The answer is to create a CloudWatch alarm for the CPUUtilization metric, define an Application Auto Scaling target tracking scaling policy, and register the ECS Fargate service as a scalable target. This combination works because the CloudWatch alarm monitors the average CPU utilization of your service, and when it breaches the threshold, it triggers the scaling policy to adjust the desired task count—this is the core mechanism for ECS Fargate auto scaling CPU utilization. On the AWS Certified Developer Associate DVA-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding that scaling requires both a metric alarm and a policy; a common trap is thinking you can set a scaling policy without an alarm, but the alarm is the trigger that makes the policy actionable. Remember the three-step chain: Target (register the service) → Policy (set target CPU) → Alarm (monitor and trigger). For a memory tip, think “TAP” into scaling: Target, Alarm, Policy.
DVA-C02 Deployment Practice Question
This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of deployment. 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 is deploying a containerized application on Amazon ECS using AWS Fargate. The application needs to handle variable traffic. The developer wants to set up automatic scaling based on CPU utilization. Which THREE steps are required to achieve this? (Choose three.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create a CloudWatch alarm for CPUUtilization metric.
Option B is correct because a CloudWatch alarm for the CPUUtilization metric is required to trigger the scaling action. This alarm monitors the average CPU utilization of the ECS service and, when breached, invokes the Application Auto Scaling policy to adjust the desired count. Without this alarm, the scaling policy has no trigger to act upon.
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.
✗
Update the ECS service to set the desired count to a static value.
Why it's wrong here
Auto scaling adjusts the desired count dynamically.
✓
Create a CloudWatch alarm for CPUUtilization metric.
Why this is correct
The alarm triggers the scaling policy.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Define a task definition with CPU and memory limits.
Why it's wrong here
Task definition is required but not part of scaling setup.
✓
Register the ECS service as a scalable target with Application Auto Scaling.
Why this is correct
This enables auto scaling for the service.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Create a scaling policy that specifies the target CPU utilization.
Why this is correct
The policy defines how to scale.
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 often confuse the prerequisite task definition (which is always needed for any ECS service) with a scaling-specific step, or they mistakenly think setting a static desired count is part of scaling configuration, when in fact it must be dynamic and managed by the scaling policy.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Application Auto Scaling uses a target tracking scaling policy that continuously adjusts the desired count to maintain a specified target CPU utilization (e.g., 70%). The CloudWatch alarm is automatically created by the scaling policy when using target tracking, but in custom step scaling, you must create the alarm manually. Under the hood, the ECS service scheduler works with the Application Auto Scaling service to register the service as a scalable target, enabling the scaling policy to modify the desired count via the ECS UpdateService API.
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.
Deployment — This question tests Deployment — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create a CloudWatch alarm for CPUUtilization metric. — Option B is correct because a CloudWatch alarm for the CPUUtilization metric is required to trigger the scaling action. This alarm monitors the average CPU utilization of the ECS service and, when breached, invokes the Application Auto Scaling policy to adjust the desired count. Without this alarm, the scaling policy has no trigger to act upon.
What should I do if I get this DVA-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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This DVA-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 DVA-C02 exam.
Question Discussion
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