Google was one of the first companies to start offering a nano degree. Nano degrees are like highly focused associate degrees. Nano degrees don't teach information outside of the domain for that nano-degree, though. For instance, if you were trying to earn a Google nano degree for cooking lasagna, the coursework for that degree won't cover 17th-century art. Nevertheless, nano degrees are excellent options for anyone in the information services field.
Google's certifications have evolved from that nano degree program. Google certifications are now more involved because of the depth of knowledge required to pass their exams. Google certifications are much more widely recognized because of that, too.
The Google Associate Cloud Engineer exam is a 2-hour long exam and costs $125 USD. It's offered in English, Japanese, and Spanish. The Google ACE certification test is an entry-level certification, so it is easier to obtain when compared to other industry certs. With that said, test candidates will still need to study to pass this exam. The Google ACE exam includes five sections covering different aspects of Google's cloud services.
What is Tested on the Google Associate Cloud Engineer Exam?
If there is one thing that Google is good at, it is documentation. Google provides some of the best, most concise documentation compared to any other tech company. Their documentation for their certification programs are no exception.
All this is to say that Google has a complete listof everything you need to study to pass the Google Cloud Associate Engineer (ACE) exam.
Time is tight, though. Here is a TL;DR version of everything you need to study for on the Google ACE exam:
Google ACE Exam Section 1: Setting Up a Cloud Environment
Creating cloud projects and accounts
Managing billing configurations
Google ACE Exam Section 2: Planning and Configuring a Cloud Environment
Understanding the pricing calculator and product costs
Planning and configuring compute resources
Planning and configuring data storage options
Planning and configuring network resources
Google ACE Exam Section 3: Deploying and Implementing a Cloud Solution
Deploying and implementing compute resources
Deploying and implementing Kubernetes
Deploying and implementing Cloud Run and Cloud Functions
Deploying and Implementing Cloud Solutions
Deploying and implementing networking resources
Using Cloud Marketplace solutions
Deploying and utilizing IaaC services
Google Cloud ACE Exam Section 4: Ensuring Successful Operation of a Cloud Station
Managing Compute resources
Managing Kubernetes resources
Managing Cloud Run resources
Managing Network resources
Monitoring and logging
Google Cloud ACE Exam Section 5: Configuring Access and Identity Management
Managing IAM profiles, tasks, and policies
Managing service accounts
Understanding audit logs
How To Prepare for the Google Cloud Associate Cloud Engineer Exam
Preparing for the Google Associate Cloud Engineer exam is easy. There are more resources than ever to help you understand every bit of material in the ACE exam. For instance, Google offers a free tier for their Google Compute cloud products.
Getting hands-on experience with services and tools is one of the best ways to learn how to use them. It's one thing for Google ACE exam training videos to show how to create a new VM in GCP or create a new IAM profile. Experience comes with using a tool, and the free tier that Google offers is an accessible way to get that experience.
You could then combine accessible experience with CBT Nuggets Google ACEtraining videos for a dynamic learning environment.
Is the Google Associate Cloud Engineer Exam Easy?
Comparatively speaking, the Google Cloud Engineer exam is easy. But of course, we need to clarify that statement.
The Google ACE exam is an entry-level certification. Therefore, it will be equivalent to taking the Microsoft cloud engineer certifications or the CompTIA A+ exam. However, unlike the Microsoft or CompTIA exams, the Google ACE exam focuses on the Google Cloud platform.
Entry-level certifications are easy to earn for IT pros with a few years of experience under their belts. These exams are designed to be achieved before starting a career in IT (to prove IT knowledge) or help advance careers.
Anyone who doesn't have prior IT experience will want to study the Google ACE exam material thoroughly. Make sure to utilize the free tier offered by Google to learn with and obtain real-world experience.
Experienced IT pros should not have any issue passing the Google ACE exam. The material covered in the Google ACE exam covers primary material for deploying and managing resources, billing, and IAM user roles in GCP. More advanced topics cover the realm of traditional networking and virtualization knowledge spaces.
How Difficult is the Google Cloud Associate Cloud Engineer Exam?
Because the Google Associate Cloud Engineer exam is designed for those with little IT experience, it is not hard to earn compared to more advanced certifications. With that said, anyone that has little experience working with cloud platforms (like Azure or AWS), or has little experience with the IT field in general, should study the material covered on the ACE exam.
The Google ACE exam covers materials such as:
Planning, integrating, and deploying Google Compute, Kubernetes, and other cloud resources
Using Google Marketplace to deploy products
Understanding and managing billing
Understanding, creating and configuring, and managing IAM and security roles in GCP
Planning, choosing and managing storage resources
Creating and managing projects within Google
There are a variety of resources to help you learn the material in the Google ACE exam, too. For instance, Google offers a free tier for GCP that learners can experiment and play with Google Cloud services.
Final Thoughts
GCP is the third largest cloud platform provider in the world. Everyone is familiar with the name Google. Having a Google ACEcertification on your resume is like listing Disney on it. Everyone understands who Google is and what they do. It will open doors for you in the future.
