You can see it againUnder pressure people bring back shapes and positions long after the wording has gone.
Picture superiority · Shepard 1967, Standing 1973
GOOGLE CLOUDGoogle Cloud Professional Cloud Architect
The Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect certification validates your ability to design, develop, and manage robust, secure, scalable, and dynamic solutions on Google Cloud. It is for experienced architects who translate business requirements into reliable technical architectures. Earning it demonstrates you can lead cloud strategy and drive successful digital transformation.
Exam formatMultiple choice and multiple select
Duration120 minutes
DeliveryGoogle Cloud
Free questions725
Content last reviewed 30 July 2026 · Up to date
The certification
What Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect proves, and what it asks of you
What this certification covers, who it is written for, and what the exam itself looks like on the day.
6domains
22objectives
216concepts
What it is
What this certification is
What it validates, who it is written for, and the experience it assumes.
About this certification
The Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect certification validates your expertise in designing and managing secure, scalable, and highly available solutions on Google Cloud. It confirms your ability to evaluate business requirements, design cloud architectures, and plan for successful migrations, all while ensuring reliability, security, and cost-effectiveness.
This certification is for experienced professionals who can architect solutions that leverage Google Cloud's full portfolio of services. It goes beyond theoretical knowledge, testing your practical ability to make sound architectural decisions, optimize for performance and cost, and implement best practices for security and operations. Earning it signals that you are ready to lead complex cloud initiatives and drive business value.
Who it’s for
This certification is for cloud architects who design and plan the architecture of cloud solutions. It is intended for professionals with in-depth experience setting up cloud environments for an organization and deploying services and solutions based on business requirements. You are likely responsible for translating business goals into technical architecture, evaluating and selecting Google Cloud services, and ensuring that solutions are secure, reliable, and scalable. You have a strong understanding of cloud architecture patterns, migration strategies, and operational best practices.
Recommended experience
Google Cloud recommends that candidates have in-depth experience designing and managing solutions on Google Cloud, including experience with compute, storage, networking, and security services. Designing and planning a cloud solution architecture; Managing and provisioning a cloud solution infrastructure; Designing for security and compliance; Analyzing and optimizing technical and business processes; Managing implementations of cloud architecture; Ensuring solution and operations reliability
The syllabus
What you’ll learn
Every domain and objective Google Cloud measures, with the weight they carry on the exam.
The official Google Cloud exam outline · checked 30 July 2026 · See the source
Designing and planning a cloud solution architecture
- 1.1 Designing a cloud solution infrastructure that meets business requirements
- 1.2 Designing a cloud solution infrastructure that meets technical requirements
- 1.3 Designing network, storage, and compute resources
- 1.4 Creating a migration plan (i.e., documents and architectural diagrams)
- 1.5 Envisioning future solution improvements
Managing and provisioning a cloud solution infrastructure
- 2.1 Configuring network topologies
- 2.2 Configuring individual storage systems
- 2.3 Configuring compute systems
- 2.4 Leveraging Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform for end-to-end ML workflows
- 2.5 Configuring prebuilt solutions or APIs with Agent Platform
Designing for security and compliance
- 3.1 Designing for security
- 3.2 Designing for compliance
Analyzing and optimizing technical and business processes
- 4.1 Analyzing and defining technical processes
- 4.2 Analyzing and defining business processes
Managing implementation
- 5.1 Advising development and operation teams to ensure the successful deployment of the solution
- 5.2 Interacting with Google Cloud programmatically
Ensuring solution and operations excellence
- 6.1 Understanding the principles and recommendations of the operational excellence pillar of the Google Cloud Well-Architected Framework
- 6.2 Familiarity with Google Cloud Observability solutions
- 6.3 Deployment and release management
- 6.4 Assisting with the support of deployed solutions
- 6.5 Evaluating quality control measures
- 6.6 Ensuring the reliability of solutions in production (e.g., chaos engineering, penetration testing, and load testing)
On the day
The exam itself
Everything Google Cloud publishes about sitting it, and nothing we inferred.
Prerequisites
No mandatory prerequisites — this certification has no required predecessor exam or credential.
CertificationGoogle Cloud Professional Cloud Architect
Exam formatMultiple choice and multiple select
Duration120 minutes
DeliveryGoogle Cloud
LanguagesEnglish, Japanese, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Korean, Chinese
Certification levelProfessional
After you pass
Where this credential goes next
The path Google Cloud lays out, how the credential is kept, and where to book.
