The Google Cloud Professional Cloud Security Engineer (PCSE) certification assesses an individual’s ability to design, develop, and manage a secure solution on Google Cloud, leveraging Google’s security technologies and best practices.
A Cloud Security Engineer has a thorough understanding of cloud security practices and industry security requirements, and designs, develops, and manages a secure infrastructure using Google security technologies.
Exam Format
- Questions : 50 - 60 multiple-choice and multiple-select questions.
- Exam duration : 2 hours (120 minutes).
- Format: Administered online via proctor or onsite at a testing center.
- Prerequisites: None officially, but Google recommends at least 3 years of industry experience, including 1+ years designing and managing solutions using Google Cloud.
🧠 The 5 Domains
The PCSE exam evaluates expertise across five key domains, ensuring comprehensive coverage of cloud security.
| Domain | Weight (%) | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Configuring Access | ~25% | Cloud Identity, IAM (Identity and Access Management), service accounts, resource hierarchy, defined roles, and organization policies. |
| 2. Securing Communications and Establishing Boundary Protection | ~22% | VPCs, firewalls, Cloud Armor, IAP (Identity-Aware Proxy), VPC Service Controls, and network segmentation. |
| 3. Ensuring Data Protection | ~23% | Encryption at rest and in transit, Cloud KMS, CMEK/CSEK, Cloud DLP (Data Loss Prevention), Macie, and Secret Manager. |
| 4. Managing Operations | ~19% | Security Command Center, logging, monitoring (Cloud Monitoring and Cloud Logging), incident response, and security automation. |
| 5. Supporting Compliance Requirements | ~11% | Understanding compliance frameworks, regulatory controls, data privacy, and enforcing compliance in the cloud. |
How to Prepare for the Exam
- Understand Google Cloud Security Fundamentals: Ensure you are familiar with how Google Cloud manages security compared to on-premises environments, adopting a shared responsibility model.
- Hands-On Experience: Practice configuring VPCs, IAM roles, KMS, and Security Command Center. Use Qwiklabs or a personal GCP account. The lessons and labs in the Google Skills path for “Security Engineer” are highly recommended.
- Review the Exam Guide: The official exam guide outlines exactly what topics will be tested. Go through each line item to check your understanding.
- Take the Practice Exam: Take the official Google practice exam to get a feel for the format and difficulty of the questions.
Resources
- Official Google Cloud PCSE Exam Page
- Official Exam Guide
- Google Skills: Security Engineer Path - Helpful lessons and labs for practical experience.