- A
Enable node auto-provisioning and migrate baseline workloads to nodes covered by committed use discounts (1-year or 3-year).
Node auto-provisioning optimizes resource allocation based on pod requirements, and CUDs provide significant savings for stable workloads.
- B
Increase the minimum number of nodes in the cluster to 300 and use a larger machine type to reduce the number of pods per node.
Why wrong: Increasing minimum nodes and using larger machines increases costs and may lead to underutilization.
- C
Switch the cluster to a single-zone configuration and reduce the number of nodes to 200 to lower base costs.
Why wrong: Single-zone reduces availability and may cause downtime, and reducing nodes may not handle peak loads.
- D
Reduce the number of preemptible VMs to 30% and use only on-demand VMs for the remaining nodes to improve reliability.
Why wrong: Reducing preemptible VMs increases cost because on-demand VMs are more expensive.
Quick Answer
The correct answer is to enable node auto-provisioning and migrate baseline workloads to nodes covered by committed use discounts. This solution directly addresses the GKE cost spike by combining two complementary strategies: node auto-provisioning dynamically selects the most efficient machine types for your pods, eliminating the waste from nodes running below 20% utilization, while committed use discounts lock in lower rates for the predictable baseline capacity that runs 24/7, countering the unexpected sustained use discount charges that inflated your bill. On the Google Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer exam, this scenario tests your ability to separate variable from steady-state workloads and apply the right cost optimization tool for each—a common trap is assuming Cluster Autoscaler alone suffices, but without node auto-provisioning it cannot optimize node shapes, and without CUDs you miss the discount on predictable usage. Remember the pairing: auto-provisioning for the peaks, CUDs for the base.
PCDOE Managing Google Cloud costs Practice Question
This PCDOE practice question tests your understanding of managing google cloud costs. 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.
You are a DevOps engineer at a large e-commerce company that runs its production workloads on Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) in the us-central1 region. The cluster has 500 nodes, each with 8 vCPUs and 32 GB of memory, and uses preemptible VMs for cost savings. Over the past month, the monthly GKE cost has increased by 30% unexpectedly. Upon reviewing the billing reports, you notice a significant spike in Compute Engine costs, specifically for 'Sustained Use Discount' line items, but the total cost is higher than expected. You also observe that the cluster's node utilization is inconsistent, with some nodes running at 90% CPU and memory while others are below 20%. Your team has been deploying stateless microservices and using Cluster Autoscaler with default settings. The application traffic is variable but predictable, with peaks on weekends. You need to reduce the GKE costs without impacting performance. What should you do?
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
Enable node auto-provisioning and migrate baseline workloads to nodes covered by committed use discounts (1-year or 3-year).
Option A is correct because enabling node auto-provisioning allows GKE to automatically select the most cost-effective node configurations for your workloads, reducing waste from over-provisioned nodes. Migrating baseline workloads to nodes covered by committed use discounts (CUDs) locks in lower prices for predictable usage, directly addressing the 30% cost spike caused by inconsistent utilization and unexpected sustained use discount charges. This combination optimizes both variable and steady-state workloads without sacrificing performance.
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.
- ✓
Enable node auto-provisioning and migrate baseline workloads to nodes covered by committed use discounts (1-year or 3-year).
Why this is correct
Node auto-provisioning optimizes resource allocation based on pod requirements, and CUDs provide significant savings for stable workloads.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Increase the minimum number of nodes in the cluster to 300 and use a larger machine type to reduce the number of pods per node.
Why it's wrong here
Increasing minimum nodes and using larger machines increases costs and may lead to underutilization.
- ✗
Switch the cluster to a single-zone configuration and reduce the number of nodes to 200 to lower base costs.
Why it's wrong here
Single-zone reduces availability and may cause downtime, and reducing nodes may not handle peak loads.
- ✗
Reduce the number of preemptible VMs to 30% and use only on-demand VMs for the remaining nodes to improve reliability.
Why it's wrong here
Reducing preemptible VMs increases cost because on-demand VMs are more expensive.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google Cloud often tests the misconception that simply reducing node count or switching to cheaper VM types (like preemptible) will solve cost issues, without addressing the root cause of inconsistent utilization and the need for committed use discounts for baseline workloads.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Node auto-provisioning (NAP) in GKE dynamically creates node pools with optimized machine types and sizes based on pod resource requests, reducing over-provisioning. Committed use discounts (CUDs) provide up to 70% discount for 1-year or 3-year commitments on vCPU and memory, but they apply only to baseline, predictable workloads; mixing CUD-covered nodes with preemptible VMs for burst traffic maximizes savings. The unexpected spike in 'Sustained Use Discount' line items often occurs when usage patterns shift, causing Google's automatic discounts to recalculate based on cumulative usage across projects, which can mask underlying cost increases from inefficient node sizing.
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 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
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.
- →
Managing Google Cloud costs — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Managing Google Cloud costs practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All PCDOE questions
500 questions across all exam domains
- →
Google Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
PCDOE practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related PCDOE practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Bootstrapping a Google Cloud organization for DevOps practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to Bootstrapping a Google Cloud organization for DevOps.
Managing service incidents practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to Managing service incidents.
Managing Google Cloud costs practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to Managing Google Cloud costs.
Building and implementing CI/CD pipelines practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to Building and implementing CI/CD pipelines.
Implementing service monitoring strategies practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to Implementing service monitoring strategies.
Optimizing service performance practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to Optimizing service performance.
PCDOE fundamentals practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to PCDOE fundamentals.
PCDOE scenario practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to PCDOE scenario.
PCDOE troubleshooting practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to PCDOE troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Start a free PCDOE practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCDOE question test?
Managing Google Cloud costs — This question tests Managing Google Cloud costs — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Enable node auto-provisioning and migrate baseline workloads to nodes covered by committed use discounts (1-year or 3-year). — Option A is correct because enabling node auto-provisioning allows GKE to automatically select the most cost-effective node configurations for your workloads, reducing waste from over-provisioned nodes. Migrating baseline workloads to nodes covered by committed use discounts (CUDs) locks in lower prices for predictable usage, directly addressing the 30% cost spike caused by inconsistent utilization and unexpected sustained use discount charges. This combination optimizes both variable and steady-state workloads without sacrificing performance.
What should I do if I get this PCDOE question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
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
More PCDOE practice questions
- Order the steps to set up a CI/CD pipeline using Cloud Build and Cloud Deploy for a Cloud Run service.
- Order the steps to configure a VPC Network Peering between two projects.
- Order the steps to respond to a Google Cloud security incident involving a compromised service account key.
- Refer to the exhibit. The Cloud Build fails with a permission error. The Cloud Build service account has roles/cloudbuil…
- A company is setting up a new Google Cloud organization. They want to ensure that all projects inherit common IAM polici…
- A DevOps team is bootstrapping CI/CD pipelines that need access to API keys stored in Secret Manager. The pipelines run…
Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026
This PCDOE 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 PCDOE 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.