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Google Cloud · Cloud · Professional

Google Cloud Professional Cloud Developer exam guide

Exam Professional Cloud Developer

Professional Cloud Developer validates that you can design, build, test and deploy scalable cloud-native applications on Google Cloud and integrate them with managed services. It targets developers working with containers, serverless and APIs.

Questions50-60
Time limit120 minutes
Passing scoreSee official page
Exam fee$200 USD
Valid for2 years
DeliveryOnline proctored or onsite at a Pearson VUE test center

Format: Multiple choice. Fee note: Plus tax where applicable..

Who it's for

Application developers with 3+ years of industry experience, including a year or more building on Google Cloud.

What the exam covers

Designing highly scalable, secure, and reliable cloud-native applications32%
Building and testing applications23%
Configuring cloud-native applications for deployment24%
Integrating applications with Google Cloud services21%

Eligibility & prerequisites

Required: None

Recommended: 3+ years of industry experience, including 1+ years designing and managing solutions on Google Cloud.

Keeping it active

Valid for 2 years. Renew by retaking the exam, or through Google Skills by completing the designated renewal courses and/or skill badges during the final year of validity, which extends the certification by 1 year (link CM Connect and Google Skills accounts with the same email).

Skills & careers

Skills it validates

  • Designing microservices and event-driven architectures
  • Building and testing containerized apps with Cloud Build and Artifact Registry
  • Deploying to Cloud Run and GKE with safe rollout strategies
  • Using Pub/Sub, Eventarc, Cloud Tasks and Workflows
  • Securing apps with IAM, Secret Manager and Workload Identity
  • Instrumenting apps with Cloud Trace, Logging and Monitoring

Job roles

Cloud DeveloperBackend EngineerSoftware Engineer (cloud-native)Platform EngineerFull-Stack Developer

Where it fits in your path

Planning a degree too? See how this cert earns college credit in the College Credit Navigator.

Build my study plan

  1. Week 1-2: Cloud Developer learning path; build a small API and deploy it to Cloud Run with Cloud Build CI.
  2. Week 3: Move the app to GKE; practice canary and blue/green rollouts and Workload Identity.
  3. Week 4: Integrations: Pub/Sub, Eventarc, Firestore, Cloud SQL, Secret Manager.
  4. Week 5: Observability and testing: Trace, Profiler, emulators, load testing; sample questions.
  5. Week 6: Timed practice and gap review, then sit the exam.

Make it yours: pick your exam date and weekly hours. We'll split your time by domain weight and give you a printable plan.

Exam-day tips

  • Design is the largest section at about 32%; know when to choose Cloud Run vs GKE vs Cloud Run functions.
  • Expect questions on authenticating service-to-service calls and avoiding service account keys.
  • Know Pub/Sub delivery semantics and idempotency patterns.
  • Be comfortable reading code snippets and Dockerfiles in common languages.
  • Know local testing options such as emulators for Pub/Sub and Firestore.

Key terms for this exam

All 17 terms Study with thinQcards™

Frequently asked questions

How much does Professional Cloud Developer cost?

$200 plus tax.

How long is it valid?

Professional certifications are valid for 2 years. Renew by retaking the standard exam, or through the Google Skills renewal path in the final year (extends validity by 1 year).

Do I need to code during the exam?

No, but you must read and interpret code and configuration snippets.

Cloud Developer vs DevOps Engineer?

Developer focuses on building and integrating applications; DevOps Engineer focuses on CI/CD, SRE and operations.

Is it worth it?

Yes for developers in Google Cloud shops; it signals production cloud-native skills beyond associate level.

Official page: cloud.google.com. Reviewed November 2026. Vendors change fees and objectives, so confirm with the vendor before you book. Spot something out of date? Tell us.