Google Associate Cloud Engineer Certification Cost

May 15, 2023

Youssef
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Whether you're a seasoned IT professional or just starting out in the industry, understanding the cost breakdown of the Google Associate Cloud Engineer certification can help you make an informed decision about your career path. 

What is the Google Associate Cloud Engineer Certification?

Google Associate Cloud Engineer certification is a credential that shows the expertise of individuals in using Google Cloud services to deploy applications, monitor operations, and manage cloud-based solutions. 

This certification is designed for IT professionals with a foundational knowledge of cloud computing and experience working with GCP. 

The certification covers various topics, including cloud computing concepts, GCP services, security and compliance, and billing and pricing.

What is the Importance of This Certification in the IT Industry?

Google Associate Cloud Engineer certification is quite valuable in the IT industry. The following are the importance of this certification:

  • Demonstrates Expertise

    The certification validates your knowledge and expertise in using Google Cloud Platform services to build and manage cloud-based solutions. 

  • In-demand Skills

    The Google Associate Cloud Engineer certification demonstrates you have the in-demand skills to build and manage cloud solutions using Google Cloud Platform.

  • Career Advancement

    The certification can open up new opportunities for career advancement, including higher-paying jobs and leadership roles. Many employers prefer to hire certified professionals as it shows commitment and dedication to their profession.

  • Industry Recognition

    The certification is recognized by many organizations and demonstrates that you have met the standards set by Google for cloud engineering.

Understanding the Costs for the Google Associate Cloud Engineer Certification

To become a Google Associate Cloud Engineer, you must first pass the certification exam. Here is a breakdown of the costs associated with earning the certification:

Exam Registration Fee

The registration cost for Google Associate Cloud Engineer Certification is $125 (plus tax, where applicable). 

Study Materials and Training Courses

You may need to invest in study materials to prepare for the exam. These may include books, online courses, practice exams, or other resources.

The cost of study materials can vary widely, depending on the materials you choose and whether you purchase new or used copies. Let’s discuss some of them: 

Udemy | GCP Associate Cloud Engineer 

This certification includes the concepts of how to engineer and deploy secure applications, understanding of compute, networking, database services, and storage in the Google Cloud Platform. 

The cost of this course is $14.99.

visit website

Dan Sullivan | Official Google Cloud Certified Associate Cloud Engineer Study Guide 1st Edition

This book includes everything you need to learn to pass Google Associate Cloud Engineer certification. After reading this book, you’ll have the thorough knowledge to pass the certification with flying colors.

The cost of this book is $28.99

 visit website

Exam Retake Fees

If you don't pass the exam on your first attempt, you'll need to pay a retake fee to try again. The retake fee is currently $75 and is subject to change.

Additional Costs to Maintain Certification

Once you’ve earned the certification, you’ll need to maintain it. Here are the additional costs you might have to pay to maintain your certification: 

  • Renewal Exam Fee

    You must pass the renewal exam on renewing your certification, which costs $75. You can take the exam up to six months before your certification expires.

  • Continuing Education

    To maintain your certification, you must earn 20 Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits within each two-year certification period. Some CPE activities may require additional costs, such as travel expenses or registration fees.

  • Recertification Training

    If your certification expires, you can renew it by passing the training which requires additional costs, such as purchasing updated study materials or enrollment in a training program

How Difficult is the Google Associate Cloud Engineer Exam?

The difficulty of the exam can vary depending on your experience with GCP and cloud computing concepts. However, the exam is generally challenging and requires significant preparation to pass. 

To prepare for the exam, you should have a solid understanding of GCP services, including Compute Engine, App Engine, Kubernetes Engine, and Cloud Functions. You should also be familiar with networking, security, and IAM (Identity and Access Management) concepts on GCP.

What is Tested on the Google Associate Cloud Engineer Exam?

The Google Associate Cloud Engineer exam tests your knowledge of the different subjects, including:

  1. 1

    Setting Up a Cloud Solution Environment

    • Setting up cloud projects and accounts

    • Creating & managing projects 

    • Setting up billing and access control 

    • Configuring cloud identity & security 

  2. 2

    Planning and Configuring a Cloud Solution

    • Planning a GCP solution

    • Planning & configuring compute resources

    • Setting up & configuring network services 

    • Managing & Configuring storage and database services 

  3. 3

    Deploying and Implementing a Cloud Solution

    • Deploying & managing applications on GCP

    • Configuring and deploying containerized applications using Kubernetes

    • Managing application scaling and monitoring

    • Deploying and implementing App Engine, Cloud Run, and Cloud Functions resources

    • Deploying a solution using Cloud Marketplace

    • Deploying application infrastructure using Cloud Deployment Manager

  4. 4

    Ensuring Successful Operation of a Cloud Solution 

    • Monitoring & logging GCP services

    • Identifying & troubleshooting common GCP issues

    • Managing Compute Engine resources

    • Managing Google Kubernetes Engine resources

    • Managing App Engine and Cloud Run resources

    • Optimizing GCP performance 

  5. 5

    Configuring Access and Security

    • Configuring access & security controls for GCP services

    • Implementing IAM & security policies 

    • Understanding audit logs

Sample Exam Questions to Expect and How You Can Answer Them

Question:

You want to verify the IAM users and roles assigned within a GCP project named my-project. What should you do?

