This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of troubleshooting and optimization. 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 developer is troubleshooting a slow RDS MySQL instance. Which TWO metrics in Amazon CloudWatch should the developer examine first?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "first"
Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
NetworkReceiveThroughput
Why wrong: Network throughput is not a primary indicator.
SwapUsage
Why wrong: Swap usage is not a standard RDS metric.
CPUUtilization
High CPU indicates a problem.
FreeStorageSpace
Why wrong: Storage space does not directly affect latency.
ReadLatency
High latency indicates slow queries.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
CPUUtilization
Options A and E are correct because high CPU and high ReadLatency are common indicators of database performance issues. Option B is wrong because FreeStorageSpace is for storage capacity, not performance. Option C is wrong because NetworkReceiveThroughput is for network. Option D is wrong because SwapUsage is less common for RDS.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
NetworkReceiveThroughput
Why it's wrong here
Network throughput is not a primary indicator.
SwapUsage
Why it's wrong here
Swap usage is not a standard RDS metric.
CPUUtilization
Why this is correct
High CPU indicates a problem.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
FreeStorageSpace
Why it's wrong here
Storage space does not directly affect latency.
ReadLatency
Why this is correct
High latency indicates slow queries.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
Identify which DVA-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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FAQ
Troubleshooting and Optimization — This question tests Troubleshooting and Optimization — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: CPUUtilization — Options A and E are correct because high CPU and high ReadLatency are common indicators of database performance issues. Option B is wrong because FreeStorageSpace is for storage capacity, not performance. Option C is wrong because NetworkReceiveThroughput is for network. Option D is wrong because SwapUsage is less common for RDS.
Identify which DVA-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Yes — watch for: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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.
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