- A
Standard Reserved Instances for the EC2 application.
A stable EC2 workload on the same family is a classic Reserved Instance use case because the commitment matches the predictable baseline.
- B
Compute Savings Plans for the Fargate service.
Compute Savings Plans are appropriate when the workload may change compute platforms, because they still provide discount flexibility.
- C
Spot Instances for the nightly batch job.
Interruptible batch processing is well suited to Spot because the workload can resume after interruptions without losing business value.
- D
On-Demand Instances for all three workloads.
Why wrong: On-Demand is flexible, but it does not provide the savings that the steady and interruptible workloads clearly justify.
- E
Dedicated Hosts for the batch job.
Why wrong: Dedicated Hosts are for isolation and specific licensing needs, not for lowering cost on a fault-tolerant batch workload.
Quick Answer
The answer is Spot Instances for the nightly batch job, Standard Reserved Instances for the stable EC2 application, and Savings Plans for the ECS Fargate workload. This combination leverages each pricing model’s strength: Reserved Instances lock in the highest discount for a predictable, same-family EC2 workload over a 1- or 3-year term, while Savings Plans offer flexible hourly commitment across instance families and compute services like Fargate, covering the steady baseline even when launch types shift. Spot Instances provide up to 90% discount for fault-tolerant, interruptible tasks, making them ideal for the batch job. On the SAA-C03 exam, this tests your ability to match pricing models to workload characteristics—a common trap is choosing Reserved Instances for variable or containerized workloads, where Savings Plans are more flexible. Memory tip: “Reserved for rigid, Savings for shifting, Spot for stopping.”
SAA-C03 Design Secure Architectures Practice Question
This SAA-C03 practice question tests your understanding of design secure architectures. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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.
A company has three workloads. First, a stable EC2 application will remain on the same instance family for at least one year. Second, an ECS service on Fargate may shift between launch types but has steady baseline usage. Third, a fault-tolerant nightly batch job can be interrupted and restarted. Which three pricing choices should the architect recommend? Select three.
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"first"Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
Clue:
"least"Why it matters: You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Standard Reserved Instances for the EC2 application.
Standard Reserved Instances (A) are ideal for the stable EC2 application because the workload has a predictable, steady-state usage and will remain on the same instance family for at least one year. By committing to a 1-year or 3-year term, the company receives a significant discount (up to 72%) compared to On-Demand pricing, making it the most cost-effective choice for this stable, long-running workload.
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.
- ✓
Standard Reserved Instances for the EC2 application.
Why this is correct
A stable EC2 workload on the same family is a classic Reserved Instance use case because the commitment matches the predictable baseline.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "first", "least" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Compute Savings Plans for the Fargate service.
Why this is correct
Compute Savings Plans are appropriate when the workload may change compute platforms, because they still provide discount flexibility.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "first", "least" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Spot Instances for the nightly batch job.
Why this is correct
Interruptible batch processing is well suited to Spot because the workload can resume after interruptions without losing business value.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "first", "least" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
On-Demand Instances for all three workloads.
Why it's wrong here
On-Demand is flexible, but it does not provide the savings that the steady and interruptible workloads clearly justify.
- ✗
Dedicated Hosts for the batch job.
Why it's wrong here
Dedicated Hosts are for isolation and specific licensing needs, not for lowering cost on a fault-tolerant batch workload.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume On-Demand is the only safe choice for all workloads, failing to recognize that the stable EC2 workload qualifies for Reserved Instances, the steady Fargate usage qualifies for Compute Savings Plans, and the fault-tolerant batch job is a textbook use case for Spot Instances.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Compute Savings Plans (B) apply to Fargate, EC2, and Lambda usage, automatically providing the lowest price across those services within a committed hourly spend. Spot Instances (C) can be up to 90% cheaper than On-Demand and are ideal for fault-tolerant, stateless workloads like batch jobs because AWS can reclaim the capacity with a 2-minute warning, but the job can simply be restarted. Standard Reserved Instances (A) lock in a specific instance family and region, offering the highest discount for steady-state workloads but with no flexibility to change instance types.
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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAA-C03 question test?
Design Secure Architectures — This question tests Design Secure Architectures — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Standard Reserved Instances for the EC2 application. — Standard Reserved Instances (A) are ideal for the stable EC2 application because the workload has a predictable, steady-state usage and will remain on the same instance family for at least one year. By committing to a 1-year or 3-year term, the company receives a significant discount (up to 72%) compared to On-Demand pricing, making it the most cost-effective choice for this stable, long-running workload.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "first", "least". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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