Question 1easymultiple choice
Full question →easymultiple choiceObjective-mapped
Exhibit
Application topology: - 4 Amazon EC2 instances run in a single Availability Zone - Each node exchanges small TCP messages with every other node - 99th percentile message latency increased after adding two more nodes - Instances currently launch in the default placement CloudWatch note: Network throughput is not saturated, but packet round-trip time between instances is higher than expected.
Based on the exhibit, what should the architect recommend to reduce inter-node latency for this workload?
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
Use a spread placement group so each instance is placed on separate hardware.
Spread placement groups are designed to improve availability by reducing the impact of a hardware failure. They intentionally distribute instances, which is useful for resilience but not for minimizing latency between tightly coupled nodes.
B
Best answer
Launch the instances in a cluster placement group within the same Availability Zone.
A cluster placement group places instances close together in a single Availability Zone, which is the best choice for workloads that exchange many small messages and need very low network latency. This design is common for tightly coupled compute, analytics, and HPC-style applications. Because the workload is not bandwidth-saturated but latency-sensitive, proximity matters more than broader distribution.
C
Distractor review
Move the instances into different Availability Zones to improve fault tolerance.
Different Availability Zones increase resilience, but they add more network distance and generally increase latency. That makes this option the opposite of what the exhibit requires for inter-node communication.
D
Distractor review
Use a partition placement group to balance traffic across partitions.
Partition placement groups help isolate groups of instances from one another for availability and scale. They are not the best option when the primary goal is the lowest possible latency between all nodes in the same application.
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
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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 5
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Question 6
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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: Launch the instances in a cluster placement group within the same Availability Zone. — A cluster placement group is the right choice when several EC2 instances need the lowest possible latency between each other. The exhibit shows a tightly coupled application that sends small TCP messages between nodes and is not limited by raw network throughput. Putting the instances in one cluster placement group within a single Availability Zone keeps them physically close on the AWS network fabric, which reduces round-trip time and improves responsiveness. Why others are wrong: Spread placement groups maximize fault tolerance rather than performance. Different Availability Zones improve resilience but add latency between nodes. Partition placement groups help isolate workloads and reduce correlated failures, but they do not provide the same low-latency placement as a cluster placement group.
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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