A web application uses an Amazon Aurora DB cluster for a read-heavy workload. The application team needs higher read throughput but cannot change the database schema. They want to avoid blocking writes and are willing to route read traffic separately. What is the most appropriate architecture change?

Scale up the writer instance storage only; read capacity will automatically increase without using a reader endpoint.

Increasing storage does not directly provide extra read compute capacity. Read replicas are what scale reads.

Move the Aurora cluster to Multi-AZ deployment mode only; read scaling is handled automatically without replicas.

Multi-AZ primarily supports high availability. Additional read throughput typically requires reader replicas.

Replace the cluster with a single RDS instance because it offers consistent performance for both reads and writes.

Switching to a single instance removes the ability to scale reads separately and does not match the requirement.

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: Create Aurora read replicas and route SELECT queries to an Aurora reader endpoint. — Aurora read replicas provide additional database compute endpoints for read operations without forcing writes onto the same resource. By creating read replicas and routing SELECT operations to the Aurora reader endpoint (or using the appropriate reader endpoint connection), you distribute read load and reduce contention on the writer. This improves read throughput while avoiding schema changes. Scaling storage alone or relying solely on Multi-AZ does not add read capacity; it focuses on durability and availability. Replacing Aurora with a single RDS instance undermines the separation of read and write workloads. Scaling storage can help with space and some I/O patterns, but it does not multiply read compute capacity for heavy SELECT traffic. Multi-AZ configuration improves availability but doesn’t automatically distribute read workload across multiple reader compute nodes. Replacing the cluster with single-instance RDS removes the architectural ability to scale reads independently, making it inconsistent with the stated constraints and goals.

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.