MLS-C01 Modeling Practice Question
A company uses Amazon SageMaker to deploy a model for real-time inference. The endpoint uses an ml.m5.large instance with automatic scaling based on CPU utilization. The team notices that during traffic spikes, the endpoint returns 5xx errors. What should the team do to improve the endpoint's availability?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse auto-scaling configuration (cooldown periods, thresholds) with raw capacity planning, assuming that tuning scaling parameters alone can handle sudden spikes, when in fact the instance must have enough headroom to survive the scaling latency.
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
✓
Increase the instance type to ml.c5.2xlarge.
Upgrading the instance type from ml.m5.large to ml.c5.2xlarge provides more CPU and memory resources, which directly addresses the root cause of 5xx errors during traffic spikes — insufficient compute capacity to handle the request load. Automatic scaling based on CPU utilization may not react quickly enough to sudden spikes, leading to request queuing and timeouts that manifest as 5xx errors. A larger instance type increases the baseline throughput, reducing the likelihood of resource exhaustion before scaling can take effect.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Increase the instance type to ml.c5.2xlarge.
Why this is correct
Larger instance type provides more capacity.
- ✗
Reduce the scaling cooldown period.
Why it's wrong here
Reducing cooldown may not prevent 5xx errors during sudden spikes.
- ✗
Place an Application Load Balancer in front of the endpoint.
Why it's wrong here
SageMaker endpoints are not fronted by ALB.
- ✗
Use Amazon API Gateway to throttle requests.
Why it's wrong here
Throttling may drop requests, not improve availability.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
One of 1,672 original MLS-C01 practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
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.