Question 1easymultiple choice
Full question →easymultiple choiceObjective-mapped
Your team runs a batch processing workload on EC2 that can tolerate interruptions. If an instance is terminated, the job can restart from checkpoints. To reduce compute costs, what is the most cost-optimized approach?
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
Best answer
Use EC2 Spot Instances for the batch workers
Spot provides significantly lower pricing than On-Demand for interruptible workloads. Because the workload can restart from checkpoints, termination interruptions are acceptable and the application can recover efficiently, meeting both correctness and throughput requirements at a lower cost.
B
Distractor review
Use Dedicated Hosts to ensure capacity for the cheapest instance
Dedicated Hosts are primarily for controlling instance placement and meeting specific licensing/host requirements. They do not target the interruption-tolerant pricing model that makes Spot cost-optimized for interruptible batch workloads.
C
Distractor review
Use On-Demand instances and schedule extra runs to offset interruptions
On-Demand is typically more expensive than Spot. Scheduling extra runs increases total compute time/usage, which can increase costs rather than reduce them, even if it helps handle interruptions.
D
Distractor review
Use Reserved Instances only, because they eliminate instance termination events
Reserved Instances discount On-Demand pricing but do not eliminate all termination/interruption scenarios and do not provide the same level of discounting as Spot for workloads that can handle interruptions. This does not leverage the interruption tolerance that would enable the most cost savings.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
- Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
- NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
- Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
- Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
- Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
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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
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Question 2
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Question 5
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAA-C03 question test?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use EC2 Spot Instances for the batch workers — EC2 Spot Instances are the most cost-optimized option because the workload explicitly tolerates interruptions and can restart from checkpoints. Spot capacity may be reclaimed and instances can be terminated, but checkpoint-based restart handles this safely. This design directly aligns the interruption tolerance requirement with the Spot pricing model, producing lower compute costs than On-Demand. Dedicated Hosts and Reserved Instances focus on different guarantees (licensing control and discounted On-Demand, respectively) and do not provide the same interruption-tolerant cost advantage as Spot. Scheduling extra On-Demand runs would increase compute usage and cost. Why others are wrong: Dedicated Hosts are about host-level control and licensing constraints and usually cost more than Spot. On-Demand removes interruption variability but is not the cost-optimal pricing model for interruptible batch work. Reserved Instances provide On-Demand discounts but do not replace Spot’s interruption-tolerant pricing advantage. Scheduling extra On-Demand runs can increase total compute cost.
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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