The answer is the default health check replacement. This is correct because when an Auto Scaling group is configured with an Application Load Balancer, the default health check replacement mechanism automatically terminates and replaces any instance that fails the ELB health check, ensuring the group maintains only healthy instances without requiring a separate scaling policy. On the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02 exam, this concept tests your understanding of the distinction between health-based instance replacement and metric-based scaling actions—a common trap is confusing health check replacement with target tracking or step scaling policies, which adjust capacity based on CloudWatch metrics like CPU or request count, not instance health. Remember this memory tip: health checks replace, metrics scale; if an instance fails the heartbeat, the default swap does its part.
DOP-C02 Incident and Event Response Practice Question
This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of incident and event response. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 team is configuring an Auto Scaling group for a web application behind an Application Load Balancer. The team wants to automatically replace instances that fail the health check. Which scaling policy should be used?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Default health check replacement
Option A is correct because the default health check replacement automatically replaces unhealthy instances. Option B is wrong because manual scaling does not automate replacement. Option C is wrong because target tracking policies adjust based on metrics, not health. Option D is wrong because step scaling policies adjust based on metric thresholds, not health.
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.
✗
Target tracking scaling policy
Why it's wrong here
Target tracking adjusts capacity based on a metric like CPU, not health.
✓
Default health check replacement
Why this is correct
Auto Scaling automatically terminates unhealthy instances and launches new ones based on the health check configuration.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Step scaling policy
Why it's wrong here
Step scaling adjusts based on metric thresholds, not health status.
✗
Manual scaling
Why it's wrong here
Manual scaling requires human intervention to replace instances.
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 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
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: Default health check replacement — Option A is correct because the default health check replacement automatically replaces unhealthy instances. Option B is wrong because manual scaling does not automate replacement. Option C is wrong because target tracking policies adjust based on metrics, not health. Option D is wrong because step scaling policies adjust based on metric thresholds, not health.
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.
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.