MLS-C01 Practice Question: Machine Learning Implementation and Operations
A company is running a real-time inference endpoint on Amazon SageMaker. The endpoint is using an ml.c5.xlarge instance. Over the past month, the CPU utilization has been consistently below 10%, and the latency is well within requirements. The company wants to reduce costs. What should they do?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates may overcomplicate the solution by considering advanced AWS features like multi-model endpoints or serverless inference, when the simplest and most effective fix is to right-size the instance based on the observed utilization metrics.
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 smaller instance type
The CPU utilization is consistently below 10%, indicating significant over-provisioning. Downgrading to a smaller instance type (e.g., ml.c5.large or ml.t3.medium) directly reduces the per-hour cost while still meeting the latency requirements. This is the most straightforward cost optimization when the current instance is underutilized and performance is already satisfactory.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Use a smaller instance type
Why this is correct
A smaller instance can reduce cost while meeting performance.
- ✗
Set up a scaling policy to scale down to zero
Why it's wrong here
Scaling to zero is not possible for real-time endpoints.
- ✗
Switch to a multi-model endpoint
Why it's wrong here
This adds complexity and may not reduce cost if only one model.
- ✗
Use a batch transform job instead
Why it's wrong here
Batch transform is not real-time.
- ✗
Move to a serverless inference endpoint
Why it's wrong here
Serverless may introduce cold start latency.
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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.