- A
The OpenCensus exporter is not configured to send to the Cloud Monitoring endpoint.
Without correct exporter configuration, metrics are not sent to Cloud Monitoring, even with the correct service account.
- B
The Cloud Monitoring agent needs to be restarted after adding OpenCensus.
Why wrong: The Cloud Monitoring agent is for system metrics and does not affect OpenCensus custom metrics.
- C
The service account has not been granted the 'Monitoring Viewer' role.
Why wrong: The 'Monitoring Metric Writer' role is sufficient to write metrics; 'Monitoring Viewer' is not required.
- D
The application is not exporting metrics to the correct Cloud Monitoring project.
Why wrong: While possible, the service account has the Writer role on the project, so this is less likely than a missing exporter configuration.
Quick Answer
The answer is that the OpenCensus exporter is not configured to send to the Cloud Monitoring endpoint. This is the most likely cause because OpenCensus acts as a vendor-neutral instrumentation library; it collects custom metrics like active users and request latency, but it requires explicit configuration to ship that data to a specific backend. Without setting the exporter to target the Cloud Monitoring endpoint (monitoring.googleapis.com) and the correct project ID, the metrics are gathered locally but never transmitted, even if the service account holds the Monitoring Metric Writer role. On the Google Professional Cloud Developer exam, this scenario tests your understanding that IAM permissions alone are insufficient—the exporter pipeline must be wired correctly. A common trap is assuming that installing the Cloud Monitoring agent or assigning the role automatically pushes custom metrics, but the agent only handles system metrics, not OpenCensus exports. Memory tip: think of OpenCensus as a camera that takes pictures; without mailing the film to the right lab (the endpoint), no one sees the photos.
PCD Managing application performance monitoring Practice Question
This PCD practice question tests your understanding of managing application performance monitoring. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 startup has deployed a Python web application on Compute Engine. They have installed the Cloud Monitoring agent and can see basic system metrics like CPU and disk usage. However, they want to track custom application metrics, such as number of active users and request latency, to monitor performance. They have added OpenCensus code to export metrics but notice that custom metrics are not appearing in Cloud Monitoring. The application runs under a custom service account with the 'Monitoring Metric Writer' role assigned. What is the most likely cause?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"most likely"Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
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
The OpenCensus exporter is not configured to send to the Cloud Monitoring endpoint.
Option A is correct because OpenCensus requires explicit configuration to export metrics to a specific backend. Even though the service account has the 'Monitoring Metric Writer' role, the OpenCensus exporter must be configured with the correct Cloud Monitoring endpoint (e.g., 'monitoring.googleapis.com') and project ID. Without this configuration, the metrics are collected by OpenCensus but never sent to Cloud Monitoring.
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.
- ✓
The OpenCensus exporter is not configured to send to the Cloud Monitoring endpoint.
Why this is correct
Without correct exporter configuration, metrics are not sent to Cloud Monitoring, even with the correct service account.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
The Cloud Monitoring agent needs to be restarted after adding OpenCensus.
Why it's wrong here
The Cloud Monitoring agent is for system metrics and does not affect OpenCensus custom metrics.
- ✗
The service account has not been granted the 'Monitoring Viewer' role.
Why it's wrong here
The 'Monitoring Metric Writer' role is sufficient to write metrics; 'Monitoring Viewer' is not required.
- ✗
The application is not exporting metrics to the correct Cloud Monitoring project.
Why it's wrong here
While possible, the service account has the Writer role on the project, so this is less likely than a missing exporter configuration.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the misconception that assigning IAM roles alone is sufficient for custom metric export, when in fact the application code must explicitly configure the exporter to send data to the correct endpoint.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
OpenCensus uses exporters to send metrics to various backends; for Cloud Monitoring, the 'opencensus-exporter-stats-stackdriver' exporter must be initialized with a 'project_id' and optionally a 'metric_prefix'. Under the hood, the exporter uses gRPC to call the 'metricService.createTimeSeries' API. A common real-world scenario is forgetting to set the 'project_id' in the exporter, which defaults to the project of the default service account on Compute Engine, but if the application runs in a different project, metrics silently fail to appear.
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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCD question test?
Managing application performance monitoring — This question tests Managing application performance monitoring — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The OpenCensus exporter is not configured to send to the Cloud Monitoring endpoint. — Option A is correct because OpenCensus requires explicit configuration to export metrics to a specific backend. Even though the service account has the 'Monitoring Metric Writer' role, the OpenCensus exporter must be configured with the correct Cloud Monitoring endpoint (e.g., 'monitoring.googleapis.com') and project ID. Without this configuration, the metrics are collected by OpenCensus but never sent to Cloud Monitoring.
What should I do if I get this PCD question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
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 PCD 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 PCD exam.
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