- A
The entire 1,000 hours are free because each instance is eligible for 750 free hours per month.
Why wrong: This is incorrect. The Free Tier offers 750 total hours per month across all t2.micro instances, not 750 hours per instance.
- B
The first 500 hours of each instance are free, and the remaining 500 hours are charged.
Why wrong: This is incorrect. The Free Tier does not split free hours evenly per instance; it applies to the cumulative usage across all instances.
- C
The first 750 hours of combined usage across both instances are free, and the remaining 250 hours are charged.
This is correct. The Free Tier provides 750 free hours per month aggregated across all t2.micro instances. 750 of the 1,000 hours are free; the additional 250 hours incur charges.
- D
The entire 1,000 hours are charged because the Free Tier only applies to the first month.
Why wrong: This is incorrect. The 12-month Free Tier applies each month for the first 12 months, not only the first month.
CLF-C02 Billing, Pricing, and Support Practice Question
This CLF-C02 practice question tests your understanding of billing, pricing, and support. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company recently signed up for AWS and is using the 12-month Free Tier offer. In the first month, they launched a single Amazon EC2 t2.micro instance and used it for exactly 750 hours. In the second month, they launched a second t2.micro instance and ran both instances simultaneously for 500 hours each (a total of 1,000 instance-hours for the month). Which statement accurately describes the charges for the second month under the Free Tier?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"first"Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
The first 750 hours of combined usage across both instances are free, and the remaining 250 hours are charged.
Option C is correct because the AWS Free Tier for EC2 provides 750 hours of t2.micro (or t3.micro) instance usage per month across all regions, aggregated across all instances. In the second month, the combined usage of both instances is 1,000 hours, so the first 750 hours are free, and the remaining 250 hours are charged at standard On-Demand rates. The Free Tier applies each month for the first 12 months, not just the first month, and the 750-hour limit is a pool shared by all eligible instances.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The entire 1,000 hours are free because each instance is eligible for 750 free hours per month.
Why it's wrong here
This is incorrect. The Free Tier offers 750 total hours per month across all t2.micro instances, not 750 hours per instance.
When this WOULD be correct
This option would be correct if the Free Tier offered 750 free hours per instance per month, rather than aggregated across all instances. For example, if the question stated 'each t2.micro instance receives 750 free hours per month,' then two instances would each have 750 free hours, making 1,000 total hours free.
- ✗
The first 500 hours of each instance are free, and the remaining 500 hours are charged.
Why it's wrong here
This is incorrect. The Free Tier does not split free hours evenly per instance; it applies to the cumulative usage across all instances.
When this WOULD be correct
This option would be correct if the Free Tier offered 750 free hours per instance per month, rather than aggregated across all instances. For example, if the question stated: 'Each t2.micro instance receives 750 free hours per month under the Free Tier,' then running two instances for 500 hours each would leave 250 free hours per instance unused, and all 1,000 hours would be free.
- ✓
The first 750 hours of combined usage across both instances are free, and the remaining 250 hours are charged.
Why this is correct
This is correct. The Free Tier provides 750 free hours per month aggregated across all t2.micro instances. 750 of the 1,000 hours are free; the additional 250 hours incur charges.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
The entire 1,000 hours are charged because the Free Tier only applies to the first month.
Why it's wrong here
This is incorrect. The 12-month Free Tier applies each month for the first 12 months, not only the first month.
When this WOULD be correct
This option would be correct if the question stated that the Free Tier only applies to the first month of account activation, and the second month is outside the Free Tier period, so all usage is charged.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The CLF-C02 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓The first 750 hours of combined usage across both instances are free, and the remaining 250 hours are charged.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
This is correct. The Free Tier provides 750 free hours per month aggregated across all t2.micro instances. 750 of the 1,000 hours are free; the additional 250 hours incur charges.
✗The entire 1,000 hours are free because each instance is eligible for 750 free hours per month.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The Free Tier provides 750 hours of Amazon EC2 t2.micro instance usage per month, aggregated across all instances. Running two instances for 500 hours each totals 1,000 hours, so only the first 750 hours are free, not the entire 1,000 hours.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
This option would be correct if the Free Tier offered 750 free hours per instance per month, rather than aggregated across all instances. For example, if the question stated 'each t2.micro instance receives 750 free hours per month,' then two instances would each have 750 free hours, making 1,000 total hours free.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may mistakenly think the Free Tier applies per instance rather than aggregated, or they may misinterpret '750 hours per month' as a per-instance allowance instead of a total monthly limit.
✗The first 500 hours of each instance are free, and the remaining 500 hours are charged.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The Free Tier provides 750 hours of Amazon EC2 t2.micro instance usage per month, aggregated across all instances. It does not allocate 750 free hours per instance; instead, it covers the first 750 hours of total usage. Running two instances for 500 hours each results in 1,000 total hours, so only the first 750 hours are free, and the remaining 250 hours are charged.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
This option would be correct if the Free Tier offered 750 free hours per instance per month, rather than aggregated across all instances. For example, if the question stated: 'Each t2.micro instance receives 750 free hours per month under the Free Tier,' then running two instances for 500 hours each would leave 250 free hours per instance unused, and all 1,000 hours would be free.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may mistakenly think the Free Tier allocates free hours on a per-instance basis, similar to how some other cloud providers or promotional offers work, leading them to believe each instance gets its own 750-hour allowance.
✗The entire 1,000 hours are charged because the Free Tier only applies to the first month.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The Free Tier offer applies for 12 months, not just the first month. In the second month, the first 750 hours of combined usage across all EC2 instances are free, so the entire 1,000 hours are not charged.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
This option would be correct if the question stated that the Free Tier only applies to the first month of account activation, and the second month is outside the Free Tier period, so all usage is charged.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may misinterpret the '12-month Free Tier' as only covering the first month, or they may confuse it with a one-time free trial that expires after the first month.
Analysis generated from the official CLF-C02blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates mistakenly believe the 750 free hours apply per instance rather than as a shared monthly pool, or that the Free Tier only applies to the first month of account creation.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The AWS Free Tier for EC2 is a monthly aggregate of 750 hours of Linux or Windows t2.micro (or t3.micro in some regions) instance usage, calculated across all instances in all AWS regions. This means if you run two instances simultaneously for 500 hours each, you consume 1,000 instance-hours from the 750-hour pool, leaving 250 hours that incur standard On-Demand charges. In real-world scenarios, this pooling often surprises users who launch multiple instances mid-month, assuming each instance gets its own free allocation, leading to unexpected bills.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this CLF-C02 question test?
Billing, Pricing, and Support — This question tests Billing, Pricing, and Support — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The first 750 hours of combined usage across both instances are free, and the remaining 250 hours are charged. — Option C is correct because the AWS Free Tier for EC2 provides 750 hours of t2.micro (or t3.micro) instance usage per month across all regions, aggregated across all instances. In the second month, the combined usage of both instances is 1,000 hours, so the first 750 hours are free, and the remaining 250 hours are charged at standard On-Demand rates. The Free Tier applies each month for the first 12 months, not just the first month, and the 750-hour limit is a pool shared by all eligible instances.
What should I do if I get this CLF-C02 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This CLF-C02 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CLF-C02 exam.
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