google cloud professional cloud developer certification preparation

How to Pass GCP Professional Cloud Developer Exam?

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This article will provide detailed guidance on how to prepare for the Google Cloud professional cloud developer certification exam. After reading this guide, you should get a clear idea on where and how to start preparing for the GCP Developer certification exam.

The Importance Of Cloud Certification

Before going deep into GCP Cloud Developer certification preparation, let us understand why do we need a certification.

Enterprises are now migrating to the cloud to achieve the benefits of resourcefulness along with cost-efficiency. As a result, many organizations face the need for cloud developers with expertise in developing applications that can run on the cloud environments.

If you are a developer and want to stay up to date with the industry trends, you need to learn the cloud as well. Since the Google Cloud has grown and is comparable to other public cloud leaders such as Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, the demand for Google Cloud certified professionals has also increased. 

Google Cloud Certified Professional Cloud Developer Certification is the one you would be aiming for if you want to learn building applications for the Google Cloud.

Who is a Professional Cloud Developer?

The professional cloud developer is responsible for creating applications with higher scalability and availability using Google recommended tools and best practices. Furthermore, the professional cloud developer has proven experience in cloud native applications, developer tools, and next-generation databases.

If you are a developer working on the Google Cloud Platform or learning how to build applications for cloud then the Professional Cloud Developer Certification helps you prove your skills in these areas effectively.

As per Google:

“ Professional Cloud Developers build scalable and highly available applications using Google-recommended practices and tools. They have experience with cloud-native applications, developer tools, managed services, and next-generation databases. Cloud Developers are also proficient with at least one general-purpose programming language and are skilled at producing meaningful metrics and logs to debug and trace code.”

About the Exam

Take a look at the following table to know about the essential exam-related information to support your preparations.

Google Cloud Certified Professional Cloud Developer Certification Exam Details

Preparation Steps : Google Cloud Professional Cloud Developer

Let us now look into the steps needed to be followed to prepare for the Google Cloud Developer certification exam to pass in the first attempt.

Step 1: Review Exam Guide

Start with the official exam guide. Download the exam guide from Google Professional Cloud Developer Official Page. Review each and every domain and services covered in the exam. I have listed the list of exam domains and some of the important GCP services below which you need to focus more on.

Exam Domains:

The following are the five domains of the GCP Cloud Developer exam. 

  1. Designing cloud-native applications with higher scalability, reliability and availability.
  2. Building and testing applications.
  3. Application deployment.
  4. Integration of Google Cloud Platform services.
  5. Management of application performance monitoring.

Google Professional Cloud Developer Certificate Exam Blueprint

Domain

Topic Areas
Designing cloud-native applications with higher scalability, reliability and availability
  • Designing performance applications and APIs
  • Designing secure applications
  • Management of application data
  • Re-architecture of applications from local services to Google Cloud Platform
Building and testing applications
  • Establishing the development environment
  • Developing continuous integration pipeline
  • Testing
  • Writing Code
Application deployment
  • Implementation of relevant deployment strategies according to target compute environment
  • Deployment of applications and services on Compute Engine
  • Deployment of applications and services on Google Kubernetes Engine
  • Creation of data storage resources
  • Deployment of applications to App Engine
  • Deployment of a Cloud Function
  • Resource provisioning automation with Deployment Manager
  • Deployment and implementation of networking resources
  • Management of service accounts
Integration of Google Cloud Platform services
  • Integrating applications with Data and Storage services
  • Integration of application with compute services
  • Integration of Google Cloud APIs with applications
Management of application performance monitoring
  • Installation of logging and monitoring agent
  • Management of VMs
  • Using Stackdriver for viewing application performance
  • Diagnosis and resolution of application performance issues

 

Step 2: Read Google Documentation

  • Once you get an understanding on what is expected from you in the examination, read the official documentation pages for the relevant google cloud services. 
  • Visit the product page of the Google Cloud Platform. 
  • Identify the products related to the exam guide and read the documentation page. 
  • For example: Compute Engine, Cloud Code, Cloud Build, Cloud SDK, etc

I have listed GCP services related to the Google Cloud Developer exam below.

Google Cloud Certified Professional Cloud Developer Exam Topics

Step 3: Read Case Studies

  • The exam has around 5 to 6 questions based on the fictional case study (HipLocal) provided by Google. It is important to read the case study and understand prior to attending the exam. 
  • Some of the questions will directly relate to the case study. If you have read the case study prior, it will save you a lot of time while attempting to answer.
  • Here is the link to download the HipLocal Case Study.

Step 4: Learn the Commands

Though this is a developer exam, you can expect some of the questions related to gcloud and kubectl commands. So it is important to learn Google Kubernetes Engine and relevant kubernetes commands (kubectl), also the google cli commands like gcloud and gsuitl. 

Step 5 : Get Trained

Even you have working experience in Google Cloud, training is more important when it comes to the exam. Google offers various learning path with courses and labs. There are other comprehensive courses also offered by various vendors like Whizlabs.

Step 6: Practice with Hands-On Labs

  • Get your hands-on experience in Google Cloud by performing hands-on tasks. 
  • Create a Google Cloud Free Tier account and get $300 free credits. You can explore the services yourself and perform tasks.
  • There are hands-on labs like Qwiklabs and Whizlabs Google Cloud Hands-On Labs where you will get temporary credentials and the steps to perform tasks.

Step 7: Practice Questions

The final step in prepraing for the Google Cloud Certification exam is to practice more with practice exams. This is the recommended way to pass the exam in the first attempt. Here are the few recommended resources to try practice exams:

  • Check the sample questions provided by Google and understand the question types. 
  • Once you are done with the preparation, try full length practice tests provided by vendors like Whizlabs. This will help you to understand where you stand with your preparation and where you need to improve.
  • You can try Whizlabs GCP Professional Cloud Developer Practice Tests.

Still have any questions? Read the following frequently asked questions.

FAQs for Google Cloud Developer Certification

 The following are FAQs asked related to the Google Professional cloud developer certificate exam. 

  1. Why should I get a Google Cloud certification?

Google Cloud Platform is one of the emerging players in the cloud service vendor market. Furthermore, the position of Google Cloud in the IT industry speaks a lot for the career opportunities you can get with GCP certifications.

  1. What is the cost of the Google professional cloud developer certificate exam?

The registration fee for the Google professional cloud developer certificate exam is USD 200 with applicable taxes.

  1. What is the validity of the Google cloud developer certification?

Every Google Cloud certification is valid for two years from the date of certification. After the two years, candidates should apply for the recertification exam.

  1. What are the age restrictions for Google cloud developer certification?

Candidates residing in the EU should be over 16 years of age to take the Google cloud developer certification. In other countries, the minimum age to take the certification exam is 13 years.

  1. What should I do after getting the GCP professional cloud developer certification?

Once you have obtained the Google professional cloud developer certificate, a lot of career opportunities await you! Furthermore, you could opt for other certification exams and improve your knowledge.

  1. What is the average salary of Google Cloud Developer? 

The average Google professional cloud developer salary estimate for a year is $130,909. The range of the salary for a Google professional cloud developer is between $86,500 and $207,500.

Conclusion

After reading this discussion, you should proceed directly to the official certification page for Google Professional Cloud Developer. You can use the guidelines in this discussion to explore the certification details and start your preparations right away!

About Dharmalingam N

Dharmalingam.N holds a master degree in Business Administration and writes on a wide range of topics ranging from technology to business analysis. He has a background in Relationship Management. Some of the topics he has written about and that have been published include; project management, business analysis and customer engagement.

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