The Google Cloud Associate Cloud Engineer Exam is designed for individuals who are responsible for deploying, managing, and operating Google Cloud infrastructure. It’s ideal for cloud engineers, system administrators, IT professionals, and developers who have some experience with cloud computing and want to validate their skills in using Google Cloud Platform (GCP). This certification is for those who manage cloud resources, deploy applications, and ensure operational health, rather than designing complex cloud architectures. It’s suitable for anyone with foundational knowledge of cloud technologies who is looking to prove their ability to effectively utilize GCP tools and services at an entry level.

Certification Name: Google Cloud Associate Cloud Engineer
Administered By: Google
Exam Format: Online Proctored exam

• The exam is typically multiple-choice and scenario-based.
• You'll be presented with a series of questions that test your practical knowledge and understanding of Google Cloud services and solutions.
  Duration: 2 Hours (120 Min)
  Languages: Primarily English.
  Prerequisites: None specified, but foundational knowledge of Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and cloud computing concepts is beneficial.
  Exam Objectives:
• Cloud Computing and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Basics: Understanding cloud concepts and the Google Cloud environment, including regions, zones, and global resources.
• Google Cloud Platform Services: Familiarity with key GCP services, such as Compute Engine, Google Kubernetes Engine, Cloud Storage, Cloud SQL, and BigQuery.
• IAM and Security: Setting up Identity and Access Management (IAM) roles, configuring security policies, and applying best practices for securing resources.
• Networking: Understanding VPC networks, subnets, routing, firewall rules, and load balancing.
• Compute Engine and Virtual Machines (VMs): Deploying, configuring, and managing virtual machines and instances using Compute Engine.
• Cloud Storage and Databases: Managing cloud storage and working with GCP databases like Cloud SQL, Firestore, and Cloud Spanner.
• Monitoring and Logging: Using Google Cloud’s operations suite (formerly Stackdriver) for monitoring, logging, and troubleshooting GCP resources.
• Automation and Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Utilizing Cloud Deployment Manager and other tools to automate resource deployment and management.
• Cost Management: Understanding billing and cost management tools in Google Cloud, including budgets, cost estimation, and resource optimization.

Validity: The Google Cloud Associate Cloud Engineer certification is valid for two years. To maintain your certification, you’ll need to recertify by passing the current exam or a relevant updated exam before the certification expiration date.

Preparation Tips: Hands-on experience with Google Cloud services and studying the exam guide and official resources from Google Cloud is key to passing the exam. Google Cloud also offers training and practice exams that can help you prepare.

Good luck on your journey to becoming a Google Cloud Associate Cloud Engineer!