Quick Answer
The answer is to examine ReadIOPS and WriteIOPS with high Average Queue Depth, as these two metrics directly reveal an I/O bottleneck when RDS slow performance metrics CPU and IOPS are involved. High CPU utilization can certainly slow queries, but the core issue with IOPS bottlenecks is that the instance’s provisioned IOPS limit is being saturated, causing requests to queue up and latency to spike. On the AWS Certified Developer Associate DVA-C02 exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish between CPU-bound and I/O-bound scenarios—a common trap is to focus only on CPU or memory, forgetting that high queue depth with elevated IOPS is the definitive sign of an I/O bottleneck. Remember the mnemonic “IOPS Queue = I/O Squeeze” to recall that when both IOPS and queue depth are high, the database is waiting on storage, not compute.
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-running Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL instance. Which TWO metrics should the developer examine in Amazon CloudWatch to identify a possible resource bottleneck?
CPUUtilization
High CPU indicates CPU bottleneck.
ReadIOPS and WriteIOPS with high Average Queue Depth
High IOPS with queue depth indicates I/O bottleneck.
FreeableMemory
Why wrong: Low free memory may not directly cause slowness unless swapping.
NetworkThroughput
Why wrong: Network is rarely a bottleneck for RDS.
DatabaseConnections
Why wrong: Unless max connections reached, this is not a bottleneck.
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
Option A is correct because high CPU utilization can cause slow queries. Option C is correct because high Read/Write IOPS with high latency indicates an I/O bottleneck. Option B is wrong because Freeable Memory is less directly indicative of a bottleneck. Option D is wrong because DatabaseConnections does not directly indicate a bottleneck unless maxed out. Option E is wrong because NetworkThroughput is rarely a bottleneck 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.
CPUUtilization
Why this is correct
High CPU indicates CPU bottleneck.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
ReadIOPS and WriteIOPS with high Average Queue Depth
Why this is correct
High IOPS with queue depth indicates I/O bottleneck.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
FreeableMemory
Why it's wrong here
Low free memory may not directly cause slowness unless swapping.
NetworkThroughput
Why it's wrong here
Network is rarely a bottleneck for RDS.
DatabaseConnections
Why it's wrong here
Unless max connections reached, this is not a bottleneck.
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 healthcare organisation deploys an application with a public-facing web tier and a private database tier. The database subnet has no public IP and only accepts connections from the web tier's security group. Questions like this test whether you can design cloud network isolation using VNets/VPCs, subnets, and security group rules.
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 — Option A is correct because high CPU utilization can cause slow queries. Option C is correct because high Read/Write IOPS with high latency indicates an I/O bottleneck. Option B is wrong because Freeable Memory is less directly indicative of a bottleneck. Option D is wrong because DatabaseConnections does not directly indicate a bottleneck unless maxed out. Option E is wrong because NetworkThroughput is rarely a bottleneck 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.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A developer is troubleshooting a slow RDS MySQL instance. Which TWO metrics in Amazon CloudWatch should the developer examine first?
easyWhy C: 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.
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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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