SAA-C03 Design High-Performing Architectures Practice Question
This SAA-C03 practice question tests your understanding of design high-performing architectures. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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.
Exhibit
CloudFront behavior summary for path pattern /static/*:
- Allowed methods: GET, HEAD
- Cache policy: forwards all query strings
- Origin request policy: forwards all cookies and the Authorization header
- Average cache hit ratio: 11%
Sample request log lines:
GET /static/app.js?v=18&userId=123 Cookie: session=abcd
GET /static/app.js?v=18&userId=987 Cookie: session=xyzt
GET /static/logo.svg?v=18&locale=en Cookie: session=mnop
Origin responses:
- All objects are identical for every viewer
- Objects are versioned only by the v query parameter
Based on the exhibit, which change will most improve the CloudFront cache hit ratio for the static assets while still serving the same files to all users?
CloudFront behavior summary for path pattern /static/*:
- Allowed methods: GET, HEAD
- Cache policy: forwards all query strings
- Origin request policy: forwards all cookies and the Authorization header
- Average cache hit ratio: 11%
Sample request log lines:
GET /static/app.js?v=18&userId=123 Cookie: session=abcd
GET /static/app.js?v=18&userId=987 Cookie: session=xyzt
GET /static/logo.svg?v=18&locale=en Cookie: session=mnop
Origin responses:
- All objects are identical for every viewer
- Objects are versioned only by the v query parameter
A
Create a custom cache policy that includes only the v query string and excludes cookies.
This removes unnecessary cache-key fragmentation. Since all users receive identical static files, forwarding user-specific cookies and irrelevant query strings destroys cache reuse. Keeping only the version parameter preserves correct object variation while allowing many more requests to hit the same cached object at the edge.
B
Enable Origin Shield and keep the current cache behavior unchanged.
Why wrong: Origin Shield can reduce origin load after a miss, but it does not fix a cache key that is fragmented by unnecessary request data.
C
Move the static assets to individual presigned URLs for each viewer.
Why wrong: Presigned URLs are for controlled access, not for improving cache efficiency when the content itself is identical for everyone.
D
Increase the CloudFront default TTL to 24 hours while continuing to forward all cookies and query strings.
Why wrong: A longer TTL helps only after a cacheable object is identified; forwarding user-specific data still creates too many distinct cache entries.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create a custom cache policy that includes only the v query string and excludes cookies.
Option A is correct because static assets (e.g., images, CSS, JS) are typically served identically to all users, so forwarding a unique query string like 'v' for versioning still allows CloudFront to cache a single object per version. By excluding cookies and other query strings, you prevent cache fragmentation caused by irrelevant variations, directly improving the cache hit ratio. This custom cache policy ensures that requests for the same 'v' value are served from the edge cache rather than forwarded to the origin.
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.
✓
Create a custom cache policy that includes only the v query string and excludes cookies.
Why this is correct
This removes unnecessary cache-key fragmentation. Since all users receive identical static files, forwarding user-specific cookies and irrelevant query strings destroys cache reuse. Keeping only the version parameter preserves correct object variation while allowing many more requests to hit the same cached object at the edge.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Enable Origin Shield and keep the current cache behavior unchanged.
Why it's wrong here
Origin Shield can reduce origin load after a miss, but it does not fix a cache key that is fragmented by unnecessary request data.
✗
Move the static assets to individual presigned URLs for each viewer.
Why it's wrong here
Presigned URLs are for controlled access, not for improving cache efficiency when the content itself is identical for everyone.
✗
Increase the CloudFront default TTL to 24 hours while continuing to forward all cookies and query strings.
Why it's wrong here
A longer TTL helps only after a cacheable object is identified; forwarding user-specific data still creates too many distinct cache entries.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume increasing TTL or enabling Origin Shield will fix a low cache hit ratio, when the real issue is cache key fragmentation caused by forwarding all cookies and query strings.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
CloudFront’s cache key is determined by the cache policy, which by default includes all query strings and cookies. When a query string like 'v=1' is used for versioning, including only that parameter in the cache key ensures that all users requesting 'v=1' share the same cached object, while other query strings (e.g., tracking parameters) are ignored. Under the hood, CloudFront hashes the cache key components to locate objects in the edge cache; excluding unnecessary variables reduces the number of unique keys and increases the likelihood of a hit.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
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 High-Performing Architectures — This question tests Design High-Performing Architectures — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create a custom cache policy that includes only the v query string and excludes cookies. — Option A is correct because static assets (e.g., images, CSS, JS) are typically served identically to all users, so forwarding a unique query string like 'v' for versioning still allows CloudFront to cache a single object per version. By excluding cookies and other query strings, you prevent cache fragmentation caused by irrelevant variations, directly improving the cache hit ratio. This custom cache policy ensures that requests for the same 'v' value are served from the edge cache rather than forwarded to the origin.
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.
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Question Discussion
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