ACE
The Associate Cloud Engineer (ACE) is Google Cloud's hands-on entry certification — proof you can actually deploy, manage, and operate workloads on GCP, not just talk about them. It is the credential hiring managers and consulting partners look for first, and it lays the groundwork for the Professional track. With a pass/fail result and no partial credit, there is no "good enough" score to fall back on — you either clear it or you re-book and re-pay. This page breaks down exactly what the exam tests, how it's delivered, and how to get it done right the first time.
Pay Only After You Pass
No upfront fee — you settle only after your verified pass. We advertise guaranteed results — 100% pass guaranteed or money back.
How the Associate Cloud Engineer exam is built — at a glance
50–60
A mix of multiple-choice and multiple-select items, most framed as a real GCP situation asking for the right gcloud command, Console action, or service choice.
120
Two hours of seat time — roughly two minutes per question. No separate sections or breaks; you move freely through the question set and can flag items for review.
P/F
Google reports a single pass/fail result with no numeric score and no partial credit. Your provisional result appears on screen the moment you submit.
ACE questions assume you have driven the Google Cloud Console and the gcloud CLI yourself. Expect to read a snippet of gcloud or kubectl, pick the command that creates a VM with the right flags, or choose the storage class that fits a stated cost-and-access pattern. Memorizing definitions is rarely enough.
First-time and expired candidates sit the standard exam: 50–60 questions, 2 hours, $125. If you already hold an active ACE, the renewal exam is shorter — 20 questions in 1 hour for $75 — and can be taken from 180 days before your expiry to extend the credential another 3 years.
Five domains from Google's official exam guide — deploy, operate, secure
Create and manage projects, set up billing accounts and budget alerts, install and configure the gcloud CLI, and enable the APIs a workload needs.
Plan compute, storage, and network resources — pick the right Compute Engine machine type, Cloud Storage class, and database, and use the pricing calculator to estimate cost.
The heaviest domain in practice. Deploy on Compute Engine, Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), Cloud Run, and Cloud Functions, and stand up data and storage solutions.
Manage running resources: scale managed instance groups, manage GKE workloads and networking, and use Cloud Monitoring and Cloud Logging to keep things healthy.
Configure IAM roles and policies, manage service accounts and keys, and read Cloud Audit Logs to keep access least-privilege and compliant.
Google's exam guide lists rough weights: setting up ~20%, planning & configuring ~17.5%, deploying & implementing ~25%, ensuring operation ~20%, access & security ~17.5%. Deploying carries the most questions, so prioritize hands-on Compute Engine, GKE, and Cloud Run practice.
The questions cut across domains: a single scenario can blend IAM, networking, and deployment. Knowing one service in isolation is rarely enough — you need to know how Compute Engine, GKE, VPC, and IAM fit together to run a real workload.
Delivered through Pearson VUE — online or at a test center
Take the exam from a private room at home, monitored by a Pearson VUE proctor through your webcam. You'll run a system check, complete a room scan, and pass an ID verification before the exam unlocks. You need a quiet space, a clear desk, and a stable connection for the full two hours.
Prefer a controlled environment? Book a seat at a nearby Pearson VUE test center. Staff verify your government-issued ID, store your belongings, and watch the room while you test on a center-provided workstation. The fee is the same $125 either way.
A valid, unexpired government photo ID with a name that matches your Pearson VUE registration exactly. The proctor captures a photo before the exam begins.
For the online exam: a clear desk, no second monitor, no phone or notes within reach, and a 360° webcam scan of the room. No one else may be present.
Stay in frame and on-camera the whole time. There are no scheduled breaks. Talking aloud, leaving the seat, or losing connection can pause or flag the session.
ACE is the credential for people who run GCP day to day
No formal requirements — but you need real GCP hours
Difficulty: The ACE is approachable on paper but trips up candidates who only studied theory. Questions reward people who have actually broken and fixed things in a real GCP project. Most candidates invest 80–120 hours combining hands-on labs with practice exams — and the pass/fail format means there's no margin for a weak domain. That's exactly the pressure point our help is built to remove.
The Associate Cloud Engineer is a pass/fail, hands-on exam where a single weak domain can sink an otherwise strong candidate. Exam Assist pairs you with a vetted Google Cloud specialist and works on a pay-after-you-pass model — so the risk sits with us, not you. No upfront fee, guaranteed results: Exam Assist handles the sitting end to end, and you settle only after the verified result.
Tell us your delivery method (online or test center), your target date, and your current GCP experience. Takes a couple of minutes over WhatsApp, Telegram, or Discord.
We review your timeline and target and tell you plainly whether it's realistic — before any money is discussed. If it isn't a fit, we say so.
Exam Assist handles the sitting end to end. You're matched with a GCP specialist who maps the work around the five exam domains, the gcloud and GKE topics, and the Pearson VUE environment — discreetly and confidentially.
You only pay once your pass is confirmed on your official Google Cloud certification record. No verified result, nothing owed.
See the full pay-after-you-pass ACE service, pricing model, and how matching works.
Straight answers about the Google Associate Cloud Engineer exam
Service, guides, and sibling Google Cloud exams
Pair with a vetted Google Cloud specialist on a results-first arrangement. No upfront fee — settle only after a verified pass.
Explore the service ServiceA closer look at how we support Associate Cloud Engineer candidates end to end — from feasibility to verified result.
See the details GuideDeciding which cloud to certify in first? Compare the three major tracks on cost, demand, and difficulty.
Read the guide CDLGoogle Cloud's foundational, non-technical certification — a natural first step before tackling the hands-on ACE.
View exam PCAThe flagship Professional credential — the common next step for ACE holders moving into solution design.
View exam PDEFor engineers building data pipelines on GCP — a popular specialization after the ACE foundation.
View examGet expert Associate Cloud Engineer help with no upfront fee — you settle only after your verified pass. Honest feasibility answer first, results-first arrangement always.