SAA-C03 Design High-Performing Architectures Practice Question
A company is migrating a compute-intensive web application to AWS. The application requires high CPU performance and needs to scale automatically based on demand. Which EC2 instance family and scaling feature should the architect choose to ensure optimal performance?
⚠ Common exam trap
SAA-C03 often tests the confusion between instance families — candidates may pick T-family for 'cost savings' or R-family for 'performance' without recognizing that compute-intensive means CPU-optimized C-family.
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
✓
C-family instances with a dynamic scaling policy.
C-family instances are compute-optimized, delivering the highest CPU performance per dollar for compute-intensive workloads, which matches the application's requirement. Pairing them with a dynamic scaling policy (target tracking or step scaling) lets the Auto Scaling group respond automatically to real-time demand changes. Together they satisfy both the performance and elasticity requirements.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
T-family instances with a standard Auto Scaling group.
Why it's wrong here
T-family instances are burstable general-purpose instances intended for workloads with low baseline CPU usage that occasionally need to burst. For a consistently compute-intensive application, these instances might run out of CPU credits, leading to throttled performance. They are not suitable for high-performance, compute-bound workloads that require sustained high CPU levels.
- ✗
R-family instances with a scheduled scaling policy.
Why it's wrong here
R-family instances are memory-optimized and are best suited for memory-intensive applications like high-performance databases or distributed caches. While they provide high performance, they are not the most cost-effective or performant choice for compute-intensive tasks. Additionally, scheduled scaling is less effective than dynamic scaling for responding to unpredictable real-time demand.
- ✓
C-family instances with a dynamic scaling policy.
Why this is correct
C-family instances are compute-optimized and provide the highest ratio of CPU to memory, making them perfect for compute-intensive web applications. Combining these instances with a dynamic scaling policy allows the fleet to expand or contract based on actual CPU utilization. This ensures high performance during peak traffic while maintaining cost-efficiency during periods of low demand.
- ✗
M-family instances with manual scaling adjustments.
Why it's wrong here
M-family instances are general-purpose and provide a balance of compute, memory, and networking resources. While versatile, they are not specifically optimized for compute-heavy tasks compared to the C-family. Manual scaling is also inefficient for web applications with fluctuating traffic, as it cannot respond rapidly enough to ensure consistent performance for users.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Amazon Web Services exam blueprint
This SAA-C03 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 SAA-C03 exam.