- A
Change the storage type to Provisioned IOPS (io1) with the same IOPS.
Why wrong: While io1 provides consistent IOPS, the question specifies gp2. Changing to io1 would require additional cost but could help, but the most effective immediate action without changing storage type is to increase gp2 storage size.
- B
Increase the allocated storage to 1,000 GB to increase baseline IOPS.
For gp2 volumes, baseline IOPS is 3 per GB, up to 16,000 IOPS. Increasing storage size increases baseline IOPS and burst balance duration, reducing write latency.
- C
Add a read replica to distribute read traffic.
Why wrong: Read replicas handle read-only traffic and do not reduce write load on the primary instance.
- D
Enable Multi-AZ deployment to offload writes to a standby instance.
Why wrong: Multi-AZ provides high availability and automated failover, but does not improve write performance; writes still go to the primary instance.
DBS-C01 Management and Operations Practice Question
This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of management and operations. 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's Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL instance is experiencing high CPU utilization. The DB instance is a db.r5.xlarge with 500 GB of General Purpose SSD (gp2) storage. The application team reports that write-intensive batch jobs are causing latency. The DBA notices that the ReadIOPS metric is low but WriteIOPS is consistently near the instance's maximum. Which action would most effectively reduce write latency?
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
Increase the allocated storage to 1,000 GB to increase baseline IOPS.
The correct answer is B because increasing the allocated storage for a gp2 volume from 500 GB to 1,000 GB doubles the baseline IOPS from 1,500 to 3,000 (gp2 baseline is 3 IOPS per GB). Since the write-intensive workload is hitting the maximum IOPS of the current volume, this increase directly raises the IOPS ceiling, reducing write latency without changing storage type.
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 storage type to Provisioned IOPS (io1) with the same IOPS.
Why it's wrong here
While io1 provides consistent IOPS, the question specifies gp2. Changing to io1 would require additional cost but could help, but the most effective immediate action without changing storage type is to increase gp2 storage size.
- ✓
Increase the allocated storage to 1,000 GB to increase baseline IOPS.
Why this is correct
For gp2 volumes, baseline IOPS is 3 per GB, up to 16,000 IOPS. Increasing storage size increases baseline IOPS and burst balance duration, reducing write latency.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Add a read replica to distribute read traffic.
Why it's wrong here
Read replicas handle read-only traffic and do not reduce write load on the primary instance.
- ✗
Enable Multi-AZ deployment to offload writes to a standby instance.
Why it's wrong here
Multi-AZ provides high availability and automated failover, but does not improve write performance; writes still go to the primary instance.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume Provisioned IOPS (io1) is always the answer for high IOPS workloads, but the question specifies that WriteIOPS is 'consistently near the instance's maximum' — increasing gp2 storage is a simpler, cost-effective way to raise the IOPS ceiling without changing storage type.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, gp2 volumes have a baseline of 3 IOPS per GB and can burst up to 3,000 IOPS for volumes up to 1,000 GB using I/O credits. At 500 GB, the baseline is 1,500 IOPS, and if the write workload consistently exceeds this, the volume depletes its burst credits, causing throttling and increased latency. Increasing to 1,000 GB raises the baseline to 3,000 IOPS, eliminating the need for bursting and providing sustained performance for write-heavy batch jobs.
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.
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Management and Operations — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DBS-C01 question test?
Management and Operations — This question tests Management and Operations — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Increase the allocated storage to 1,000 GB to increase baseline IOPS. — The correct answer is B because increasing the allocated storage for a gp2 volume from 500 GB to 1,000 GB doubles the baseline IOPS from 1,500 to 3,000 (gp2 baseline is 3 IOPS per GB). Since the write-intensive workload is hitting the maximum IOPS of the current volume, this increase directly raises the IOPS ceiling, reducing write latency without changing storage type.
What should I do if I get this DBS-C01 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 DBS-C01 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 DBS-C01 exam.
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