Step-by-step path to Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect
Credential earnedGoogle Cloud Professional Cloud Architect Professional level certification Renewal and maintenance
The Professional Cloud Architect certification is valid for two years. To maintain your certification, you must pass the Professional Cloud Architect Recertification exam before your certification expires. Stay current with the latest technologies and maintain your certification.
Learn more about renewal requirements Lifecycle status
This certification is currently active and available. Google Cloud maintains this certification to validate current skills and industry relevance.
Exam status: ActiveMaintained by Google Cloud
Exam registration
Register for the exam through Google Cloud, Google Cloud’s authorized testing partner.
Schedule your examVisit the official Google Cloud certification page for exam policies and requirements.
View the official pageYour coach
And when you are serious, your coach Pip takes over
Your coach in the app reads what you have answered with the book closed and tells you one thing to do tonight. It will not count an answer you gave with the page open, and it will tell you when you are not ready.
See how the coach worksBefore you book
Questions people ask
How does the Professional Cloud Architect exam relate to the Associate Cloud Engineer certification?
The Associate Cloud Engineer certification is a lower-tier credential that validates fundamental skills in deploying and maintaining cloud projects. The Professional Cloud Architect certification is a higher-tier credential that validates advanced skills in designing and managing cloud solutions. While the Associate certification is recommended background, it is not a mandatory prerequisite for the Professional Cloud Architect exam.
Is there a hands-on or lab component in the Professional Cloud Architect exam?
The Professional Cloud Architect exam is a case-study based exam that includes multiple-choice and multiple-select questions. It does not include a hands-on lab component.
What is the retake policy if I fail the Professional Cloud Architect exam?
If you fail the exam, you must wait 14 days before you can retake it. There is no limit on the number of attempts, but each attempt requires a separate exam fee.
What job roles does the Professional Cloud Architect certification map to?
This certification is designed for professionals in roles such as Cloud Architect, Solutions Architect, and Cloud Consultant, who are responsible for designing and managing cloud solutions for their organizations.
Can I recertify by passing a different Google Cloud exam?
No, to maintain the Professional Cloud Architect certification, you must pass the specific Professional Cloud Architect Recertification exam. Passing a different exam will not renew this certification.
Are there testing accommodations available for candidates with disabilities?
Yes, Google Cloud provides reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities. You can request an accommodation through the Google Cloud Certification Candidate Portal.
How soon will I receive my exam results?
You will receive your exam score report immediately after completing the exam. A detailed score breakdown is provided to help you understand your performance in each domain.
Information freshness · Content last reviewed on 2026-07-30 Up to date
Practice free questions 725 questions, free, no account needed.
The curriculum
The whole exam, mapped and written
Every domain, every objective, and every concept Google Cloud measures — each one written out.
6domains
22objectives
216concepts
153free pages
The domains, and what sits inside them
Every objective below is a page you can open and practise now, without an account.
The official Google Cloud exam outline · checked 30 July 2026 · See the source
1Designing and planning a cloud solution architecture172 questions
1.1 Designing a cloud solution infrastructure that meets business requirements13 concepts · 8 pagesOpen →1.2 Designing a cloud solution infrastructure that meets technical requirements12 concepts · 8 pagesOpen →1.3 Designing network, storage, and compute resources14 concepts · 8 pagesOpen →1.4 Creating a migration plan (i.e., documents and architectural diagrams)9 concepts · 7 pagesOpen →1.5 Envisioning future solution improvements6 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →
2Managing and provisioning a cloud solution infrastructure152 questions
2.1 Configuring network topologies12 concepts · 7 pagesOpen →2.2 Configuring individual storage systems8 concepts · 6 pagesOpen →2.3 Configuring compute systems8 concepts · 7 pagesOpen →2.4 Leveraging Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform for end-to-end ML workflows8 concepts · 6 pagesOpen →2.5 Configuring prebuilt solutions or APIs with Agent Platform8 concepts · 7 pagesOpen →
3Designing for security and compliance88 questions
4Analyzing and optimizing technical and business processes72 questions
5Managing implementation65 questions
6Ensuring solution and operations excellence176 questions
6.1 Understanding the principles and recommendations of the operational excellence pillar of the Google Cloud Well-Architected Framework7 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →6.2 Familiarity with Google Cloud Observability solutions7 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →6.3 Deployment and release management8 concepts · 7 pagesOpen →6.4 Assisting with the support of deployed solutions9 concepts · 7 pagesOpen →6.5 Evaluating quality control measures5 concepts · 6 pagesOpen →6.6 Ensuring the reliability of solutions in production (e.g., chaos engineering, penetration testing, and load testing)7 concepts · 7 pagesOpen →
Not a table of contents
Every line on this map already opens
In front of every objective the practice pages are already there, free and without an account. This is one objective, opened.