  • A. Run gcloud iam roles list. Review the output section.

  • B. Run gcloud iam service-accounts list. Review the output section.

  • C. Navigate to the project and the IAM section in the GCP Console. Review the members and roles.

  • D. Navigate to the project and then to the Roles section in the GCP Console. Review the roles and status.

Answer:

  • C is correct: IAM section provides both Members & Roles.

  • A is incorrect: It only provides information on Roles.

  • B is incorrect: It only provides Service Accounts.

  • D is incorrect: It only provides information about Roles.

Question:

Which of the following roles provide granular access for a specific service and is managed by GCP?

  • A. Custom

  • B. Predefined

  • C. Admin

  • D. Primitive

Answer:

  • B is correct: Predefined roles are managedRoles & provide service-specific access.

  • A is incorrect: Provide granular access managed by users.

  • C is incorrect: Invalid Role type.

  • D is incorrect: Concrete Roles existed before IAM

Question:

You want your application hosted on a VM to fetch metadata of VM instances. Which command will help you to fetch it?

  • A. curl metadata.google.internal/compute-metadata/v1/

  • B. curl <instance-private-ip>/metadata/v1/

  • C. curl metadata.google.internal/computeMetadata/v1/

  • D. curl internal.googleapi.com/computeMetadata/v1/

Answer:

  • C is correct: It’s the right command to fetch metadata.

  • A is incorrect: It’s not a valid gcloud command.

  • B is incorrect: Invalid gcloud command.

  • D is incorrect: Invalid gcloud command.

Question:

You are distributing the traffic between a fleet of VMs within your VPC using an Internal TCP/UDP Load Balancer. Which of the following specifications does not support the selected Load Balancing Type?

  • A. Preserved Client IP

  • B. Global Availability

  • C. Internal Load Balancing

  • D. Any Destination Ports

Answer:

  • B is correct: Internal TCP/UDP Load Balancer is available within a Region and not Globally

  • A is incorrect: Internal TCP/UDP Load Balancer preserves client IP address

  • C is incorrect: Internal TCP/UDP Load Balancer are internally faced

  • D is incorrect: Internal TCP/UDP Load Balancer allows access to any destination port

Question:

Which of the following gcloud commands lets you view the details of a custom subnet you created in a particular region?

  • A. gcloud compute networks subnets view [SUBNET_NAME] –region us-central1

  • B. gcloud compute networks subnets describe [SUBNET_NAME] –region us-central1

  • C. gcloud compute networks subnets list [SUBNET_NAME] –region us-central1

  • D. gcloud compute networks subnets read [SUBNET_NAME] –region us-central1

Answer:

  • B is correct: The description flag gives a detailed description of the subnet mentioned in the command.

  • A, C, & D are incorrect: View and read flags are not valid gcloud flags. A list is used to list the number of subnets in a private cloud.

Top 5 Online Platforms You Can Use to Get Started with the Associate Cloud Engineer Exam?

1. Official Google Cloud Documentation 

The official Google Cloud documentation provides a wealth of information on the various services offered by GCP, and tutorials and guides for using them. This is a great place to start familiarizing yourself with the platform and its features. 

Cloud Basis

In this documentation, you’ll learn the Google Cloud concepts, geography & regions, billing, Services, pricing, and much more. After reading this documentation, you’ll have a basic understanding of the cloud.

 visit website

2. Udemy

Udemy is the best place to buy courses to get prepared for the Google Associate Cloud Engineer exam. It offers a wide range of courses from beginners to advanced levels.  

Google Cloud Associate Cloud Engineer

This course includes everything about compute engine, app engine, cloud functions, and Kubernetes engine. I

t includes quizzes and practice exams that can help individuals to evaluate their skills. After this course, you can easily pass the certification exam.

 visit website

3. Pluralsight

Pluralsight offers a variety of learning paths and courses for cloud computing, including a comprehensive course focused specifically on the Associate Cloud Engineer exam. 

