Question 1hardmultiple choice
Full question →hardmultiple choiceObjective-mapped
Exhibit
ALB and ASG snapshot (15-minute peak): - RequestCountPerTarget: 1,920 - TargetResponseTime p95: 2.9 seconds - HTTPCode_Target_5XX_Count: 0 EC2 application metrics from CloudWatch agent: - CPUUtilization: 33% - MemoryUtilization: 46% - NetworkIn/Out: steady Application logs: [WARN] worker queue depth reached 5,000 [INFO] rejecting requests after thread pool saturation Current Auto Scaling policy: - Target tracking on CPUUtilization = 55%
Based on the exhibit, which change best reduces latency during peak traffic without overprovisioning the fleet?
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
Replace the instances with a larger instance family so each server has more headroom.
Bigger instances can help only when compute saturation is the main bottleneck, but the exhibit points to queue buildup and request concurrency.
B
Best answer
Change the Auto Scaling policy to target tracking on ALB RequestCountPerTarget.
RequestCountPerTarget matches the actual demand reaching each instance and scales capacity before the thread pool saturates. Because CPU is still low, CPU-based scaling would react too late or not at all. Target tracking on request count helps keep queue depth and latency down while avoiding unnecessary overprovisioning during quieter periods.
C
Distractor review
Use scheduled scaling to add instances only during the business hours peak window.
Scheduled scaling follows the clock, not live demand, so it cannot react well to sudden surges or shifting traffic patterns.
D
Distractor review
Replace the ALB with a Network Load Balancer to reduce request latency.
A Network Load Balancer changes the front end, but the logs show application thread exhaustion rather than load balancer overhead.
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.
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.
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.
SAA-C03 Auto Scaling practice questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 Auto Scaling.
SAA-C03 disaster recovery questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 disaster recovery questions.
SAA-C03 high availability questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 high availability questions.
SAA-C03 cost optimization questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 cost optimization questions.
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: Change the Auto Scaling policy to target tracking on ALB RequestCountPerTarget. — The exhibit shows a classic application-tier concurrency bottleneck: the queue grows, threads saturate, and latency rises even though CPU remains modest. That means scaling on CPU is the wrong signal. A target tracking policy based on ALB RequestCountPerTarget uses incoming demand as the scaling metric, which is a better fit for request-driven web tiers. It adds capacity as traffic per instance rises, reducing queue buildup without permanently running too many instances. Why others are wrong: Bigger instances may not solve a request-queue bottleneck if concurrency, not raw compute, is the limiter. Scheduled scaling is too rigid and can miss unexpected spikes or dips. Replacing the ALB does not address the evidence of application saturation, and a Network Load Balancer would not fix the back-end thread pool pressure shown in the logs.
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.
Discussion
Loading comments…
Sign in to join the discussion.