Path to Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect Certification
The Beginning
It all began when Priceline started the journey to GCP (Google Cloud Platform). I was a novice with a lot of advanced cloud concepts. I had some grasp around AWS, as that was the cloud platform most of my professional network colleagues worked on, but I really missed the focused specialization. Luckily, I got the opportunity to be involved in the initial discussions with 12 Factor specifications and to work with the organization leaders, which really helped me to advance my understanding.
However, as we got into the actual hands on implementation, things started to get tricky. There was a lot of ambiguity in the arena.
- Lack of terminology to describe requirements: Since the entire company was starting the cloud journey at the same time, there was some confusion at the beginning to describe the requirements with the right cloud terms.
- Choosing a database for a cloud-native application: This became really tricky as GCP offered different solutions based on the type and usage of the data.
- Navigating GCP in the dark: When we request GCP resources like databases, cloud storage, etc., we have only a limited understanding of access control, networking, etc. As a developer, this provided some abstraction to focus on the task at hand, but I was still curious to find out how things were actually done.
The Decision
As I started my research to clarify requirements and to better understand concepts, I kept on hitting online resources leading to GCP certifications.
To an extent, the goal of a GCP certification is to ensure we have the right understanding of how GCP and its resources operate in order to make better decisions about how to leverage these resources. I slowly came to realize that working on a certification would advance my understanding not only of GCP but also of cloud architecture more generally. Hence, around mid-October 2020, I made the decision to start preparing for the GCP Professional Cloud Architect exam.
The Preparation
Just like any software engineer, I started by Googling resources and tips on how to prepare for the GCP exam. Interestingly enough, I used a couple of articles on Medium to start with. Below are some resources that helped in my six months of preparation, during which I spent at least an hour each day studying.
Medium Articles
GCP Flowcharts
GCP in Four words or less
YouTube Videos
- Google Cloud Tech -https://www.youtube.com/user/googlecloudplatform
- Learn with Mahesh -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL8vwy2jhEtQrC-Rx6qzCZg
- Cloud Advocate — https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBRBRV08tHh1e9oqTsONC5AuhFd-SUXWq
- Cloud Minute Videos -https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIivdWyY5sqIij_cgINUHZDMnGjVx3rxi
- GCP Conference videos — https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIivdWyY5sqIXvUGVrFuZibCUdKVzEoUw
- Cloud Guru Courses — https://acloudguru.com/course/google-certified-professional-cloud-architect
Google Sample Questions
Once I gained a better understanding of the various topics, the next step was to sit for some practice exams, which one can easily find online. A simple Google search returns a ton of resources, both free and paid. Many questions don’t have any incorrect answers but instead, have a “most correct” solution. The goal of the practice tests is not to learn the answers, but to enhance our thinking to identify the actual problem and find the best solution to solve the problem based on the given constraints.
Before the Online Exam
Registration
The first step is to register for the exam. The site was a bit confusing at first, but I got used to it over time.
You can reschedule your test date without incurring any extra fees until 72 hrs before the exam. After this, a fee may apply. A good strategy is to schedule your exam ahead and, a week before or so, try the Google practice test. If confident with the results, continue with the date, if not, reschedule. The registration fee is $200.
New Online Exam Format
The Remote Exam was introduced during the pandemic, replacing the onsite exams. I booked a Sunday morning 9:00 AM slot, so I could use half of the weekend for preparation and still enjoy a weekend day after the exam.
Installation of Exam Software
This is an important step and time-consuming. You need to install a software called Sentinel in order to launch the exam. Once launched, this will take over the computer, and you won’t be able to access any other applications. It is better to close all the apps before the exam. It also asks to take a photograph, which is used for verification before the exam. I did this on the day before the exam and lost precious time I could have used for my exam preparation. Ensure to install the software early.
