If you're studying for the Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect (PCA) exam using materials from early 2025 or before, you're probably studying the wrong version.
Google quietly rolled out version 6.1 on October 30, 2025, and the changes are significant. Here's what actually shifted and how to adjust your prep.
The Big Changes in v6.1
1. Well-Architected Framework Is Now Required
The Google Cloud Well-Architected Framework (WAF) was always "nice to know" — now it's explicitly tested. Section 6.1 was rewritten to focus on operational excellence principles. You need to understand all six pillars:
- Operational Excellence
- Security, Privacy, and Compliance
- Reliability
- Cost Optimization
- Performance Optimization
- Sustainability
If you've done AWS SA Pro, the concept is familiar, but Google's framework has its own terminology and recommended patterns.
2. AI/ML Content Got a Major Expansion
Two new sections (2.4 and 2.5) focus specifically on Vertex AI. The exam now tests:
- When to use Vertex AI vs. BigQuery ML vs. AutoML
- Designing ML pipelines with proper data governance
- Securing AI workloads (this is new and specific)
This isn't just "what is machine learning?" level questions. They want you to architect AI solutions with proper IAM, data residency, and model governance.
3. New Case Studies
The old EHR Healthcare case study survived, but three new ones were added:
- Altostrat Media — media streaming with global CDN
- Cymbal Retail — retail with AI-powered recommendations
- KnightMotives Automotive — automotive IoT with edge computing
All three integrate AI components, reinforcing that AI architecture is now a core competency for this cert.
4. Terraform/IaC Is Explicitly Required
Infrastructure as Code was always implied. Now it's an explicit exam requirement. Know your Terraform state management, modules, and GCP provider configuration.
What Stays the Same
The exam is still 50 questions, 2 hours, $200. The core domains haven't changed dramatically:
| Domain | Focus |
|---|---|
| Design & Plan | Business requirements → technical architecture |
| Manage & Provision | Compute, networking, storage decisions |
| Security & Compliance | IAM, VPC Service Controls, encryption |
| Analyze & Optimize | Cost management, monitoring, SRE principles |
| AI & ML (expanded) | Vertex AI, MLOps, responsible AI |
My Study Approach
Week 1-2: Google's official PCA learning path on Cloud Skills Boost. It's free and recently updated for v6.1.
Week 3-4: Hands-on labs. Deploy a GKE cluster, set up a VPC with Private Google Access, configure Cloud Armor. The exam loves "which service solves this?" questions.
Week 5-6: Case study deep dives. Read each case study 3-4 times and practice making architectural decisions for each scenario.
Week 7-8: Practice exams from multiple sources. I used ExamCert's GCP PCA practice test to drill the scenario-based questions — the free tier gives you a good feel for the question style, and $4.99 lifetime access unlocks the full set.
Tips for the Updated Exam
- Don't skip the WAF documentation. It's dense but testable.
- Know when NOT to use AI. The exam tests judgment, not just knowledge.
- Understand multi-region vs. global resources. This comes up constantly.
- Practice with case studies under time pressure. Read the scenario, make a decision in 2 minutes.
- Terraform basics are non-negotiable now. At minimum, know state, plan, apply, and remote backends.
Bottom Line
The PCA v6.1 is a better exam than its predecessor. It tests real architectural thinking with modern cloud patterns including AI/ML, IaC, and WAF principles. If you passed the old version, your cert stays valid — but if you're starting fresh, make sure your study materials cover the October 2025 updates.
Good luck to everyone prepping — feel free to drop questions in the comments.
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