Question 1mediummulti select
Full question →mediummulti selectObjective-mapped
An application team sees that a fleet of EC2 instances averages 15% CPU utilization and has no memory pressure. The service must keep running continuously, but the team wants to lower cost with minimal risk. Which two actions should they take first? 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.
A
Best answer
Use Compute Optimizer recommendations to identify a smaller instance type.
Compute Optimizer analyzes historical utilization and suggests instance sizes that better match actual demand. That makes it a low-risk first step for finding a cheaper right-sized option before changing production capacity.
B
Best answer
Update the launch template or Auto Scaling group to the smaller instance type after testing.
After validating the recommendation, changing the launch template or Auto Scaling group is the action that reduces spend in production. This preserves continuous availability while reducing the amount of compute capacity that is paid for each hour.
C
Distractor review
Move the workload to Dedicated Hosts.
Dedicated Hosts are typically used for compliance, licensing, or tenancy requirements, not for cost reduction. They usually increase cost relative to shared EC2 capacity and do not address overprovisioning.
D
Distractor review
Add a second NAT Gateway.
A second NAT Gateway raises networking cost and has no effect on CPU overprovisioning. It does not help right-size the compute fleet or reduce instance spend.
E
Distractor review
Enable Provisioned Concurrency for the EC2 workload.
Provisioned Concurrency is an AWS Lambda feature and does not apply to EC2 instances. It would not reduce the cost of this fleet or help with instance sizing.
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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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
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Question 6
A solutions architect is designing an S3 bucket for a healthcare document service. The objects must never be publicly accessible, even if a developer later adds an overly broad bucket policy. What should the architect configure?
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: Use Compute Optimizer recommendations to identify a smaller instance type. — The team should first determine whether the workload can run on smaller instances and then apply the change safely. Compute Optimizer provides evidence-based recommendations from actual usage patterns, which reduces the risk of guessing. After testing, updating the launch template or Auto Scaling group to the smaller instance type translates that recommendation into lower ongoing EC2 spend while keeping the service available. Dedicated Hosts, additional NAT Gateways, and Lambda-specific settings do not solve the underutilized EC2 problem. They either add cost or are irrelevant to EC2 right-sizing.
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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