- A
Monitor the ElastiCache cluster's CPU utilization and cache hit ratio in CloudWatch.
CPU utilization and cache hit ratio help identify performance bottlenecks.
- B
Enable Encryption in transit for the ElastiCache cluster.
Why wrong: Encryption addresses security, not performance.
- C
Scale the ElastiCache cluster by adding more nodes or using a larger node type.
Adding nodes or increasing node size improves performance under load.
- D
Review the application's cache key design and ensure that data is evenly distributed across shards.
Even distribution prevents hot shards and improves performance.
- E
Enable Multi-AZ replication for the ElastiCache cluster.
Why wrong: Multi-AZ provides failover, not performance improvement.
Question 1,194 of 1,616
How to Troubleshoot ElastiCache Performance: CPU, Scaling, and Cache Key Design
This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of development with aws services. 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 company is running a web application on Amazon EC2 instances behind an Application Load Balancer (ALB). The application uses Amazon ElastiCache for session state. Recently, users are experiencing intermittent session timeouts and slow page loads. The developer suspects the issue is related to the ElastiCache cluster. Which THREE actions should the developer take to troubleshoot and resolve the issue? (Choose THREE.)
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
✓
Monitor the ElastiCache cluster's CPU utilization and cache hit ratio in CloudWatch.
Option A is correct because monitoring CPU utilization and cache hit ratio in CloudWatch helps identify whether the ElastiCache cluster is under-provisioned or experiencing inefficient caching. High CPU utilization indicates the node is overloaded, while a low cache hit ratio suggests that the application is frequently missing the cache and falling back to the database, causing slow page loads and session timeouts.
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.
- ✓
Monitor the ElastiCache cluster's CPU utilization and cache hit ratio in CloudWatch.
Why this is correct
CPU utilization and cache hit ratio help identify performance bottlenecks.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Enable Encryption in transit for the ElastiCache cluster.
Why it's wrong here
Encryption addresses security, not performance.
- ✓
Scale the ElastiCache cluster by adding more nodes or using a larger node type.
Why this is correct
Adding nodes or increasing node size improves performance under load.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Review the application's cache key design and ensure that data is evenly distributed across shards.
Why this is correct
Even distribution prevents hot shards and improves performance.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Enable Multi-AZ replication for the ElastiCache cluster.
Why it's wrong here
Multi-AZ provides failover, not performance improvement.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse high-availability features like Multi-AZ replication or encryption with performance fixes, when in fact they address durability and security, not throughput or latency.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
ElastiCache for Redis uses a single-threaded event loop for command processing, so high CPU utilization directly impacts request latency. A low cache hit ratio (e.g., below 80%) forces the application to query the primary database more often, increasing response times. Scaling the cluster (Option C) adds more nodes or larger node types to distribute load, while reviewing cache key design (Option D) prevents hot keys and uneven shard distribution, which can cause localized performance bottlenecks.
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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DVA-C02 question test?
Development with AWS Services — This question tests Development with AWS Services — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Monitor the ElastiCache cluster's CPU utilization and cache hit ratio in CloudWatch. — Option A is correct because monitoring CPU utilization and cache hit ratio in CloudWatch helps identify whether the ElastiCache cluster is under-provisioned or experiencing inefficient caching. High CPU utilization indicates the node is overloaded, while a low cache hit ratio suggests that the application is frequently missing the cache and falling back to the database, causing slow page loads and session timeouts.
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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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 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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