The answer is that the provisioned write capacity is insufficient to handle the traffic spikes. This is the most likely cause because CloudWatch metrics show ConsumedWriteCapacityUnits consistently reaching the full 1000 WCU during specific hours, with WriteThrottleEvents spiking at those same times—a clear sign that demand is exceeding the table’s fixed capacity. Since the partition key is a UUID, it distributes writes evenly across partitions, ruling out a hot partition as the source of the DynamoDB write throttling. On the AWS Certified Developer Associate DVA-C02 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish between insufficient capacity and a hot key issue; a common trap is assuming a UUID always prevents throttling, but it cannot compensate for overall capacity limits. Remember the memory tip: “Full consumption plus throttling equals insufficient capacity, not a hot key.”
DVA-C02 Troubleshooting and Optimization Practice Question
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 DynamoDB table that is experiencing high write throttling (ProvisionedThroughputExceededException) on certain days. The table has provisioned write capacity of 1000 WCU. The table has a partition key of 'user_id' which is a UUID. The table is accessed by multiple services. CloudWatch metrics show that the WriteThrottleEvents are spiking during specific hours, and the ConsumedWriteCapacityUnits often reaches 1000. What is the most likely cause of the throttling?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The provisioned write capacity is insufficient to handle the traffic spikes.
The correct answer is B because the ConsumedWriteCapacityUnits consistently reaches the provisioned 1000 WCU during specific hours, and WriteThrottleEvents spike at those same times. This indicates that the provisioned capacity is insufficient to handle peak traffic, causing requests to be throttled. The partition key (UUID) is well-distributed, so a hot partition is unlikely.
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.
✗
The partition key is not distributed evenly, causing a hot partition.
Why it's wrong here
UUID as a partition key results in even distribution, so hot partitions are unlikely.
✓
The provisioned write capacity is insufficient to handle the traffic spikes.
Why this is correct
The consumed capacity is reaching the provisioned limit, causing throttling.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The table does not have DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX) enabled.
Why it's wrong here
DAX is a caching layer for reads, not writes, and does not resolve write throttling.
✗
The table is configured with eventual consistency, which throttles writes.
Why it's wrong here
Consistency settings affect reads only; write throttling is about capacity.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume throttling must be caused by a hot partition (Option A) when the partition key is not a UUID, but in this case the UUID ensures even distribution, so the real issue is simply insufficient capacity during traffic spikes.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
DynamoDB throttles writes when the consumed write capacity exceeds the provisioned WCU within a one-second window. Even with a well-distributed partition key, if the aggregate traffic spikes above 1000 WCU, throttling occurs. The WriteThrottleEvents metric confirms this, and the solution is to increase provisioned WCU or implement auto-scaling to handle peak loads.
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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
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.
Troubleshooting and Optimization — This question tests Troubleshooting and Optimization — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The provisioned write capacity is insufficient to handle the traffic spikes. — The correct answer is B because the ConsumedWriteCapacityUnits consistently reaches the provisioned 1000 WCU during specific hours, and WriteThrottleEvents spike at those same times. This indicates that the provisioned capacity is insufficient to handle peak traffic, causing requests to be throttled. The partition key (UUID) is well-distributed, so a hot partition is unlikely.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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