In this post, we summarize and reflect on a great guide originally written by phD. TRAN Thi Hong Hanh, who shared their personal experience studying for and passing the Google Associate Cloud Engineer (ACE) certification — remarkably, without spending a single cent. 💸

The original article, “How I Passed the Google Cloud ACE Exam for $0,” provides a detailed walkthrough of free resources, study strategies, and tips that helped the author succeed. 

Below is a curated overview of the main ideas and resources discussed, with additional commentary from our team.

Learning Plan (Summary)

According to the author, the 2025 Get Certified initiative from Google was the foundation of their preparation. The program included:

• An 8-week guided study plan

• 

• Access to technical membership and community support

• A free exam voucher

• 400 Google Cloud credits for hands-on labs on Google Cloud Skill Boost

They strongly recommend following the eight-week timeline as designed, as it ensures steady progress and accountability.

Recommended Resources

The following resources, highlighted in the original post, are ideal for anyone preparing for the ACE certification:

Practice and Review

To reinforce learning, the author used a variety of practice questions from both Google and third-party resources, including official sample sets and community-verified collections.

Key Takeaways

This journey demonstrates that with the right structure, persistence, and free materials, it’s absolutely possible to earn the Google Cloud Associate Cloud Engineer certification at zero cost.
The approach emphasizes discipline, hands-on learning, and community participation — all of which are crucial for mastering cloud fundamentals.

Acknowledgment

This article is a summarized and adapted version based on the original post by phD Hanh (https://hanh.zootopi.dev/resume)
All credits for the initial content and insights go to the original author. You can find their full write-up and supporting materials on GitHub: https://github.com/honghanhh/gcp-ace-cert