Question 335 of 1,000

PCNE Practice Question: Designing, Planning, and Prototyping a GCP Network

This PCNE practice question tests your understanding of designing, planning, and prototyping a gcp network. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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.

An engineer is troubleshooting a VPC Network Peering connection between two VPCs. The peering is established, but traffic from VPC A to VPC B is not reaching a specific subnet. Both VPCs have custom routes. 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

Export custom routes is not enabled on the VPC B side

A common issue is that the subnet's custom routes are not exported. VPC peering allows exporting custom routes, but this must be explicitly enabled. If not, only system-generated routes (subnet routes) are exchanged.

Key principle: Count usable hosts — not total addresses — and remember that the network and broadcast addresses are not available to hosts in standard IPv4 subnets.

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 subnet has overlapping IP with VPC A

    Why it's wrong here

    Peering does not allow overlapping subnets; the peering would not be established.

  • The subnet in VPC B is in a different region

    Why it's wrong here

    Peering works across regions.

  • Export custom routes is not enabled on the VPC A side

    Why it's wrong here

    The issue is likely on the VPC B side because VPC A is sending traffic to VPC B.

  • Export custom routes is not enabled on the VPC B side

    Why this is correct

    VPC B must export custom routes to VPC A for VPC A to see the subnet route.

    Clue confirmation

    The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.

    Related concept

    CIDR notation defines the prefix length.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: usable hosts are not the same as total addresses

Subnetting questions often tempt you into counting all addresses. In normal IPv4 subnets, the network and broadcast addresses are not usable host addresses.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Subnetting questions test whether you can identify the network, broadcast address, usable range, mask and correct subnet. Slow down enough to calculate the block size correctly.

KKey Concepts to Remember

  • CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
  • Block size helps identify subnet boundaries.
  • Network and broadcast addresses are not usable hosts in normal IPv4 subnets.
  • The required host count determines the smallest suitable subnet.

TExam Day Tips

  • Write the block size before choosing the subnet.
  • Check whether the question asks for hosts, subnets or a specific address range.
  • Do not confuse /24, /25, /26 and /27 host counts.

Key takeaway

Count usable hosts — not total addresses — and remember that the network and broadcast addresses are not available to hosts in standard IPv4 subnets.

Real-world example

How this comes up in practice

A healthcare organisation deploys an application with a public-facing web tier and a private database tier. The database subnet has no public IP and only accepts connections from the web tier's security group. Questions like this test whether you can design cloud network isolation using VNets/VPCs, subnets, and security group rules.

Visual reference

192.168.1.0 /24 256 addresses (254 usable) 192.168.1.0 /25 Subnet A 128 addr (126 usable) 192.168.1.128 /25 Subnet B 128 addr (126 usable) Borrowing 1 bit from host portion creates 2 subnets (/25)

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Review block sizes, usable host formulas (2^n − 2), and how to find network and broadcast addresses for /24 through /30. Then practise related PCNE subnetting questions on CIDR, address ranges, and subnet selection.

Related practice questions

Related PCNE practice-question pages

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this PCNE question test?

Designing, Planning, and Prototyping a GCP Network — This question tests Designing, Planning, and Prototyping a GCP Network — CIDR notation defines the prefix length..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Export custom routes is not enabled on the VPC B side — A common issue is that the subnet's custom routes are not exported. VPC peering allows exporting custom routes, but this must be explicitly enabled. If not, only system-generated routes (subnet routes) are exchanged.

What should I do if I get this PCNE question wrong?

Review block sizes, usable host formulas (2^n − 2), and how to find network and broadcast addresses for /24 through /30. Then practise related PCNE subnetting questions on CIDR, address ranges, and subnet selection.

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?

CIDR notation defines the prefix length.

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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026

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This PCNE 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 PCNE exam.