Quick Answer
The correct answer is ReadIOPS, along with CPUUtilization and MemoryUtilization from Enhanced Monitoring, as these three metrics directly reveal resource bottlenecks in CPU, memory, and disk I/O. Enhanced Monitoring provides OS-level metrics for Amazon RDS, allowing you to pinpoint whether a performance issue stems from resource exhaustion rather than database query inefficiency. On the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02 exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish between resource metrics (CPU, memory, disk I/O) and database-level metrics like connections or latency, which are common traps. Enhanced Monitoring metrics are collected from the hypervisor, giving you a true picture of instance resource pressure. A frequent mistake is confusing read latency or connection counts as resource metrics, but they indicate database behavior, not resource availability. Remember the mnemonic “CMD” for CPU, Memory, and Disk I/O—these three Enhanced Monitoring metrics are your go-to when identifying resource bottlenecks in RDS.
This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of monitoring and logging. 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 DevOps engineer is investigating a performance issue with an Amazon RDS for MySQL instance. The engineer has enabled Performance Insights and CloudWatch Enhanced Monitoring. Which THREE metrics should the engineer examine to identify whether the issue is due to a resource bottleneck? (Choose THREE.)
ReadLatency from CloudWatch.
Why wrong: Read latency is a performance metric, not a resource metric.
FreeableMemory from Enhanced Monitoring.
Indicates memory pressure.
CPUUtilization from Enhanced Monitoring.
Indicates CPU bottleneck.
ReadIOPS from Enhanced Monitoring.
High IOPS can indicate disk bottleneck.
DatabaseConnections from Enhanced Monitoring.
Why wrong: Not a resource metric; indicates number of connections.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
FreeableMemory from Enhanced Monitoring.
Options A, B, and C are correct. These metrics from Enhanced Monitoring help identify CPU, memory, and disk bottlenecks. Option D is incorrect because database connections is not a resource metric. Option E is incorrect because read latency is a database metric, not a resource metric.
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.
ReadLatency from CloudWatch.
Why it's wrong here
Read latency is a performance metric, not a resource metric.
FreeableMemory from Enhanced Monitoring.
Why this is correct
Indicates memory pressure.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
CPUUtilization from Enhanced Monitoring.
Why this is correct
Indicates CPU bottleneck.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
ReadIOPS from Enhanced Monitoring.
Why this is correct
High IOPS can indicate disk bottleneck.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
DatabaseConnections from Enhanced Monitoring.
Why it's wrong here
Not a resource metric; indicates number of connections.
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 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
Identify which DOP-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.
Monitoring and Logging — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
Monitoring and Logging practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
All DOP-C02 questions
1,740 questions across all exam domains
AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
DOP-C02 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to Configuration Management and IaC.
Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to Resilient Cloud Solutions.
Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to Monitoring and Logging.
Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to Incident and Event Response.
Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to Security and Compliance.
Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to SDLC Automation.
Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to DOP-C02 fundamentals.
Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to DOP-C02 scenario.
Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to DOP-C02 troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Monitoring and Logging — This question tests Monitoring and Logging — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: FreeableMemory from Enhanced Monitoring. — Options A, B, and C are correct. These metrics from Enhanced Monitoring help identify CPU, memory, and disk bottlenecks. Option D is incorrect because database connections is not a resource metric. Option E is incorrect because read latency is a database metric, not a resource metric.
Identify which DOP-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 DevOps engineer is setting up monitoring for an Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL instance. The engineer wants to track the number of active database connections over time to plan for scaling. Which approach should the engineer use?
mediumWhy A: Option B is correct. Enhanced Monitoring provides OS-level metrics including the number of database connections. Option A is incorrect because RDS event subscriptions are for events like failover, not metrics. Option C is incorrect because Performance Insights shows database load, not connection count. Option D is incorrect because CloudWatch Logs does not directly provide connection count metrics.
Variation 2. A DevOps engineer needs to monitor the memory utilization of an Amazon RDS for MySQL instance. Which AWS service should be used to collect and visualize this metric?
easyWhy C: Option C is correct because Enhanced Monitoring for RDS provides memory metrics (among others) and sends them to CloudWatch Logs, which can be visualized with CloudWatch dashboards. Option A is wrong because RDS does not expose memory utilization by default in CloudWatch; Enhanced Monitoring is required. Option B is wrong because Trusted Advisor does not collect instance-level metrics. Option D is wrong because Systems Manager is not the primary tool for RDS monitoring.
Keep practising
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
This DOP-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 DOP-C02 exam.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.