preempted nodes. For job resilience, the application should be designed to handle interruptions, but at the infrastructure level, enabling cluster autoscaler ensures new nodes are added.
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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