- A
Set appropriate Cache-Control headers (or origin cache settings) so CloudFront caches responses longer
Cache headers and TTL determine how long objects are kept in CloudFront’s edge caches. Longer caching for static assets increases the cache hit ratio, reducing how often requests must go back to the origin.
- B
Disable caching for the distribution so every request goes back to the origin
Why wrong: Disabling caching prevents CloudFront from serving cached responses, which increases origin fetch frequency and typically increases cost and latency.
- C
Configure CloudFront to forward all request headers and query strings to the origin
Why wrong: Forwarding headers/query strings increases the number of distinct cache keys, which lowers cache hit ratio and increases the number of cache misses and origin fetches.
- D
Move the S3 bucket to a different AWS Region, without changing CloudFront caching behavior
Why wrong: Changing the bucket region may affect latency, but it does not directly change cache key behavior or cache TTL. If CloudFront caching behavior is unchanged, it typically will not most directly reduce origin fetches.
Quick Answer
The correct answer is to set appropriate Cache-Control headers, such as max-age or s-maxage, to extend the cache duration at CloudFront’s edge locations. This works because CloudFront respects these origin headers to determine how long an object remains fresh in its cache; by increasing the max-age value, you directly reduce the frequency of origin fetches, as CloudFront will serve the cached copy for a longer period instead of revalidating with the origin for every request. On the SAA-C03 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how cache behavior interacts with bandwidth costs—a common trap is assuming that simply enabling CloudFront is enough, when in fact the origin must explicitly instruct CloudFront to cache via headers. A helpful memory tip is “longer max-age, fewer origin trips,” which ties the header value directly to the reduction in origin load and bandwidth expenses.
SAA-C03 Design Cost-Optimized Architectures Practice Question
This SAA-C03 practice question tests your understanding of design cost-optimized architectures. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
An application serves static images through Amazon CloudFront. The team observes higher-than-expected origin fetches, which increases origin bandwidth costs. Which change most directly improves CloudFront cache reuse to reduce origin requests for the static content?
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
Set appropriate Cache-Control headers (or origin cache settings) so CloudFront caches responses longer
Option A is correct because setting appropriate Cache-Control headers (e.g., max-age or s-maxage) or configuring origin cache settings tells CloudFront how long to keep objects in its edge cache before revalidating with the origin. By extending the cache duration, CloudFront serves more requests from its cache, reducing the number of origin fetches and lowering bandwidth costs.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Set appropriate Cache-Control headers (or origin cache settings) so CloudFront caches responses longer
Why this is correct
Cache headers and TTL determine how long objects are kept in CloudFront’s edge caches. Longer caching for static assets increases the cache hit ratio, reducing how often requests must go back to the origin.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Disable caching for the distribution so every request goes back to the origin
Why it's wrong here
Disabling caching prevents CloudFront from serving cached responses, which increases origin fetch frequency and typically increases cost and latency.
- ✗
Configure CloudFront to forward all request headers and query strings to the origin
Why it's wrong here
Forwarding headers/query strings increases the number of distinct cache keys, which lowers cache hit ratio and increases the number of cache misses and origin fetches.
- ✗
Move the S3 bucket to a different AWS Region, without changing CloudFront caching behavior
Why it's wrong here
Changing the bucket region may affect latency, but it does not directly change cache key behavior or cache TTL. If CloudFront caching behavior is unchanged, it typically will not most directly reduce origin fetches.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may think forwarding all headers or query strings improves caching, but in reality it fragments the cache and increases origin requests, while disabling caching or moving the bucket does not address the root cause of low cache reuse.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
CloudFront uses Cache-Control headers like max-age (in seconds) to determine the TTL for cached objects. When the TTL expires, CloudFront sends a conditional request (e.g., If-Modified-Since or ETag) to the origin; if the object hasn't changed, the origin returns a 304 Not Modified response, saving bandwidth. In real-world scenarios, setting a TTL of 30 days for static images can reduce origin fetches by over 90%, but you must balance freshness with cache efficiency.
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.
TExam Day Tips
- 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.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
Design Cost-Optimized Architectures — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Design Cost-Optimized Architectures practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All SAA-C03 questions
1,040 questions across all exam domains
- →
SAA-C03 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
SAA-C03 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related SAA-C03 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Design Secure Architectures practice questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to Design Secure Architectures.
Design Resilient Architectures practice questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to Design Resilient Architectures.
Design High-Performing Architectures practice questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to Design High-Performing Architectures.
Design Cost-Optimized Architectures practice questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to Design Cost-Optimized Architectures.
SAA-C03 VPC practice questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 VPC.
SAA-C03 S3 lifecycle policy questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 S3 lifecycle policy questions.
SAA-C03 RDS Multi-AZ questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 RDS Multi-AZ questions.
SAA-C03 IAM policy practice questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 IAM policy.
SAA-C03 Route 53 failover questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 Route 53 failover questions.
SAA-C03 CloudFront practice questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 CloudFront.
SAA-C03 NAT gateway questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 NAT gateway questions.
SAA-C03 VPC endpoint questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 VPC endpoint questions.
Practice this exam
Start a free SAA-C03 practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAA-C03 question test?
Design Cost-Optimized Architectures — This question tests Design Cost-Optimized Architectures — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Set appropriate Cache-Control headers (or origin cache settings) so CloudFront caches responses longer — Option A is correct because setting appropriate Cache-Control headers (e.g., max-age or s-maxage) or configuring origin cache settings tells CloudFront how long to keep objects in its edge cache before revalidating with the origin. By extending the cache duration, CloudFront serves more requests from its cache, reducing the number of origin fetches and lowering bandwidth costs.
What should I do if I get this SAA-C03 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Keep practising
More SAA-C03 practice questions
- A content publishing system uses Lambda functions that call an unreliable third-party API. Failed events must be retaine…
- A startup runs two EC2-based workloads in the same AWS Region. Its customer-facing API is always on, and its nightly vid…
- A warehouse integration service must use shared file storage across Linux EC2 instances in multiple Availability Zones.…
- A team runs a stateless web app on Amazon EC2 behind an Application Load Balancer. During traffic spikes, new EC2 instan…
- A service in private subnets downloads product images from Amazon S3 and stores job state in DynamoDB. A NAT Gateway is…
- A static site is hosted in Amazon S3 and delivered by CloudFront. After a frontend release, the same JavaScript bundles…
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.