MLS-C01 Modeling Practice Question
A company is deploying a model for real-time inference with SageMaker. The endpoint receives spiky traffic, with occasional bursts of 10x normal load. Which scaling policy is MOST cost-effective while maintaining availability?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently assume target tracking (Option D) is always optimal for cost, but it fails for spiky traffic because it reacts to post-burst metrics like latency, not preemptively scaling for sudden load changes.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use a combination of scheduled scaling for predictable peaks and simple scaling for additional bursts.
It combines scheduled scaling for predictable traffic patterns (e.g., known peak hours) with simple scaling to handle unexpected bursts, ensuring availability during 10x load spikes without over-provisioning. This hybrid approach is more cost-effective than always-on large instances, as it dynamically adjusts capacity only when needed, aligning with SageMaker's automatic scaling capabilities.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Provision a large instance type that can handle the peak load at all times.
Why it's wrong here
This is wasteful during low traffic periods.
- ✗
Manually scale the endpoint based on historical traffic patterns.
Why it's wrong here
Manual scaling is not automated and may miss spikes.
- ✓
Use a combination of scheduled scaling for predictable peaks and simple scaling for additional bursts.
Why this is correct
Scheduled scaling handles known patterns, while simple scaling provides reactive capacity for bursts.
- ✗
Use a target tracking scaling policy based on average latency.
Why it's wrong here
Target tracking may not respond quickly enough to sudden bursts.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This MLS-C01 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 MLS-C01 exam.