Question 1easymultiple choice
Full question →easymultiple choiceObjective-mapped
A company runs EC2 workloads in one region with somewhat steady overall demand. Over time, the team frequently changes instance families (for performance/optimization) and sometimes changes instance size, but wants predictable cost discounts. Which purchase option provides the best balance of cost savings and flexibility?
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.
A
Distractor review
Standard Reserved Instances for a specific instance family and size only.
Standard Reserved Instances are more restrictive. If the team frequently changes instance families and/or sizes, the instance that is actually used may fall outside the reservation scope, reducing how much of the usage receives the discount.
B
Best answer
Savings Plans (Compute Savings Plans), scoped for flexible EC2 usage in the region.
Compute Savings Plans provide discounted pricing for steady usage while allowing flexibility across instance families, OS, and sizes within the selected scope (for example, region). That matches the scenario: demand is steady enough for discounts, but the underlying instance type choices change frequently to meet performance needs.
C
Distractor review
Spot Instances for all workloads, assuming interruptions will never happen.
Spot can significantly reduce costs, but interruptions can happen at any time. The scenario does not state that all workloads can tolerate interruptions, and assuming interruptions “will never happen” is not a reliable design assumption. Also, Spot is not selected here because the team specifically asks for predictable cost discounts with flexibility, not interruption tolerance design.
D
Distractor review
On-Demand only, because it avoids the complexity of purchase option scopes.
On-Demand provides no commitment-based discount. If the requirement includes predictable cost savings, On-Demand alone does not meet that goal.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
- Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
- NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
- Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
- Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
- Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAA-C03 question test?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Savings Plans (Compute Savings Plans), scoped for flexible EC2 usage in the region. — Compute Savings Plans best match the combination of (1) steady demand that supports committing to discounted usage and (2) flexibility to change instance families and sizes over time. Savings Plans apply discounts based on usage within the scope (commonly the region) rather than requiring one exact instance family/size pairing. Standard Reserved Instances are typically too rigid for frequently changing instance families, and Spot or On-Demand do not align with the stated need for predictable discounts without relying on interruption tolerance. A is too constrained; frequently changing instance families/sizes can reduce the discount coverage of Standard RIs. C is not appropriate because it assumes interruptions won’t occur and because Spot is primarily beneficial when interruption-tolerant design is acceptable. D provides no cost discount commitment, so it fails the requirement for predictable savings.
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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