The answer is to increase the number of DPUs (Data Processing Units) for the job. This is the most effective action because AWS Glue allocates DPUs to parallelize data processing across multiple executors, directly reducing job duration without requiring any code changes. On the AWS Certified Machine Learning Specialty MLS-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding of Glue’s resource model versus EC2-based services—a common trap is confusing DPUs with instance types, but Glue abstracts compute into DPUs, not virtual machines. Remember that while changing data formats or enabling job bookmarks can optimize efficiency, only increasing DPUs provides immediate parallelization for existing sequential jobs. A useful memory tip: think of DPUs as “Data Parallel Units”—more units mean more parallel workers, so when a Glue job runs too long, just dial up the DPUs.
MLS-C01 Data Engineering Practice Question
This MLS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data engineering. 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 company is using AWS Glue ETL jobs to process data stored in Amazon S3. The jobs currently run sequentially and take too long. The data engineer wants to reduce job duration without rewriting the code. Which action is most effective?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Increase the number of DPUs (Data Processing Units) for the job
Increasing the number of DPUs (Data Processing Units) allocated to the Glue job can parallelize the processing and reduce runtime without code changes. Option A (changing to a larger instance type) is not applicable because Glue uses DPUs, not EC2 instances. Option B (using a different data format) may help but is not a direct solution for parallelization. Option D (enabling job bookmarks) helps with incremental processing but does not speed up the existing job.
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.
✗
Change the underlying EC2 instance type to a compute-optimized instance
Why it's wrong here
AWS Glue does not expose underlying EC2 instances; it uses DPUs.
✓
Increase the number of DPUs (Data Processing Units) for the job
Why this is correct
More DPUs allow parallel execution, reducing job duration.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Convert the data from CSV to Parquet format
Why it's wrong here
Parquet can improve performance but requires code changes and does not inherently parallelize the job.
✗
Enable job bookmarks to skip already processed data
Why it's wrong here
Job bookmarks are for incremental processing, not for speeding up a full batch job.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which MLS-C01 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.
Data Engineering — This question tests Data Engineering — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Increase the number of DPUs (Data Processing Units) for the job — Increasing the number of DPUs (Data Processing Units) allocated to the Glue job can parallelize the processing and reduce runtime without code changes. Option A (changing to a larger instance type) is not applicable because Glue uses DPUs, not EC2 instances. Option B (using a different data format) may help but is not a direct solution for parallelization. Option D (enabling job bookmarks) helps with incremental processing but does not speed up the existing job.
What should I do if I get this MLS-C01 question wrong?
Identify which MLS-C01 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 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.
Question Discussion
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