SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question
A company is deploying a web application on AWS that must scale automatically based on CPU utilization. The application runs on Amazon EC2 instances in an Auto Scaling group. Which configuration is required for the Auto Scaling group to scale based on CPU?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse simple scaling policies with step scaling policies, assuming any policy based on a CloudWatch alarm is sufficient, but simple scaling lacks the multi-step responsiveness needed for dynamic CPU-based scaling and can lead to under-provisioning during rapid load changes.
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
✓
Create a step scaling policy based on a CloudWatch alarm for CPU utilization.
A step scaling policy allows the Auto Scaling group to adjust capacity in increments based on the severity of a CloudWatch alarm, such as one monitoring CPU utilization. This provides more granular and responsive scaling than simple policies, as it can add or remove instances in steps (e.g., add 2 instances when CPU > 70%, add 1 when CPU > 50%) and supports cooldown and warm-up logic to avoid thrashing.
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 scheduled scaling action to add instances at peak times.
Why it's wrong here
Scheduled scaling is for predictable traffic, not dynamic CPU.
- ✗
Create a simple scaling policy that adds one instance when CPU exceeds 50%.
Why it's wrong here
Simple scaling is outdated; step scaling is recommended.
- ✓
Create a step scaling policy based on a CloudWatch alarm for CPU utilization.
Why this is correct
Step scaling adjusts capacity based on alarm thresholds.
- ✗
Configure the ALB health check to mark instances unhealthy if CPU is high.
Why it's wrong here
Health checks do not trigger scaling; they replace unhealthy instances.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.