The answer is to upgrade the worker type from G.1X to G.2X. This change directly resolves the AWS Glue OutOfMemoryError because G.1X workers provide only 16 GB of memory per worker, while G.2X doubles that to 32 GB, giving the job the additional heap space needed for processing large CSV files and in-memory transformations before writing Parquet. On the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of Glue worker types and memory allocation—a common trap is thinking you need more workers (increasing parallelism) when the real issue is insufficient memory per worker. Remember, adding workers spreads the load but does not increase the memory ceiling for each executor; upgrading the worker type raises that ceiling. A quick memory tip: think “G.2X gives double the memory, not double the workers”—when you see OutOfMemoryError, scale up, not out.
DEA-C01 Data Operations and Support Practice Question
This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data operations and support. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 data engineer notices that an AWS Glue job processing data from an Amazon S3 bucket frequently fails with 'OutOfMemoryError'. The job reads CSV files, applies transformations, and writes Parquet to another S3 bucket. The job has 10 workers of type G.1X. Which change is MOST likely to resolve the issue?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Change the worker type from G.1X to G.2X
The G.1X worker type provides 16 GB of memory per worker. An OutOfMemoryError indicates that the job's memory requirements exceed this limit. Upgrading to G.2X doubles the memory per worker to 32 GB, directly addressing the memory shortage without changing the parallelism or incurring the overhead of additional workers.
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.
✓
Change the worker type from G.1X to G.2X
Why this is correct
G.2X provides 2x the memory of G.1X, directly addressing the OutOfMemoryError.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Increase the number of workers to 20
Why it's wrong here
Adding workers distributes the load but does not increase memory per worker; the job still runs out of memory on individual executors.
✗
Change the worker type from G.1X to G.8X
Why it's wrong here
G.8X provides 8x memory but is overkill and more expensive; G.2X is sufficient and cost-effective.
✗
Enable the Spark UI to monitor memory and tune the job
Why it's wrong here
Monitoring helps diagnose but does not fix the memory shortage; action is still needed.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates might think adding more workers (Option B) solves memory issues, but OutOfMemoryError is per-worker, not a cluster-wide shortage, so increasing parallelism does not fix the root cause.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS Glue worker types define the compute and memory allocation per worker: G.1X has 4 vCPUs and 16 GB memory, G.2X has 8 vCPUs and 32 GB memory. The OutOfMemoryError typically occurs when transformations or data shuffles exceed the executor memory limit, which is tied to the worker's memory. In real-world scenarios, upgrading to G.2X is a common first step before tuning Spark memory parameters like spark.executor.memory.
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.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Data Operations and Support — This question tests Data Operations and Support — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Change the worker type from G.1X to G.2X — The G.1X worker type provides 16 GB of memory per worker. An OutOfMemoryError indicates that the job's memory requirements exceed this limit. Upgrading to G.2X doubles the memory per worker to 32 GB, directly addressing the memory shortage without changing the parallelism or incurring the overhead of additional workers.
What should I do if I get this DEA-C01 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: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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