The answer is adding Aurora Replicas and enabling Aurora Auto Scaling, as these two methods directly reduce read latency for an Amazon Aurora MySQL database. Aurora Replicas offload read traffic from the primary instance by serving read-only queries in parallel, which reduces contention and allows the primary to focus on writes, thereby lowering overall read latency. Aurora Auto Scaling complements this by automatically adjusting the number of replicas based on real-time workload changes, ensuring that read capacity scales with demand without manual intervention. On the AWS Certified Database Specialty DBS-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding of Aurora’s distributed architecture and its separation of read and write paths; a common trap is confusing read replicas in standard MySQL with Aurora Replicas, which share the same underlying storage and offer near-zero replica lag. Remember the mnemonic “RAS” for Replicas and Auto Scaling—both work together to keep read latency low under variable load.
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.
Which TWO methods can be used to reduce the read latency for an Amazon Aurora MySQL database? (Choose 2.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use Aurora Auto Scaling to add replica capacity based on load
Option B is correct because Aurora Auto Scaling automatically adjusts the number of Aurora Replicas in response to changes in read workload, thereby reducing read latency by distributing read traffic across additional replicas. Option E is correct because adding Aurora Replicas offloads read queries from the primary instance, allowing parallel processing of read requests and reducing contention, which directly lowers read latency.
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.
✗
Enable encryption at rest
Why it's wrong here
Encryption has minimal impact on latency and is for security.
✓
Use Aurora Auto Scaling to add replica capacity based on load
Why this is correct
Auto Scaling ensures sufficient replicas to handle read traffic.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Increase the write capacity of the DB instance
Why it's wrong here
Write capacity does not affect read latency.
✗
Enable Amazon ElastiCache in front of the database
Why it's wrong here
This caches data, reducing database reads but not database read latency directly.
✓
Add Aurora Replicas to offload read traffic
Why this is correct
Aurora Replicas handle read queries, reducing load on the primary.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse write scaling (Option C) with read scaling, or assume that encryption (Option A) or external caching (Option D) are native Aurora methods, when the exam expects knowledge of Aurora-specific read scaling features like Aurora Replicas and Auto Scaling.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Aurora Auto Scaling uses a target-tracking scaling policy based on the average CPU utilization or the average number of connections of the Aurora Replicas, automatically adding replicas when the metric exceeds the threshold. Aurora Replicas share the same underlying storage volume as the primary instance, so they can serve read traffic with minimal lag (typically under 100 ms) and support up to 15 replicas, providing near-linear read scaling. In a real-world scenario, a sudden spike in read-heavy queries (e.g., from a reporting dashboard) can be absorbed by Auto Scaling without manual intervention, maintaining low latency.
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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
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.
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: Use Aurora Auto Scaling to add replica capacity based on load — Option B is correct because Aurora Auto Scaling automatically adjusts the number of Aurora Replicas in response to changes in read workload, thereby reducing read latency by distributing read traffic across additional replicas. Option E is correct because adding Aurora Replicas offloads read queries from the primary instance, allowing parallel processing of read requests and reducing contention, which directly lowers read latency.
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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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.
Question Discussion
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