How to Pass the GCP ACE Exam & Improve Your Cloud Skills

If you are interested in a career in cloud computing, or more specifically GCP, the Google Cloud Associate Cloud Engineer (ACE) is a great place to start. It provides a solid foundation for GCP and overlaps a lot with its more challenging architectural counterpart: the Professional Cloud Architect (PCA). In this article, I'll break down my process, experience, and tips for success.

✨note / TL;DR: all resources are linked in the final section at the bottom, "Resource Links"

✓ Pass Verification: Accredible Link

My Prep:

• I only used the Google Skills Boost training (Cloud Engineer Path), and it's legit. Might be overkill for the exam, but it is sufficient for the actual skills you will need to be proficient in GCP. It was a long course since I completed all the labs and took notes.
• My notes consisted of mindmaps and outlines of core topics (available in the "Resource Links" section).

❗️Disclaimer: I did not need a lot of prep because of my AWS experience. I've included other reputable resources in the final section that I would have used myself if needed. If you're proficient with AWS, I would put GCP ACE on par with AWS SAA.

My Thoughts

The Exam Experience:

• I only take exams in testing centers. I had a horrible remote/online experience before with an AWS proctor...never again! Goog tests through Kryterion. Very similar to in-person testing for Pearson Vue. It was a smooth experience for the most part.
• The exam was straightforward and multiple choice, so the CLI questions were 'you either know it or you don't'. If you don't have experience using the cloud, I highly recommend doing some form of labbing/hands-on to get exposure to the GCP CLI / cloud shell, and console. Being able to visualize the commands and console processes in my head made the exam less complex, and you can use those skills on the job, for interviews, etc.
• These are the core areas I recommend focusing on for the ACE: Core Infra Services, GKE, Logging, Monitoring, Availability, Infra Scaling & Automation. I made mindmaps and outlines for them which are all included in the final section of this article.

General Thoughts:

• IMO, ACE is a really great way to get started with GCP or cloud in general. I considered skipping ACE to go straight to PCA, but I'm glad I didn't. I did not realize the overlap between ACE and PCA, so now I feel more confident diving deeper into the core architecture topics that the PCA highlights.
• The ACE exam has technical components, especially around infra mgmt via CLI (gcloud, gsutil, etc.), so I would review the syllabus first before deciding where to start. If you are newer to tech or cloud technologies, another good option to get started is the new'ish GCP Cloud Digital Leader (I would put this one on par with the AWS CCP).
• This was my first time utilizing the Google Skills Boost training, and I was very pleased with the revamp. The labs are also conveniently integrated into the platform via the Google Qwiklabs environment. I learned a ton and had fun as well. If I didn't use Skills Boost I would have used Antoni's course with a personal GCP account for labs.
• 💡 If you are coming from AWS, check this out first - it helped speed things up for me: service comparison chart and GCP for AWS Professionals Skills Boost course

Final Advice:

❗️The main goal of certification(s) should be attaining the practical skills needed to make you proficient for the job/market. There is no point in 'passing' if you can't do the actual job/duties of a cloud engineer! So choose to do the learning journey the right way and you will be rewarded with not only a certification but also with skills that will enable you to scale in your cloud career. Key learning/skill objectives for ACE are:

> Set up a cloud solution environment
> Plan and configure a cloud solution
> Deploy and implement a cloud solution
> Ensure successful operation of a cloud solution
> Configure access and security        

Resource Links

🗣🎙 Remember to get some hands-on time in the GCP console and CLI/cloudshell. The practical skills you gain from proper prep are much more valuable than passing an exam. Skills are what will make you the most marketable for what you do and/or where you want to go in your career!

Engineering Labs:
> Create & Manage Cloud Resources
> Perform Infra Tasks in GCP
> Configure an Environment in GCP
> Automate Infra, Terraform
> Deploy & Manage Environments
> GKE Cost Optimization        

• Official ACE Site: official Google ACE website
• Skills Boost (Engineer path): Google official training. The majority of the path is FREE, labs may require credits.
• Skills Boost Partner Site: same as the above, except completely FREE for all partners. You can sign up with your work email.
• Practice Questions by Google: ~20 official practice Q's similar to the real ones
• Antoni FREE course: The OG himself, now FREE on YouTube - I recommend any course Antoni does.
• Dan Sullivan Book: if you are a reader, this is the only book you'll need
• Udemy Course: highly reviewed and recommended by the community (if you've never used Udemy before, always wait for sales - they do them frequently. Courses are usually ~$10 - $25 USD.)
• Tutorials Dojo: exam guide, cheat sheets, practice exams
• Awesome GCP repo: GitHub repo with tons of GCP references

🤙 My Notes/MindMaps:

*note: these are all stored and linked to my GitHub, you will need to download the pdf for best quality, these are large mindmaps:

• Prep for ACE | Outline
• Core Infra | Outline
• Core Services | Outline
• GKE | Outline
• Infra Scaling & Automation | Outline
• Logging, Monitoring, Observability | Outline

Best of luck if you end up taking it! I hope this was helpful. Please keep me posted on your results and reach out if there are any other questions. ✊✌️

⭐️ If this was helpful, you'll also enjoy my main article that outlines my favorite tech resources & content here 👉(LINK)!