Google Cloud Certified Associate Cloud Engineer

This learning path includes 7 courses and 20 hours. It includes all the preparational journey to become the Google Associate Cloud Engineer. After completing this comprehensive course, you’ll master all the required skills.

 visit website

4. Coursera

Coursera offers several courses related to GCP and cloud computing, including the "Google Cloud Platform Fundamentals: Core Infrastructure" course, which is a great starting point for those new to GCP.

Preparing for Your Associate Cloud Engineer Journey

This course includes knowledge on the Google Cloud domains that are included in the exam and discover techniques for developing a study plan that will enhance your understanding of these domains. 

 visit website

5. A Cloud Guru

A Cloud Guru offers purses and  hands-on labs to master cloud computing skills. It offers the best resources to advance your career. 

Google Certified Associate Cloud Engineer

This course includes how to set-up and configure Google Cloud accounts. It includes everything about cloud storage, compute engine, and Kubernetes engine.

It includes 7 hands-on labs. After this, you can easily pass the Associate Cloud Engineer certification exam.

 visit website

Best Youtube Tutorial to Get Started with Google Associate Cloud Engineer for Beginners

Google Cloud | Preparing for Google Cloud Associate Cloud Engineer Exam

It’s Google Cloud official YouTube tutorial. It's a 32-minute video and includes 20 chapters. It's best for beginners to understand the certification.

 visit website

freeCodeCamp.org | Google Cloud Associate Cloud Engineer Course  

It’s a 20-hour video that explains everything you need to learn to not only pass but ace the Google Cloud Associate Cloud Engineer. 

 visit website

edureka! Google Cloud Platform Full Course | GCP Tutorial | Google Cloud Training

It is a 7 hours and 35 minutes tutorial that includes 22 chapters. This tutorial will help you learn important concepts that concern Cloud Computing and Google Cloud Platform with practical implementation.

 visit website

What Are the Advantages of Earning the Google Associate Cloud Engineer Certification?

  • Validation of Skills

    The certification validates your skills and expertise in working with Google Cloud technologies and services. It demonstrates that you have the necessary knowledge to design, deploy, and manage applications on the Google Cloud Platform.

  • Career Opportunities 

    The certification can open up new career opportunities in cloud computing. Cloud computing is a rapidly growing field, and companies are increasingly looking for professionals with the skills to manage cloud infrastructure.

  • Higher Pay

    Certified professionals typically earn higher salaries than their non-certified counterparts. The certification can lead to better job prospects and higher earning potential.

  • Industry Recognition

    The Google Associate Cloud Engineer certification is recognized by the industry as a mark of excellence in cloud computing. It demonstrates to potential employers and clients that you have the skills and knowledge to work with Google Cloud Platform.

  • Access to Resources

    Google provides certified professionals with access to a variety of resources, including community forums, training materials, and job listings. These resources can help you stay up-to-date with the latest developments in cloud computing and advance your career.

How Much Can Certified Google Associate Cloud Engineers Expect to Earn Around the World? 

Let’s have a look at the average salary for Google Associate Cloud Engineer: 

Country

Average Salary/Year

usa

$116,805

uk

£55,000

australia

$135,000

india

₹4,18,213

germany

€89,418

south korea

KRW 80,448,476

Best Strategies That Can Help You Ace Your Google Associate Cloud Engineer Exam

  • Understand What’s On Exam

    Carefully read the exam guide to determine if your skills align with the exam’s topics. The most important topics are IAM roles, Compute engine, Kubernetes, gCloud commands, Stackdrive, VPCs, and deployment & monitoring. 

  • Create a Study Plan

    Develop a study plan that includes a timeline, resources, and goals. Be sure to allocate enough time for each topic and use a variety of resources, such as study guides, online courses, and practice exams.

  • Start Preparing Your Exam

    Follow the Cloud Engineer learning path, where you’ll dive into Google Cloud services such as Compute Engine, Google Kubernetes Engine, App Engine, Cloud Storage, Cloud SQL, and BigQuery. 

  • Take Practice Exams

    Take practice exams to familiarize yourself with the format of the exam and identify areas where you need to improve. This will also help you develop time management skills and build confidence.

  • Take Breaks

    Taking breaks and getting enough rest is important for maintaining focus and reducing stress. Be sure to take breaks during your study sessions and get plenty of sleep before the exam.

Conclusion

While the Google Associate Cloud Engineer certification cost may seem daunting at first, it is important to consider the value it can provide for your career. 

By earning this certification, you can demonstrate your expertise in working with Google Cloud technologies, increase your earning potential, and open up new career opportunities.

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About the author

Youssef

Youssef is a Senior Cloud Consultant & Founder of ITCertificate.org

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