- A
Pod Disruption Budget
Why wrong: PDB controls how many pods can be disrupted during voluntary disruptions, not scaling.
- B
Vertical Pod Autoscaler
Why wrong: VPA adjusts resource requests/limits, not replica count.
- C
Horizontal Pod Autoscaler
HPA scales the number of pods based on metrics like CPU utilization.
- D
Cluster Autoscaler
Why wrong: Cluster Autoscaler adjusts the number of nodes, not pods.
Question 207 of 1,000
PCDE Optimising Service Performance Practice Question
This PCDE practice question tests your understanding of optimising service performance. 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 DevOps team has a GKE workload that experiences fluctuating traffic. They want to automatically adjust the number of pods based on CPU utilization. Which resource should they configure?
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
✓
Horizontal Pod Autoscaler
Horizontal Pod Autoscaler (HPA) automatically scales the number of pod replicas based on observed CPU utilization or other metrics, which is exactly what the team needs.
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.
- ✗
Pod Disruption Budget
Why it's wrong here
PDB controls how many pods can be disrupted during voluntary disruptions, not scaling.
- ✗
Vertical Pod Autoscaler
Why it's wrong here
VPA adjusts resource requests/limits, not replica count.
- ✓
Horizontal Pod Autoscaler
Why this is correct
HPA scales the number of pods based on metrics like CPU utilization.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Cluster Autoscaler
Why it's wrong here
Cluster Autoscaler adjusts the number of nodes, not pods.
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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which PCDE 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.
- →
Optimising Service Performance — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Optimising Service Performance practice questions
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCDE question test?
Optimising Service Performance — This question tests Optimising Service Performance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Horizontal Pod Autoscaler — Horizontal Pod Autoscaler (HPA) automatically scales the number of pod replicas based on observed CPU utilization or other metrics, which is exactly what the team needs.
What should I do if I get this PCDE question wrong?
Identify which PCDE 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 PCDE 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 PCDE exam.
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