Question 1hardmultiple choice
Full question →hardmultiple choiceObjective-mapped
Exhibit
CloudWatch metrics for the Auto Scaling group (5-minute period): - CPUUtilization: 28% average - NetworkIn: 190 MB/min average, no saturation - GroupDesiredCapacity: 4 - ALBRequestCountPerTarget: 4,800 during peaks - TargetResponseTime p95: 2.7 seconds during peaks ALB access log sample: 2026-04-28T09:02:11Z app/prod-alb 203.0.113.10:443 10.0.1.21:8080 0.000 2.698 0.000 200 200 1843 1920 "GET https://app.example.com/search?q=aws HTTP/1.1"
Based on the exhibit, a web application runs on an Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling group behind an Application Load Balancer. During traffic surges, the average CPU utilization stays below 35%, but request latency increases sharply and the ALB access logs show far more requests per target than expected. Which change is the best way to improve scaling behavior?
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
Lower the CPU target tracking threshold so the Auto Scaling group launches more instances sooner.
CPU is already low, so using CPU as the scaling signal will not match the bottleneck. The application is saturating on request handling before CPU becomes a useful indicator.
B
Distractor review
Replace the Application Load Balancer with a Network Load Balancer to reduce request latency.
A Network Load Balancer does not solve application-layer capacity pressure on the targets. It also does not provide a better scaling signal for HTTP request volume.
C
Best answer
Configure target tracking scaling on ALB RequestCountPerTarget for the Auto Scaling group.
RequestCountPerTarget directly reflects how many requests each instance is serving, which matches the symptom in the exhibit. It scales the fleet based on actual per-target demand instead of CPU, so the group can add capacity before queueing and latency grow.
D
Distractor review
Increase the ALB idle timeout so requests can wait longer before timing out.
A longer idle timeout only masks slow responses and can prolong connection occupancy. It does not add capacity or correct the scaling signal that is driving the latency spike.
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
A team needs to distribute TCP traffic (not HTTP) across multiple services. The services must see the original client source IP for auditing. Which AWS load balancer is the best fit?
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
A solutions architect is designing an S3 bucket for a IoT ingestion API. The objects must never be publicly accessible, even if a developer later adds an overly broad bucket policy. What should the architect configure? The design must avoid adding custom operational scripts.
Question 4
A solutions architect is designing an S3 bucket for a claims portal. The objects must never be publicly accessible, even if a developer later adds an overly broad bucket policy. What should the architect configure?
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
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?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Configure target tracking scaling on ALB RequestCountPerTarget for the Auto Scaling group. — The exhibit shows low CPU but high ALBRequestCountPerTarget and rising target response time, which means the fleet is being overloaded by request concurrency rather than raw compute saturation. Target tracking on ALB RequestCountPerTarget is the most appropriate scaling policy because it aligns capacity with the number of requests each instance must serve. That improves scaling responsiveness without depending on a misleading CPU metric. CPU-based scaling would react too late because CPU is not the bottleneck. A Network Load Balancer changes the transport layer, but the issue is target capacity and request load, not load balancer protocol overhead. Increasing the ALB idle timeout does not increase throughput; it only keeps connections open longer and can worsen target exhaustion.
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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