- A
AWS Compute Optimizer
Why wrong: AWS Compute Optimizer provides right-sizing recommendations for EC2 instances based on historical utilization, but it does not specifically flag idle instances with low CPU utilization as a cost optimization check; it is more focused on suggesting optimal instance types.
- B
AWS Cost Explorer
Why wrong: AWS Cost Explorer is a tool for visualizing and analyzing cost and usage data. It does not proactively identify underutilized resources; it requires manual analysis to detect such patterns.
- C
AWS Budgets
Why wrong: AWS Budgets allows you to set spending limits and receive alerts when costs or usage exceed thresholds. It does not provide recommendations about underutilized resources.
- D
AWS Trusted Advisor
AWS Trusted Advisor includes a cost optimization check for 'Underutilized Amazon EC2 Instances' that identifies instances with low CPU utilization. It provides this recommendation directly as part of its best-practice evaluations.
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 runs several Amazon EC2 instances for development and testing purposes. The finance team wants to identify any instances that have been running with very low CPU utilization (less than 10%) over the past two weeks so they can stop or resize them to reduce costs. Which AWS tool provides this specific recommendation as part of its cost optimization checks?
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
AWS Trusted Advisor
AWS Trusted Advisor provides cost optimization checks that include identifying Amazon EC2 instances with low utilization. Specifically, the 'Low Utilization Amazon EC2 Instances' check flags instances that have had a CPU utilization of 10% or less for the past 14 days, enabling the finance team to stop or resize them to reduce costs.
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.
- ✗
AWS Compute Optimizer
Why it's wrong here
AWS Compute Optimizer provides right-sizing recommendations for EC2 instances based on historical utilization, but it does not specifically flag idle instances with low CPU utilization as a cost optimization check; it is more focused on suggesting optimal instance types.
- ✗
AWS Cost Explorer
Why it's wrong here
AWS Cost Explorer is a tool for visualizing and analyzing cost and usage data. It does not proactively identify underutilized resources; it requires manual analysis to detect such patterns.
When this WOULD be correct
When the question asks for a tool to visualize and analyze historical cost and usage data to identify cost trends or forecast future spending, AWS Cost Explorer would be the correct answer.
- ✗
AWS Budgets
Why it's wrong here
AWS Budgets allows you to set spending limits and receive alerts when costs or usage exceed thresholds. It does not provide recommendations about underutilized resources.
When this WOULD be correct
A company wants to receive alerts when their monthly EC2 spending exceeds a certain threshold, and they need to set a custom budget with notifications. AWS Budgets would be the correct tool for defining cost or usage budgets and triggering actions when limits are exceeded.
- ✓
AWS Trusted Advisor
Why this is correct
AWS Trusted Advisor includes a cost optimization check for 'Underutilized Amazon EC2 Instances' that identifies instances with low CPU utilization. It provides this recommendation directly as part of its best-practice evaluations.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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.
✓AWS Trusted AdvisorCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
AWS Trusted Advisor includes a cost optimization check for 'Underutilized Amazon EC2 Instances' that identifies instances with low CPU utilization. It provides this recommendation directly as part of its best-practice evaluations.
✗AWS Cost ExplorerWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
AWS Cost Explorer provides cost and usage data but does not generate specific recommendations for underutilized EC2 instances; it requires manual analysis to identify such patterns.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
When the question asks for a tool to visualize and analyze historical cost and usage data to identify cost trends or forecast future spending, AWS Cost Explorer would be the correct answer.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think Cost Explorer can identify underutilized instances because it shows usage metrics, but it lacks automated optimization recommendations like Trusted Advisor.
✗AWS BudgetsWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
AWS Budgets allows you to set custom cost and usage budgets and receive alerts, but it does not provide specific recommendations for idle or underutilized EC2 instances. It lacks the cost optimization checks that identify low CPU utilization instances.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A company wants to receive alerts when their monthly EC2 spending exceeds a certain threshold, and they need to set a custom budget with notifications. AWS Budgets would be the correct tool for defining cost or usage budgets and triggering actions when limits are exceeded.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think AWS Budgets can identify cost-saving opportunities because it monitors costs, but they overlook that it does not analyze resource utilization or provide specific optimization recommendations like Trusted Advisor does.
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 often confuse AWS Compute Optimizer's right-sizing recommendations with Trusted Advisor's specific low-utilization check, but Compute Optimizer does not have a dedicated check for instances with less than 10% CPU utilization over two weeks.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS Trusted Advisor evaluates EC2 instances by examining CloudWatch metrics for CPU utilization over a 14-day period, specifically checking if average CPU utilization is below 10% and if the instance has been running for at least 24 hours. This check also considers network I/O and whether the instance is covered by a Reserved Instance or Savings Plan, as those factors may affect the recommendation. In a real-world scenario, a development team might have long-running test instances that are idle most of the time, and Trusted Advisor's check helps identify these cost-saving opportunities without manual monitoring.
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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
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: AWS Trusted Advisor — AWS Trusted Advisor provides cost optimization checks that include identifying Amazon EC2 instances with low utilization. Specifically, the 'Low Utilization Amazon EC2 Instances' check flags instances that have had a CPU utilization of 10% or less for the past 14 days, enabling the finance team to stop or resize them to reduce costs.
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.
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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