Clear The Space
GCP exams require the exam room and computer desk to be cleared. You can only have your water bottle and the Government ID. I found it easier to use a different room than my home office for the exam, as it was much easier to clear. Ensure you have the room set up ahead of the exam; nothing on the table, floor, or walls. It is better to have a mirror ready. I will explain why in the next section.
The Scanning
The exam becomes available 10 minutes prior to the scheduled time. The first step is to scan your face and then the room. Once the pre-screening steps are completed, an agent will be online and message you from a chat window. The agent will ask to enable the camera and microphone, if it is not on yet, and to start scanning the Government ID. The next step is to slowly move around the room to show all the walls, corners, ceilings, and floor. The agent may ask questions based on what they see, but nothing was asked in my case. The agent will message you with the next action. I read somewhere they might also speak directly instead of messaging, so don’t let this catch you off guard. Finally, you have to show the back of the laptop as well as the screen using a mirror. This is to verify you don’t have any notes on the screen or anywhere else on the laptop. You have to keep the camera and the microphone turned on for the entire duration of the exam.
The entire process took around 20 minutes. After this step, there was again a wait to actually start the exam. I am not sure if this is expected, but all these delays felt a bit overwhelming. From launching the exam to the actual start it took around 30 minutes. Luckily, once the exam started, I shifted my focus to the exam and almost forgot about the pre-verification process.
The Exam
The exam itself contains 50 questions and takes two hours to complete. Google does not share an official pass mark for the GCPCA exam, but various resources say the passing score is 80%. The results won’t reveal the exact score or any details about the performance.
The questions were similar in structure to the practice questions Google and other resources offered. Each question has 4 different answer choices. The question will tell how many right answers to choose. You can answer the questions right away or mark them for a later review. The answers can be changed before the final submission.
Read each question and, more importantly, the answer choices carefully. Many times the difference between choices are just a few words around resource capacity, regional vs. zonal, database types, access roles, etc.
The case studies are really important. I had around fifteen questions from case studies. At the time of my exam, the three case studies were Mountkirk games, Dress4Win, and Terram-Earth.
I went through all the 50 questions in 70–80 minutes and took the remaining time to review all of my answers. Finally, with almost 15 minutes to spare, I clicked Submit.
The Result
The official result will take up to seven days. Luckily, you will get a provisional result right after submission. And yes, I passed! As I mentioned earlier, test takers won’t receive any information regarding performance or the score, and the result shown immediately after the exam is provisional. There are some reviews Google does before the release of the official result. After two days, I got the official email from Google with the result and a link to retrieve the digital certificate. You also get credits to buy certain items from the Google Cloud Certification Perk store. I ended up getting a laptop bag.
The Next Steps
Looking back, my journey to professional cloud certification was fascinating. I was always interested in system design and architecture and am still a big fan of books like Clean Architecture by Uncle Bob, but the exam preparation provided a new perspective on how I approached system design and architecture. Previously I always focused on the best technical solution, but the exam made me rethink my approach and consider the requirements from the business, functional, and technical perspectives. The GCP case studies are good examples of this.
I also realized that there isn’t any universally right solution and proper software architecture is one that strikes a balance between the cost, performance, and timeline objectives.
Another revelation was the discovery of a lot of common problems and similar solutions/patterns that are available across different platforms. For example, the use cases where Google pub-sub helps can also be supported by AWS Kinesis or Azure Event Hub in those respective platforms. In a non-cloud environment, this can be supported by Apache Kafka or RabbitMQ. In fact, Google made clear in their exam objective that the goal is to gain knowledge on the cloud domain, not just on GCP.
Conclusion
For many, the certification will be the end of a quest, but for me, it opened up a new world of exploration and excitement. I feel this is just the beginning. With my improved knowledge and understanding, I am looking to approach software architecture and system design problems from a fresh perspective and apply the learnings to my day-to-day work. I am also looking forward to the new developments and trends in the cloud domain as I continue to advance my learnings. I hope, sharing my experience will inspire someone to start their certification journey!
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