Google Cloud

Google Cloud Associate Cloud Engineer

Google Cloud Certified – Associate Cloud Engineer

Google Cloud's entry certification for engineers who deploy, monitor, and operate workloads on Google Cloud. The standard first credential for GCP-focused cloud and DevOps roles.

$1252 hours

What's on the exam

Associate Cloud Engineer Exam Guide (current; a new exam guide takes effect June 30, 2026)

Setting Up a Cloud Solution Environment

~23%

Resource hierarchy and organizational policies · IAM roles within projects · Users and groups in Cloud Identity · Enabling APIs and Google Cloud Observability setup · Quotas and quota increases · Billing accounts, budgets, alerts, and exports

Planning and Implementing a Cloud Solution

~30%

Choosing and deploying compute (Compute Engine, GKE, Cloud Run) · Storage and data products (Cloud SQL, BigQuery, Spanner, Cloud Storage) · VPCs, Cloud NGFW policies, and connectivity (VPN, peering, Interconnect) · Load balancers and Network Service Tiers · Infrastructure as code (Terraform, Config Connector, Helm)

Ensuring Successful Operation of a Cloud Solution

~27%

Managing Compute Engine and GKE resources · Cloud Run versions, traffic splitting, and autoscaling · Storage and database operations (lifecycle policies, backups, queries) · Networking operations (subnets, static IPs, Cloud DNS, Cloud NAT) · Monitoring, logging, alerting, and diagnostics (Cloud Monitoring, Cloud Logging, Ops Agent)

Configuring Access and Security

~20%

IAM policies and role types (basic, predefined, custom) · Service accounts and least-privilege IAM · Service account impersonation and short-lived credentials · Service accounts with GKE applications

Frequently asked questions

How much does the Google Cloud Associate Cloud Engineer cost?

The Google Cloud Associate Cloud Engineer costs $125. Plus applicable taxes.

How long is the Google Cloud Associate Cloud Engineer and how many questions does it have?

50–60 questions — 2 hours.

What do you need to pass the Google Cloud Associate Cloud Engineer?

Pass/fail; passing score not published.

Can you retake the Google Cloud Associate Cloud Engineer?

Wait 14 days after 1st fail, 60 days after 2nd, 365 days after 3rd.

What is the best way to study for the Google Cloud Associate Cloud Engineer?

Study the official blueprint, not random material: the exam is weighted by domain (Setting Up a Cloud Solution Environment ~23%, Planning and Implementing a Cloud Solution ~30%, Ensuring Successful Operation of a Cloud Solution ~27%, Configuring Access and Security ~20%). Spaced-repetition flashcards built domain-by-domain against that blueprint are the most time-efficient way to cover everything the exam tests.

Program in development

We're building a blueprint-complete program for this exam. Meanwhile, explore live programs across 66 exams.

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