The answer is to increase the desired capacity of the Auto Scaling group. This is correct because when you need to improve web app performance with low CPU but high request count per target, the bottleneck is typically I/O or external call latency, not compute power—adding more instances distributes the pending requests and reduces queueing at each target. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish between scaling horizontally versus vertically; a common trap is assuming low CPU means the system is fine, but high request count per target signals that the application is waiting on non-CPU resources like database queries or API calls. Remember the memory tip: “Low CPU, high queue? Scale out, not up.”
SAP-C02 Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of continuous improvement for existing solutions. 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 deployed a web application behind an Application Load Balancer (ALB) with an Auto Scaling group. Users report that the application is slow during peak hours. The CPU utilization of the EC2 instances is consistently below 40%, but the ALB's request count per target is high. Which action would MOST improve performance?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Increase the desired capacity of the Auto Scaling group
Option C is correct because high request count per target with low CPU suggests the application is I/O bound or waiting on external calls; adding more instances will distribute the load and reduce queueing. Option A is wrong because increasing instance size may not help if the bottleneck is not CPU. Option B is wrong because scaling based on CPU would not trigger since CPU is low. Option D is wrong because changing the ALB routing algorithm to least outstanding requests could help but adding more instances is more direct.
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.
✗
Increase the instance size (e.g., from t3.medium to t3.large)
Why it's wrong here
CPU is low, so larger instances may not improve performance.
✓
Increase the desired capacity of the Auto Scaling group
Why this is correct
Adding more instances reduces request count per target.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Configure the Auto Scaling group to scale based on CPU utilization
Why it's wrong here
CPU is low, so this would not scale out.
✗
Change the ALB routing algorithm to least outstanding requests
Why it's wrong here
This could help slightly but does not add capacity.
Common exam traps
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.
Detailed technical explanation
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.
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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which SAP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions — This question tests Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Increase the desired capacity of the Auto Scaling group — Option C is correct because high request count per target with low CPU suggests the application is I/O bound or waiting on external calls; adding more instances will distribute the load and reduce queueing. Option A is wrong because increasing instance size may not help if the bottleneck is not CPU. Option B is wrong because scaling based on CPU would not trigger since CPU is low. Option D is wrong because changing the ALB routing algorithm to least outstanding requests could help but adding more instances is more direct.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
Identify which SAP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company runs a web application on EC2 instances behind an Application Load Balancer. Users report intermittent slowdowns. CloudWatch metrics show high CPU utilization on the instances. The company wants to improve performance with minimal architectural changes. What should a solutions architect do?
medium
A.Use Amazon ElastiCache to offload database queries.
✓ B.Configure an Auto Scaling group with a dynamic scaling policy based on CPU utilization.
C.Replace the EC2 instances with a larger instance type.
D.Enable Amazon CloudFront in front of the ALB to cache content.
Why B: Option C is correct because Auto Scaling with a dynamic scaling policy based on CPU utilization automatically adjusts capacity to handle load spikes. Option A is wrong because vertical scaling (larger instances) has an upper limit and may cause downtime during resizing. Option B is wrong because CloudFront caches content but doesn't reduce CPU load from dynamic requests. Option D is wrong because ElastiCache adds a caching layer but may not address CPU bottlenecks from compute-intensive operations.
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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This SAP-C02 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the SAP-C02 exam.
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