Question 498 of 1,672
MLS-C01 Practice Question: Machine Learning Implementation and Operations
A data scientist is training a model using Amazon SageMaker and notices that training is taking much longer than expected. The training job uses a single ml.p3.2xlarge instance. The data is stored in S3 and is about 50 GB in size. Which action would MOST likely reduce training time?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers assume upgrading to a larger instance (Option C) is the default solution for slow training, overlooking that the bottleneck is data ingestion (File mode download) rather than compute, and that Pipe mode is a cost-effective alternative that directly addresses the I/O bottleneck.
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
✓
Change the input mode from File to Pipe.
Changing the input mode from File to Pipe reduces training time by streaming data directly from S3 to the training algorithm without first downloading it to the local disk. In File mode, SageMaker first downloads the entire 50 GB dataset to the instance's Amazon EBS volume, which adds significant I/O latency and storage overhead. Pipe mode uses a Linux FIFO (named pipe) to feed data on-the-fly, eliminating the download step and allowing the GPU to start processing sooner.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Enable automatic data sharding in the SageMaker training job.
Why it's wrong here
Automatic data sharding does not exist; SageMaker uses a single data channel by default.
- ✗
Enable S3 server-side encryption on the training data.
Why it's wrong here
Encryption does not affect training speed.
- ✗
Use a larger instance type, such as ml.p3.16xlarge.
Why it's wrong here
While larger instances have more compute, the bottleneck is likely data loading, not compute capacity.
- ✓
Change the input mode from File to Pipe.
Why this is correct
Pipe mode streams data directly from S3, reducing I/O time.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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.
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