This PCDOE practice question tests your understanding of optimizing service performance. 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.
Refer to the exhibit. A DevOps engineer observes that a GKE cluster's node performance is degraded during high I/O workloads. Based on the exhibit, which change would most likely improve disk I/O performance?
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.
Change machineType to n2-standard-4
Why wrong: Changing machine type may improve CPU but not disk I/O directly.
Change imageType to UBUNTU
Why wrong: Image type does not affect disk I/O performance.
Change serviceAccount to a custom one
Why wrong: Service account does not impact disk I/O.
Change diskType to pd-ssd
Correct. pd-ssd offers significantly better I/O performance.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Change diskType to pd-ssd
The exhibit shows a GKE node pool using the default pd-standard disk type, which is backed by HDDs and has lower IOPS and throughput compared to SSDs. Changing diskType to pd-ssd directly improves disk I/O performance by providing higher IOPS and lower latency, which is critical for high I/O workloads.
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.
Change machineType to n2-standard-4
Why it's wrong here
Changing machine type may improve CPU but not disk I/O directly.
Change imageType to UBUNTU
Why it's wrong here
Image type does not affect disk I/O performance.
Change serviceAccount to a custom one
Why it's wrong here
Service account does not impact disk I/O.
Change diskType to pd-ssd
Why this is correct
Correct. pd-ssd offers significantly better I/O performance.
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.
Common exam traps
Google Cloud often tests the misconception that changing machine type or OS image can fix disk I/O issues, when the real bottleneck is the underlying disk type (pd-standard vs. pd-ssd).
Detailed technical explanation
pd-ssd (Persistent Disk SSD) uses solid-state drives to deliver up to 30,000 IOPS per volume (depending on size), while pd-standard (HDD) maxes out at 750 IOPS per volume. For high I/O workloads like databases or streaming analytics, the latency difference (single-digit ms for SSD vs. tens of ms for HDD) directly impacts application throughput. GKE node pools inherit the disk type from the instance template; changing it requires creating a new node pool or using a custom image with pd-ssd.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
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
Optimizing service performance — This question tests Optimizing service performance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Change diskType to pd-ssd — The exhibit shows a GKE node pool using the default pd-standard disk type, which is backed by HDDs and has lower IOPS and throughput compared to SSDs. Changing diskType to pd-ssd directly improves disk I/O performance by providing higher IOPS and lower latency, which is critical for high I/O workloads.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026
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