1.1 Designing a cloud solution infrastructure that meets business requirements8 pagesOpen →
Free in front of it
39 questions on this objective, five to a page. Every range above is a real page, open now, with no account.
Reading the map is not the same as knowing the ground
The curriculum tells you what is on the exam. Proving you know it is a different job — and it is the one the closed-book run does.
Free questions
725 questions. No account, no card.
The whole bank is open. 5 questions to a page, every answer explained, and a discussion thread on each one.
725questions
153pages
22objectives
Freealways
Start anywhere1.1 Designing a cloud solution infrastructure that meets business requirements 39 questions · 8 pages
Browse by domain
Every objective, and every page range, is a link — so you can pick up exactly where you left off.
1Designing and planning a cloud solution architecture172 questions
2Managing and provisioning a cloud solution infrastructure152 questions
3Designing for security and compliance88 questions
4Analyzing and optimizing technical and business processes72 questions
5Managing implementation65 questions
6Ensuring solution and operations excellence176 questions
What a practice page gives you
1Five to a page
Short enough to finish, long enough to matter.
2Every answer explained
Not only which one is right — why the others are wrong.
3A discussion on each
Ask, answer, and vote. Every question has its own thread.
A question, and the idea behind it
Every question comes from a concept
These are not trivia. Each one is written against a concept in the book, so when you get one wrong there is somewhere to go and find out why.
The visual book
See it once. Carry it into the exam.
The pages shown here come from our AI-900 book — an example of how each concept is written in plain language and, where the idea needs one, drawn as a full page you can take in at a glance.
216concepts
725free questions
Why a picture, and not another paragraph
Three reasons, and each one is a real finding rather than a slogan.
You can see it againThe whole idea at onceWhere it starts, what happens in the middle, what comes out, and the mistake to avoid.
Multimedia principle · MayerThe look-alikes sit togetherThe pairs the exam tests are drawn side by side, so the difference is seen, not told.
Dual coding · PaivioWhat one page is made of
You are never asked to read a poster here — only to see how one is built. After that, every other page is legible at a glance.
1A numbered strip on top
The idea as a sequence, followed with a finger before a word is read.
2Panels for the parts
What it is, how the machine learns it, when it is the right tool.
3The trap, framed
The distinction the exam tests, given its own box instead of buried in prose.
4One line at the bottom
The sentence to carry into the exam room.
Open book, on purpose
Answer it with the picture beside you
This is the part that teaches. The illustration and the written explanation stay where they are while you work, so a scenario stops being a memory test and becomes something you can simply look at.
It teaches · it does not count
A smartphone uses AI to unlock when the owner looks at the camera. Which AI capability is being used?
AImage classification
BFacial recognition
COptical character recognition
DObject detection
Look at the five steps. Detect finds a face, align straightens it, encode turns it into numbers, search compares it with a stored face, and decide answers one question: is this the same person? Classification would only say “a face”. Detection would only draw a box. Neither decides whose.
Then the page shuts, and it starts counting
The same questions come back with the book closed — that run is the one that counts. After it, your coach picks one thing for tonight, sized to the time you have, and brings pages back before you lose them.
Testing effect · Roediger & Karpicke 2006 · spacing effect · Cepeda et al. 2006
Official resources
Straight from Google Cloud
Where the exam is defined, scheduled and scored.
3official links
216concepts mapped
The source
Google Cloud’s own pages
We link to them rather than repeat them, so nothing here goes stale behind them.
Checked against the source
Every objective on the official Google Cloud outline already has questions here
We build from the official skills outline, not from a summary of it — 22 objectives, 216 concepts written under them, and free questions against every one. When Google Cloud changes the outline, this page changes with it.
22objectives on the outline→216concepts written→725free questions
An official page tells you what will be asked. It cannot tell you what you will get right.
That is the only question worth answering the night before, and no link answers it. You answer it by taking the questions with the book closed, and seeing what comes back.