Five real Professional Cloud Architect projects mapped directly to GCP-PCA exam objectives and official Google case studies. Mark a step complete and HandsOnCert commits the evidence — architecture diagrams, IAM designs, cost analyses — straight to your own GitHub repo. The portfolio employers actually click into.
$79 one-time · Project 1 free · No subscription
Every project maps to an official GCP-PCA exam domain. Each one ends with evidence committed to your GitHub repo automatically.
Using one of Google's official case studies (e.g., EHR Healthcare), design a solution architecture diagram addressing the case study's business and technical requirements — compute, storage, and networking choices with justification. Commit your architecture diagram and design rationale document.
Designing & Planning — ~24% of examProvision the core infrastructure for your case study architecture using Terraform or Deployment Manager — VPC, subnets, and a Compute Engine or GKE workload. Commit your IaC configuration files and provisioning evidence.
Managing & Provisioning Infrastructure — ~15% of examDesign an IAM structure with custom roles following least privilege for your case study, configure VPC Service Controls around a sensitive data perimeter, and document a compliance mapping (e.g., for HIPAA requirements). Commit your IAM design and VPC Service Controls configuration.
Designing for Security & Compliance — ~18% of examAnalyze your case study's current vs target technical processes, identify a migration or modernization opportunity (e.g., lift-and-shift to containers), and document the business impact. Commit your process analysis and recommendation document.
Analyzing & Optimizing Processes — ~18% of examConfigure a budget alert and cost breakdown for your case study architecture, set up Cloud Monitoring uptime checks and alerting policies, and document an SLA-aligned reliability plan. Commit your budget configuration and monitoring dashboard screenshots.
Implementation & Reliability — ~25% of examEvery completed step auto-commits evidence to your own repo. No fake portfolio templates — real configs, real screenshots, real history.
No simulators. You work in the actual Google Cloud console and tools, the same ones you'll use on the job and in the GCP-PCA exam.
Stuck on a step or an exam concept? Cert Buddy is trained on GCP-PCA objectives and helps you debug and understand — not just copy-paste.
Every chargeable resource has a clear alert telling you exactly when to stop, deallocate, or delete — so a lab break doesn't become a surprise bill.
Get the full GCP-PCA lab guide as a PDF — step-by-step instructions, screenshots to capture, and an exam quick-reference section.
$79 once. No subscription, no recurring charges. Or get All-Access to all 21 cert paths for $199.
Are the GCP-PCA hands-on labs free?
Project 1 (Solution Architecture Design) is completely free, including unlimited access to Cert Buddy for that project and the manual GitHub commit workflow. The remaining 4 projects unlock for a one-time payment of $79.
Do these labs use the official Google case studies?
Yes. HandsOnCert's GCP-PCA path is built around Google's official PCA case studies (such as EHR Healthcare, Helicopter Racing League, Mountkirk Games, and TerramEarth) — the same case studies referenced on the actual exam.
Do I need a GCP account for these labs?
Yes, you need a Google Cloud account with the $300 free trial credit (valid 90 days). Most GCP-PCA resources fit within this credit if cleaned up promptly — total out-of-pocket cost should be approximately $10-20 across all 5 projects.
How does the GitHub portfolio auto-commit work for GCP-PCA?
When you mark a lab step complete, HandsOnCert commits your architecture diagrams, Terraform configurations, and IAM designs directly to your own GitHub repository via OAuth — demonstrating real architecture decision-making tied to recognized case studies.
How long does the GCP-PCA path take to complete?
The 5 projects take approximately 12 hours total, covering solution design, infrastructure provisioning, security/compliance, process optimization, and reliability/cost management — the same domains tested on the GCP-PCA exam.
Do I need GCP-ACE before GCP-PCA?
GCP-ACE is not a hard prerequisite for GCP-PCA, but Google recommends hands-on GCP experience first. GCP-ACE (Associate Cloud Engineer) is HandsOnCert's foundational GCP path and builds the operational skills GCP-PCA's architecture decisions rely on.
Start Project 1 free — no credit card required. See exactly how the GitHub auto-commit works before you pay anything.
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