This PCA practice question tests your understanding of manage and provision cloud 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.
Which TWO features help reduce costs for batch processing workloads on Compute Engine?
Preemptible VMs
Preemptible VMs are up to 80% cheaper and suitable for batch jobs.
Sustained use discounts
Sustained use discounts automatically apply for instances running over 25% of a month.
GPU accelerators
Why wrong: GPUs add cost.
Sole-tenant nodes
Why wrong: Sole-tenant nodes are more expensive.
Committed use discounts
Why wrong: Committed use discounts require a proactive purchase commitment.
Answer choices
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 short-lived, low-cost instances that can be terminated at any time by Compute Engine, making them ideal for batch processing workloads that are fault-tolerant and can handle interruptions. They offer up to 80% cost savings compared to standard VMs, directly reducing costs for batch jobs that can checkpoint and resume.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Preemptible VMs
Why this is correct
Preemptible VMs are up to 80% cheaper and suitable for batch jobs.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Sustained use discounts
Why this is correct
Sustained use discounts automatically apply for instances running over 25% of a month.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
GPU accelerators
Why it's wrong here
GPUs add cost.
Sole-tenant nodes
Why it's wrong here
Sole-tenant nodes are more expensive.
Committed use discounts
Why it's wrong here
Committed use discounts require a proactive purchase commitment.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse committed use discounts with sustained use discounts, but committed use discounts require a contractual commitment and are not suitable for batch workloads that may not run continuously, while sustained use discounts are automatic and better suited for long-running batch jobs.
Detailed technical explanation
Preemptible VMs have a maximum runtime of 24 hours and are subject to preemption within 30 seconds of notice, making them ideal for batch jobs that can be split into smaller tasks using frameworks like Apache Beam or Cloud Dataflow. Sustained use discounts automatically apply for VMs running more than 25% of a month, providing incremental discounts for longer-running instances, which can benefit batch workloads that run continuously for days. Both features are managed at the project level and do not require upfront commitments, allowing cost optimization for variable batch processing demands.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Manage and provision cloud infrastructure — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
Manage and provision cloud infrastructure practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
All PCA questions
509 questions across all exam domains
Google Professional Cloud Architect study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
PCA practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Practise PCA questions linked to Design and plan a cloud solution architecture.
Practise PCA questions linked to Manage and provision cloud infrastructure.
Practise PCA questions linked to Design for security and compliance.
Practise PCA questions linked to Analyze and optimize technical and business processes.
Practise PCA questions linked to Manage implementation of cloud architecture.
Practise PCA questions linked to Ensure solution and operations reliability.
Practise PCA questions linked to PCA fundamentals.
Practise PCA questions linked to PCA scenario.
Practise PCA questions linked to PCA troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Manage and provision cloud infrastructure — This question tests Manage and provision cloud infrastructure — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Preemptible VMs — Preemptible VMs are short-lived, low-cost instances that can be terminated at any time by Compute Engine, making them ideal for batch processing workloads that are fault-tolerant and can handle interruptions. They offer up to 80% cost savings compared to standard VMs, directly reducing costs for batch jobs that can checkpoint and resume.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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 →
Keep practising
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.
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.