- A
Standard Reserved Instance
Why wrong: Standard Reserved Instances provide a discount but do not allow you to change the instance size or family during the term. If you scale up to a db.r5.xlarge, you would lose the discount on that instance, making this option less cost-effective for the scenario.
- B
Convertible Reserved Instance
Convertible Reserved Instances for RDS offer the flexibility to modify instance attributes (such as size) during the commitment term while still receiving a discounted rate. This allows the company to temporarily scale up to a db.r5.xlarge during peak periods without losing the RI discount.
- C
Compute Savings Plan
Why wrong: Compute Savings Plans apply only to Amazon EC2, AWS Fargate, and AWS Lambda usage. They do not cover Amazon RDS instances, so this option is not applicable to the database workload described.
- D
On-Demand
Why wrong: On-Demand pricing offers no discount. While it provides full flexibility to scale up and down, it is the most expensive option and does not maximize cost savings for the steady baseline workload.
Quick Answer
The answer is a Convertible Reserved Instance. This purchasing option is correct because it provides instance size flexibility for temporary scaling, allowing you to move from a db.r5.large to a db.r5.xlarge for a few days each month while still receiving a significant discount over On-Demand pricing. Standard Reserved Instances lock you into a specific size and family, making them unsuitable for variable workloads, whereas Convertible RIs let you modify instance attributes during the term. On the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of the difference between Standard and Convertible RIs, often appearing as a trap where you might choose Standard RIs for cost savings without considering the need for scaling. A common memory tip: think “Convertible = Changeable” — if you need to resize, choose Convertible.
CLF-C02 Billing, Pricing, and Support Practice Question
This CLF-C02 practice question tests your understanding of billing, pricing, and support. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 a production MySQL database on Amazon RDS. The workload has a steady baseline usage that requires a db.r5.large instance most of the time, but during end-of-month processing, the database needs to scale up to a db.r5.xlarge for a few days. The company wants to maximize cost savings while retaining the ability to temporarily scale up the instance during those peaks and still receive a discounted rate. Which purchasing option should the company choose?
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
Convertible Reserved Instance
Convertible Reserved Instances (RIs) allow you to change instance attributes (such as size) during the term, which fits the need to temporarily scale from db.r5.large to db.r5.xlarge for a few days each month. They offer a significant discount over On-Demand pricing (typically 30-50%) while retaining flexibility to modify the instance type. Standard RIs lock you into a specific instance family and size, making them unsuitable for this variable workload.
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.
- ✗
Standard Reserved Instance
Why it's wrong here
Standard Reserved Instances provide a discount but do not allow you to change the instance size or family during the term. If you scale up to a db.r5.xlarge, you would lose the discount on that instance, making this option less cost-effective for the scenario.
- ✓
Convertible Reserved Instance
Why this is correct
Convertible Reserved Instances for RDS offer the flexibility to modify instance attributes (such as size) during the commitment term while still receiving a discounted rate. This allows the company to temporarily scale up to a db.r5.xlarge during peak periods without losing the RI discount.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Compute Savings Plan
Why it's wrong here
Compute Savings Plans apply only to Amazon EC2, AWS Fargate, and AWS Lambda usage. They do not cover Amazon RDS instances, so this option is not applicable to the database workload described.
- ✗
On-Demand
Why it's wrong here
On-Demand pricing offers no discount. While it provides full flexibility to scale up and down, it is the most expensive option and does not maximize cost savings for the steady baseline workload.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Compute Savings Plans with RDS Reserved Instances, not realizing that Compute Savings Plans only apply to EC2 and Fargate, not to RDS database instances.
Trap categories for this question
Scenario analysis trap
Standard Reserved Instances provide a discount but do not allow you to change the instance size or family during the term. If you scale up to a db.r5.xlarge, you would lose the discount on that instance, making this option less cost-effective for the scenario.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Convertible RIs allow you to exchange your reservation for another RI with different attributes (e.g., instance size, family, OS, or tenancy) at any time during the term, but the exchange must result in equal or greater value; you cannot downgrade to a smaller instance without losing the discount. In this scenario, the company could purchase a Convertible RI for the db.r5.large baseline and then exchange it for a db.r5.xlarge during end-of-month peaks, paying only the prorated difference for the upgrade period. This flexibility comes at a slightly lower discount (typically 30-40%) compared to Standard RIs (up to 72%), but it is the only option that allows temporary scaling while retaining a discounted rate for RDS.
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.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
Billing, Pricing, and Support — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Billing, Pricing, and Support practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All CLF-C02 questions
1,024 questions across all exam domains
- →
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
CLF-C02 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related CLF-C02 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Cloud Concepts practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to Cloud Concepts.
Security and Compliance practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to Security and Compliance.
Cloud Technology and Services practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to Cloud Technology and Services.
Billing, Pricing, and Support practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to Billing, Pricing, and Support.
AWS shared responsibility model practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to AWS shared responsibility model.
AWS IAM practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to AWS IAM.
AWS pricing practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to AWS pricing.
AWS support plans practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to AWS support plans.
AWS S3 practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to AWS S3.
AWS EC2 practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to AWS EC2.
Practice this exam
Start a free CLF-C02 practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
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: Convertible Reserved Instance — Convertible Reserved Instances (RIs) allow you to change instance attributes (such as size) during the term, which fits the need to temporarily scale from db.r5.large to db.r5.xlarge for a few days each month. They offer a significant discount over On-Demand pricing (typically 30-50%) while retaining flexibility to modify the instance type. Standard RIs lock you into a specific instance family and size, making them unsuitable for this variable workload.
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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Keep practising
More CLF-C02 practice questions
- A company publishes a message each time a new product is added to its catalogue. Three services need to receive this mes…
- A media company stores frequently accessed video thumbnails in Amazon S3. The thumbnails are read multiple times every d…
- A company needs a service to translate domain names (like www.example.com) into IP addresses, check the health of their…
- A startup runs an application on AWS and receives a monthly bill that charges exactly for the number of compute hours us…
- A financial institution runs its core banking application on-premises due to regulatory requirements. It has connected i…
- A company wants to run a MySQL database in AWS without managing database software installation, applying patches, settin…
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.