The answer is to review the EC2 instance’s CloudWatch metrics for CPU credit balance and network utilization. This is the most efficient initial step because CloudWatch metrics provide the historical data needed to identify whether the high CPU stems from exhausted CPU credits on a burstable instance or from a traffic spike visible in network utilization, directly addressing the root cause before taking any action. On the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02 exam, this question tests your ability to prioritize diagnostic data over reactive fixes—a common trap is jumping to scale out or resize instances without first analyzing the metrics, which wastes time and resources. Remember the memory tip: “Check credits and traffic before you panic and resize.”
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 receives a CloudWatch alarm indicating that an EC2 instance's CPU utilization has exceeded 90% for 10 minutes. The instance is part of an Auto Scaling group behind an Application Load Balancer. What is the MOST efficient initial step to troubleshoot the high CPU usage?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Review the EC2 instance's CloudWatch metrics for CPU credit balance and network utilization.
Option C is correct because CloudWatch metrics provide historical data to identify the root cause. Option A is wrong because no alarm exists for HTTP 5xx. Option B is wrong because scaling has not yet occurred. Option D is wrong because increasing instance size does not address the cause.
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.
✓
Review the EC2 instance's CloudWatch metrics for CPU credit balance and network utilization.
Why this is correct
This helps identify resource contention.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Modify the Auto Scaling group to use a larger instance type.
Why it's wrong here
This is a long-term fix, not initial troubleshooting.
✗
Check the ALB's HTTP 5xx error rate metric for the target group.
Why it's wrong here
This checks for application errors, not CPU usage.
✗
Immediately increase the desired capacity of the Auto Scaling group.
Why it's wrong here
This reacts without diagnosing the cause.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
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
How to think about this question
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.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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 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
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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.
Incident and Event Response — This question tests Incident and Event Response — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Review the EC2 instance's CloudWatch metrics for CPU credit balance and network utilization. — Option C is correct because CloudWatch metrics provide historical data to identify the root cause. Option A is wrong because no alarm exists for HTTP 5xx. Option B is wrong because scaling has not yet occurred. Option D is wrong because increasing instance size does not address the cause.
What should I do if I get this DOP-C02 question wrong?
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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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
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