A company runs a steady inventory API on AWS Fargate and AWS Lambda during the day, plus a nightly batch render farm on EC2 that can be interrupted and retried. The finance team wants the lowest predictable discount for the always-on compute and the lowest possible cost for the batch jobs. Which two purchasing choices should the architect recommend? Select two.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
Best answer
Purchase a Compute Savings Plan for the steady Fargate and Lambda usage.
Compute Savings Plans apply across EC2, Fargate, Lambda, and other supported compute services, so they fit steady mixed compute well.
Distractor review
Purchase Standard Reserved Instances for the steady Fargate and Lambda usage.
Standard Reserved Instances are narrower and do not cover Lambda or Fargate usage, so they are too inflexible here.
Best answer
Run the batch render farm on Spot Instances.
Spot Instances are ideal for interruptible workloads that can tolerate eviction and restart, which lowers the batch cost substantially.
Distractor review
Use On-Demand Instances for the batch render farm to avoid interruptions.
On-Demand avoids interruptions, but it does not provide the cost savings the scenario asks for on a fault-tolerant batch fleet.
Distractor review
Move the render farm to Dedicated Hosts to improve price predictability.
Dedicated Hosts are for isolation and licensing controls, not for minimizing cost on an interruptible batch workload.
Common exam trap
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.
Technical deep dive
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.
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More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
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Question 2
A team wants to run containerized services with AWS-managed orchestration and autoscaling. They do NOT require Kubernetes compatibility. Which AWS service choice is most appropriate to meet these goals?
Question 3
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Question 4
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Question 5
A team wants to delegate IAM management to developers, but must ensure developers can never grant themselves permissions beyond a specific limit. Which AWS mechanism best matches this requirement?
Question 6
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAA-C03 question test?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Purchase a Compute Savings Plan for the steady Fargate and Lambda usage. — Compute Savings Plans are the best fit for the steady always-on application because they discount broad compute usage across Fargate and Lambda, which is more flexible than instance-specific commitments. Spot Instances are the best fit for the render farm because the job is explicitly interruptible and can be retried. Together, they reduce cost without overcommitting to the wrong pricing model or paying On-Demand rates for predictable usage. Why others are wrong: Standard Reserved Instances only help when the workload stays on a specific EC2 configuration, and they do not cover Fargate or Lambda. On-Demand is operationally simple but leaves significant savings on the table. Dedicated Hosts address tenancy and licensing requirements, not cost optimization for an interruptible batch fleet.
What should I do if I get this SAA-C03 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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