The answer is to switch to a target tracking policy with a 50% CPU target. This directly resolves the oscillation because a target tracking policy continuously adjusts the desired capacity to maintain a steady metric value, unlike the current dynamic policy that relies on fixed, widely-spaced thresholds (70% out, 30% in) which create a dead zone where no action is taken until the metric drifts far from the midpoint. On the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how target tracking policies inherently smooth out scaling activity by using a single, continuous target rather than discrete alarm triggers, which is a common trap—many candidates mistakenly focus on cooldowns or disabling scale-in. The key insight is that oscillation often stems from a policy that is too reactive to extremes, not from timing issues. Memory tip: think of target tracking as a thermostat that keeps the room at 72°F, while threshold-based policies are like waiting until it hits 90°F to turn on AC and 50°F to turn on heat—guaranteed to cause wild swings.
DOP-C02 Incident and Event Response Practice Question
This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of incident and event response. 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 responsible for monitoring a production environment that uses Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling. The engineer notices that the Auto Scaling group has been launching and terminating instances frequently over the past hour. The group uses a dynamic scaling policy based on average CPU utilization. The CloudWatch alarm that triggers scaling is set to a threshold of 70% CPU for scale-out and 30% for scale-in. The engineer checks the CloudWatch metrics and sees that CPU utilization is oscillating between 40% and 60%, never reaching the thresholds. The engineer suspects that the scaling policy is not working correctly. The engineer is considering the following actions: A) Change the scaling policy to use a target tracking policy with a target value of 50% CPU utilization. B) Increase the cooldown period for the scaling policy to 300 seconds. C) Disable the scale-in policy to prevent frequent terminations. D) Use a simple scaling policy instead of a dynamic scaling policy. Which action should the engineer take?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "never"
Why it matters: Absolute qualifier. True only if the statement has zero exceptions — be cautious of options that seem obvious but break down in edge cases.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Change the scaling policy to use a target tracking policy with a target value of 50% CPU utilization.
Option A is correct because a target tracking policy automatically adjusts the desired capacity to maintain the target value, smoothing out oscillations. Option B is wrong because increasing cooldown may help but does not address the root cause of oscillations; target tracking is more effective. Option C is wrong because disabling scale-in could lead to over-provisioning. Option D is wrong because simple scaling policies are less responsive and can also cause oscillations.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Disable the scale-in policy to prevent frequent terminations.
Why it's wrong here
Would cause over-provisioning.
✓
Change the scaling policy to use a target tracking policy with a target value of 50% CPU utilization.
Why this is correct
Target tracking maintains a steady CPU level, reducing oscillations.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "never" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
✗
Use a simple scaling policy instead of a dynamic scaling policy.
Why it's wrong here
Simple scaling can also cause oscillations.
✗
Increase the cooldown period for the scaling policy to 300 seconds.
Why it's wrong here
May help but not as effective as target tracking.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
→Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
→Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
→Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
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.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related DOP-C02 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Incident and Event Response — This question tests Incident and Event Response — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Change the scaling policy to use a target tracking policy with a target value of 50% CPU utilization. — Option A is correct because a target tracking policy automatically adjusts the desired capacity to maintain the target value, smoothing out oscillations. Option B is wrong because increasing cooldown may help but does not address the root cause of oscillations; target tracking is more effective. Option C is wrong because disabling scale-in could lead to over-provisioning. Option D is wrong because simple scaling policies are less responsive and can also cause oscillations.
What should I do if I get this DOP-C02 question wrong?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related DOP-C02 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "never". Absolute qualifier. True only if the statement has zero exceptions — be cautious of options that seem obvious but break down in edge cases.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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 →
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.
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.